COBBLER (2891')

Sunday 20th November 1983        Cobbler (2891')

Leaders Glip and John Tait

Scouts Andrew MacEwing, Mark Sinclair, Adrian Simpson, Alistair Blair, Stuart Dalrymple (Merry), James Gatherer (Peasant or Pez)

Report

As with last week’s climb, this climb was arranged with short notice on the Friday before. Interest was fortunately  restricted to those mentioned above due to exams and illness. Otherwise transport could have been awkward.

The weather was superior and the visibility was great. We parked eventually in the lay by about half a mile down the road from the path which went through the forest following the steam Allt a’ Bhalachain.

Ally felt tired today, probably because his rucksack was troubling him – too big and awkward. We stopped alongside the stream for a while and then further on at the small dam outwith the forest. Here, the Scouts tried to run up the slope of the dam even those who were apparently tired.

Going on from here, they charged off ahead, scorning the path on the opposite side of the stream and fighting through grassy hammocks. For once, Mark was in the rear. The party grouped together in the shadow of the eastern coire of the Cobbler. We then clambered up the coire quite quickly and visited the North top first of all where I worried something awful about Scouts falling off cliffs. Ally was last up due to tiredness and was dreamily strolling past a 500 foot drop or so until I pointed it out to him. He soon stepped away from it. It was very cold up here and there were even icy patches on the path.

We had lunch in an eastern coire which was nicely sheltered and comfortable. During lunch, a struggling group of Edinburgh University climbers passed us by– dozens of them (or maybe one dozen).

After lunch, we visited the other top and requests to go through the ‘eye’ were turned down.

We descended round the back and down the Southwest shoulder. Bivvy bagging  was popular again. Andrew, whose first climb this was, had no trouble in keeping up and, in fact, was always in the van.

Adrian Simpson now gained the Ben Nevis stage of the challenge.

The Race to be First – Update following the Cobbler

Merry pulls ahead and gains fast on Booboo, leaving Richard behind. Ally, Peasant and Mark keep up the pressure neck and neck. Adrian gains two places and Frodo drops badly.

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