By Baptiste Poursat
Our new September tradition is a weekend on Skye. We always gamble on the weather, and we always have a great time.
Everyone arrived on Friday, more or less early. After a quick dinner, a few club members brought out their instruments, rain was forecast all weekend, so an improvised trad session, fuelled by whisky, carried on until 3 a.m. We had the Glen Brittle Hut to ourselves and no neighbour to complain about the noise.
Saturday
Faces were tired and still a bit whisky-hazed. Keen to make the most of the trip after Friday’s long drive, Ruth and Rob headed up Sgùrr na Banachdich. It was windy, and cloud shrouded the Cuillin. Flo opted for a day of wild swimming.
The rest of us, Amber, John, Cammy, Rory, Baptiste, Katie, Christabel and Alan, went for the Inaccessible Pinnacle via Coire Lagan. After a couple of hours trudging uphill, with frequent pauses to hear from our in-house geologist Rory about every rock we pointed at (and a good look at the Cioch, our original plan), we reached the scree beneath An Stac. By then we were soaked, and with low visibility and wet rock we chose to bypass An Stac. The slabs below the In Pinn had turned into a running stream; it took some nerve and faith in friction to continue. Miraculously, at the base of the In Pinn the wind dropped, and the rain stopped. With no one else around, we climbed in two small teams, taking our time and enjoying the sudden views. The descent to the hut was straightforward, with only a little navigation to regain the path.
Back at the hut, John cooked his now-famous roast, the highlight of the trip, followed by games and tabletop “climbing ability” test.
Sunday
A daft and keen crew, Christabel, Amber, Rory, Ruth and Rob, set off early for the Clach Glas–Blà Bheinn traverse. Conditions were kind: mostly dry, no rain, and good visibility. They had a brilliant day on this classic scramble, even if it took longer than expected.
Flo and Cammy went cragging at Elgol, ticking the classic Jamie Jampot. Meanwhile, Alan, John, Katie and Baptiste opted for a mellow day: a dip in the sea (only Katie fully committed!) and excellent seafood in Broadford.
Despite the weather, it was an excellent weekend. Skye was as charming and magical as ever, and I’m already looking forward to returning to my favourite Scottish mountains.