Snowdonia Climbing

Some pre-Christmas Scottish Snow

2011-04-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Just before Christmas I spent a week working in Scotland, the first of what would eventually be 9 weeks winter work in Scotland over the 2010-2011 season. In this case it was delivering a 5-day Winter Mountaineering Proficiency course to members of Wales OTC (Officer Training Corps). Based from Ballachulish, we started with a skills day then followed a glorious day traversing Ben Nevis via the CMD Arete in peerless conditions of clear sunny skies and no wind.

Views onto the North Face were clear and magnificent and more than compensated for the early start and haul up Allt y Mhuillin. Views from the summit were equally stunning and as we descended into the top of the Red Burn, we were treated to beautiful lighting over the snows.

Following Ben Nevis, we set out on a 2-day expedition across Rannoch Moor. Catching the train from Fort William we alighted at Corrour Station and headed West making for the bothy at the South end of Loch Chiaran.

Leaving India

2011-04-21T05:03:00.000-07:00

With a day left before departure, we decided to wander Kolkata and take in the sights of the forthcoming puja where great effort is put in to creating temporary shrines. Puja is is the act of showing reverence to a god, a spirit, or another aspect of the divine through invocations, prayers, songs, and rituals. An essential part of puja for the Hindu devotee is making a spiritual connection with the divine. Most often that contact is facilitated through an object: an element of nature, a vessel, a painting, a print or in this case, a vast temporary sculpture.

One important aspect of India that deserves mention is the food. Wherever we went to choice, variety and quality was of an exceptionally high standard and partaking of the Indian cuisine was a pure joy. We'd stuck to vegetarian dishes throughout and neither of us suffered at all from the infamous 'Delhi Belly'.

In a mere 2 weeks we had seen and done much but ultimately, not even begun to scratch the surface of a fascinating and diverse culture. Though I have travelled far and wide over the years and in some respects, become inured to new sights, India was a revelation and worth the effort and the wait.

The Sunderbans

2011-04-21T04:51:00.000-07:00

Forsaking Sikkim and Darjeeling we headed back for Kolkata in order to visit the Sunderbans, home to one of the largest concentrations of tigers anywhere. We booked a 2-day excursion and headed South from Kolkata for a 3 hour drive towards the mangroves that make up the Sunderbans. We transferred onto a boat that would take us the last leg to our lodge via the major river systems.

Our accompanying park rangers were hugely knowledgeable and helpful - one had even survived an attack by a tiger as a child. Their pronunciation was at times though bemusing and amusing; the colourful birds flitting about just above the water's surface were 'kingpissers' and we were told that we could look forward that evening to an interesting display of local 'poke dancing'!

The next day was spent trawling the narrow mangrove channels seeking tigers. We were not lucky enough to see any tigers which is not wholly surprising given their low numbers though we did see a set of tracks on a muddy shoreline/

Gangtok and Sikkim

2011-04-21T04:30:00.000-07:00

We were keen to visit Sikkim and duly obtained the necessary permits (required by foreigners) before leaving Darjeeling. The road is surfaced the entire way though obviously this creates as much hazard as it eliminates - testimony being bourne by the numerous 'creative' public information signs along the road. A few choice samples; "On our road, no overload", "Driving faster can cause disaster", Better late to bed than end up dead", "Use as highway, not as runway" and "For safe arriving, no liqour while driving" - Wordsworth needn't worry!!

Gangtok again was cool and if anything, slower paced than Darjeeling. The main street was surprisingly modern considering we were pushing into remoter territory though we did see the obligatory man with goats.

From Gangtok we decided to push one step further into remoter territory and took a day's jeep trip up to Mangan, some 4 hours from Gangtok. The road very soon reverted to dirt and wound its way along some precipitous hillsides. Obviously work has to be undertaken continually just to keep it open and free from landslide debris.

Mangan (the 'Large Cardoman Capital of the World') itself was a small pleasant town though the main draw is a viewpoint 1.5km outside the town from where stunning vistas of deep valleys can be enjoyed. On the way back we stopped at a few magnificent gompas or Bhuddist Monasteries.

