Posted by & filed under Books, Mountains & hills, Science, February 24 2011.

Cool Britannia

Cool Britannia

Iain Cameron (with whom I visited a long-lasting snowpatch on Aonach Mòr last October, see the blog posting ‘Autumn snowfields in Lochaber‘) and Adam Watson have just written a book together, called ‘Cool Britannia‘.

This book is a welcome guide for anyone interested in the little-known area (although now coming to more public prominence after the last two cold and snowy winters in the UK and the current hot topic of climate change) of meteorological and environmental research concerning extreme snow events in Britain and in particular the topic of long-lasting snow in upland areas in Britain.

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Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Science, February 16 2011.

Something I’ve always been interested in are the environmental conditions that are required for glaciers to form. Glaciers are often associated with high mountains and polar areas, and the major environmental factors that influence their existence are long-term climate trends (e.g. precipitation, average air temperatures and prevailing wind direction and strength), latitude and altitude, and local topography (e.g. slope angle and aspect).

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Posted by & filed under Military/Aircraft, Mountains & hills, January 22 2011.

Wreckage parts from a Mosquito bomber on The Curr in the Cheviot hills

Wreckage parts from a Mosquito bomber on The Curr in the Cheviot hills

Last week I went walking in the Cheviot hills, just south of Kelso. I walked along the Pennine Way past some horseriders and up to the 564m summit of The Curr. There were great views northwards into the Scottish Borders and south to the summit of the Cheviot in England, just a few kilometres away.

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Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Science, November 1 2010.

Autumn snowpatch in An Cùl Coire

Three weeks ago I travelled to Lochaber to walk to the summit of Aonach Mòr. The purpose of the trip was to locate an area on the mountain which contains a long-lasting snowpatch from last winter. I’ve visited similar areas in the Cairngorm mountains many times (see several previous blog postings and my website page about perennial snow), but this was my first trip to sites in the Lochaber area.

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Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, September 13 2010.

On the Faochag - Sgùrr na Sgine ridge above Glen Shiel

On Saturday last weekend I climbed Sgùrr na Sgine in Glen Shiel with Katy. Our original plan had been to climb to the summit of The Saddle via the Forcan Ridge, but as the weather was pretty bad, we decided to do the slightly easier summit of Sgùrr na Sgine which lies just to the south-east of The Saddle.

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Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, Science, September 10 2010.

I’ve written a lot in my blog postings about snowfields that persist in mountainous regions at high altitudes into the summer months (and beyond), but there is a related phenomenon that I have only recently become aware of, and that is of winter ice persisting into the summer months in rock fissures (or fractures) and caves. These fissures can exist at any elevation and not necessarily in mountainous areas, and can provide a remarkably sheltered local environment deep within them that can collect snowfall in the winter months but are largely unaffected by the surrounding climatic conditions. Something related to these fissures is a geological feature known as an ‘Algific talus slope‘ although this is something that is new to me, but they seem to be, in effect, natural subterranean freezers!

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Posted by & filed under Mountains & hills, August 20 2010.

Early morning on the summit of Ben Macdui

Early morning on the summit of Ben Macdui

A few weeks ago I travelled to Linn of Dee near Braemar and cycled along Glen Lui towards Ben Macdui with the intention of walking up to the summit via Glen Luibeg from the south. The weather was very wet and low clouds meant there wasn’t very much in the way of views, so I ended up changing my plans and walking to the summit of Sgòr Mòr instead. Sgòr Mòr is a Corbett summit in the middle of the Cairngorms and is completely overshadowed by the huge peaks surrounding it, but its saving grace is that it offers exceptional views of these mountains. However, on the day of my walk there wasn’t much to see, so it ended up being a fairly unrewarding trip.

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Posted by & filed under Military/Aircraft, Mountains & hills, July 25 2010.

Coire Mhic Fhearchair and the Triple Buttress

Coire Mhic Fhearchair and the Triple Buttress

On Tuesday last week I travelled to Torridon to hike to Coire Mhic Fhearchair, a three hour walk to a hidden corrie behind Beinn Eighe. Coire Mhic Fhearchair must be one of the most dramatic corries in the whole of the Scottish mountains, with the impressive backdrop of the Triple Buttress.

The day started off with blue skies and very little wind, and the walk along Coire Dubh Mhor beneath the eastern cliffs of Liathach was almost idyllic (there were a few midgies about), with a great view in the morning light of the glacial ‘hummocky moraine’ deposits in Glen Torridon called ‘The Corrie of a Hundred Hills‘.

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Posted by & filed under Military/Aircraft, Mountains & hills, July 22 2010.

Looking west from Sgurr nan Ceannaichean over Glen Carron

Looking west from Sgurr nan Ceannaichean over Glen Carron

On Monday I travelled to Glen Carron and climbed up to the summit of Sgurr nan Ceannaichean. I did not walk up the usual way recommended in guide books but instead walked up via Coire an t-Seilich and the north-western slopes of the mountain. This was over difficult terrain and the overgrown vegetation, boggy ground, steep slopes of wet grass, insects, humidity and heavy rain made it a pretty unpleasant climb! Once I was near the summit however, the weather cleared and I was able to take some photos of the great views, which included the peaks of Torridon and Letterewe to the north.

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