Climbing? Scotland? Kidnapping? This looks a good film.

[Milo]

it's a very different experience. A lot of my Munros and Tops were solo and a fair few of them solo in winter - there is something very satisfying about navigating with map, compass and stride length and being able to turn up where you expect to be, even in poor visibility. And on a crisp winter's day you get clearer air and better views than at any other time of year.

I once followed a solo walker and his dog off Ben More Assynt along the ridge towards Conival. The ridge got narrower and more corniced and suddenly the paw prints disappeared.... "Crikey", I though, "the dog's a gonner." But no, I caught them up just below the col at the top of Traligill and there was a nose poking out of a rucksack, with a pair of eyes that were clearly not enjoying the day quite as much as they had on the way up.

I went to the Beacons last Jan and did some hill walking with my partner. The weather in the day was amazing and clear which led to it being fairly chilly late in the day. It was great however was not really winter conditions no snow etc and crampons were not needed due to it being so dry despite heavy frost in the mornings which was a blessing when it came to the boggier areas around there. We were wild camping on the tops and at night it was -10 or so which was an experience shall we say. Ironically this was probably the best weather for good views I have ever had in Wales. However The Beacons are not really mountains in contrast to North wales and the Highlands etc I would not have gone anywhere that serious being a relative novice when it comes to winter walking. Now we have a baby I'm a bit sad that we will not be able to do anywhere near as much walking as we used to.

 

[G-Zero]

Just bear in mind when watching that it is meant to be set in a remote Scottish hamlet/town population circa 200?

Gotcha

That pagan festival, naked red breasted dancing ladies reminded me more of a busy night on Newcastle's quayside , rather than remote Scottish village.

I did enjoy the film overall though and have downloaded the soundtrack as I absolutely adore Sophie Ramsay's rendition of "The Burning Of Auchindoun".

 

[Silver Fox]

Looks good, I like the guy playing the main baddie.

Just watched this film, yes Sean Harris does play a good baddie. His part in Harry Brown was boarding on spooky.

As far as the film goes, the Gibney brothers have made an entertaining fast paced, easy to watch film although I have to say not in the same league as Rise of the Footsoldier, imo.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Oh well it's gone a bit off topic in places so here is a pic' of my sadly deceased dog on Ben Nevis on the 3rd of 14 ascents - this one was via the CMD Arete up and tourist route down.

 

[Milo]

Ooh hill photos.

North wales Cadair Idris and very much the wrong path down it turned out. Compressed as I have nowhere to host images sorry.

 

[slowmotion]

Oh well it's gone a bit off topic in places so here is a pic' of my sadly deceased dog on Ben Nevis on the 3rd of 14 ascents - this one was via the CMD Arete up and tourist route down.

View attachment 6284

What a great looking dog. Was he on belay?

 

[PBancroft]

Go on then... I'll join in!

I forget the precise location, and I don't have a map to hand to check, however this was during a December '10 bimble across up Stony Cove Pike, across High Street and back down past Hayeswater.

 

[G-Zero]

Oh well it's gone a bit off topic in places so here is a pic' of my sadly deceased dog on Ben Nevis on the 3rd of 14 ascents - this one was via the CMD Arete up and tourist route down.

CMD arete, nice.... We did the exact same route this day.

Never had a chance to get back to it in the snow though.... deeply envious.

 

[G-Zero]

And to continue the "bit off topic" theme.... a couple from our walk to Bidean nam Bian (ps - the car was only on the helipad for the photo)

and one of my favourites from a solo walk, a bit closer to home in atrocious conditions on Blencathra's Sharp Edge.

 

[G-Zero]

Go on then... I'll join in!

I forget the precise location, and I don't have a map to hand to check, however this was during a December '10 bimble across up Stony Cove Pike, across High Street and back down past Hayeswater.

PB, I don't know if it's my set up, but I can't see your pic. There's just a box with " x

 

[Grizzly]

I'll try too.

All my winter pictures are too big to load:-(

 

[ASC1951]

[QUOTE 1684174, member: 9609"]Since you mentioned Ben More Assynt, here is a pic of the bad step on the southern ridge. All photos from that day on this clickity link
[/quote]
.. and that is exactly where the dog's paw prints disappeared.

My other Ben More outing was on a day so windy that we had to crawl the last sixty yards to the summit cairn, and on the way back down a little 15 foot chimney I got lifted clean off my feet, rucksack and all, and deposited abruptly at the bottom. "Oh look", said my companion, "pigs can fly." My, how I laughed.

 

[Grizzly]

 

[SpokeyDokey]

What a great looking dog. Was he on belay?

Not on this occasion - he's just got his light harness on ready for our descent. As you probably know Ben Nevis is prone to cornices and I didn't want him to go hurtling out onto one, so much to his disgust he was put on a light rope until we cleared the summit plateau.

The Arete was only covered in 6" or so of powder snow so he was ok scooting across it in 4WD! If it had been iced up I wouldn't have taken him across.

We live in Cumbria so he was a proper mountain dog and logged well over 200 long hill days. He was a competent scrambler and we used to belay him on his big Ruffwear harness (which he did not like wearing) when there were big drop-offs and he was showing signs of over confidence!

Stuff like Striding Edge, Crib Goch etc he used to zip along without being on lead/harness etc - providing there were no people in sight. Always had him on lead when other people were about as he could've easily knocked them off balance as he whizzed by - not good.

He did Crib Goch 5 times and on one occasion a lady in a party of ditherers berated me for bringing him up there - they were way out of their depth imo and as politely as I could I pointed out that the lad probably had more hill nous than their entire party between them. Busy bodies!

Thanks for saying he looked great - he did! He died last year after a short illness at the age of 12 and I miss him dreadfully.

My favourite pic' of him - at Stickle Tarn on descent from a clamber up Jacks Rake in 2005.

 

[slowmotion]

Wonderful! Thanks SD.