Darjeeling

2011-04-21T04:02:00.000-07:00

Darjeeling is an oasis of cool in the Himalayan foothills and it was easy to appreciate just why members of the Raj sought refuge here from the heat of the plains. Oddly however, the place didn't wake early and we were suprised by the lack of early morning bustle and noise like we'd experienced in Kolkata. We'd booked into the central Dekeling Hotel which gave magnificent views Westwards over the town and the hills that swept downwards.

Darjeeling is an ideal place just to kick back, relax and just enjoy wandering about. That said, we did visit the Himalayan Zoological Park replete with snow leopard. Within the zoo is the prestigious Himalayan Mountaineering Institute with an fascinating exhibition on the history of mountaineering on Everest which included a wide variety of artefacts from the 1920s to the present day. Tenzing Norgay lived most of his life in Darjeeling and was for many years Director of the institute. He was cremated on the site and a large statue of him now marks the spot.

With the Himalayas so close, visitors make an early morning trip to Tiger Hill to watch sunrise over a 250km stretch of the mountain range. We joined them one morning and got dropped off at Ghoom on the way back allowing us to walk the final 6km back to Darjeeling along the quiet and rural Tenzing Norgay Road. Here we were able to see locals getting along with everyday life in what seemed a very relaxed and happy manner.

Darjeeling and its Himalayan Railway

2010-10-19T09:26:00.000-07:00

We escaped Kolcata via the overnight train to New Jalpaiguri or NJP as it's more commonly referred to. We didn't slum it and went ACFC (Air-Conditioned First Class) and it was very good - crisp bed linen and a very clean cabin. Once in NJP, we took a 20-minute tuk-tuk ride to the bus station in Siliguri and from there a bus up to Kurseong from where we'd be catching the Himalayan Railway for the last leg to Darjeeling. Up to Siliguri you are captive to the hot humid plains but beyond Siliguri you begin climbing into the cooler foothills of the Himalayas. The scenery becomes greener and fresher, the roads narrower and your environs less congested with humanity.


The view from inside our tuk-tuk

Whilst NJP and Siliguri had been all bustle in a similar way to Kolkata, Kurseong offered life in a slower and more picturesque manner. The local people had changed also and here they were more Nepali in complexion and appearance. We had some time before our train departed so we had lunch in the Nepali restaurant by the station and just chilled.

On this day, our train would be pulled by a diesel locomotive rather than a steam one. Nevertheless, it does feel like The Toy Train it has become better known as. The railway departs Kurseong via the main street coming extremely close to shop fronts. All the way to Darjeeling its horn bellows stridently and locals cover their ears as it passes - it really is deafening and incessant! The train winds its way alongside the road the entire way with some great views. In all the journey took just over 3 hours and by the time we arrived it was dark and therefore we'd have to wait till morning for our first proper views of the town.

En route to darjeeling

India - First Impressions

2010-10-06T04:01:00.000-07:00

I am spending 2 weeks traveling in West Bengal along with Anthony, a friend who I went to school with and have known for 40 years. We have been making trips to exotic places for years and we have previously travelled in Mali, Ethiopia and Mauritania. India is a destination we have both been very keen to experience for a long time and now our chance has arrived.

Our itinerary is Kolcata, Darjeeling Himalayan Railway to Darjeeling, Darjeeling, Gangtok in Sikkim and then a return via the Sunderbans where we hope to see some tigers.

Kolcata was an experience not to be missed but also one you are happy to leave behind due to it being noisy, humid, choked, quite often odour-some (and that's being polite) and polluted. What is very special about Kolcata though is the sheer spread of human experience acted out everyday before your eyes - every inch of space is utilised for sleeping, washing, begging, trading, parking etc etc. We also had some great food in Kolcata and visited a well known restaurant called Teej which I can recommend, a bit more expensive than most in Kolcata but the food was masterful!!

Next post - Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and Darjeeling.

Welcome to my Blog!!

2010-09-30T13:16:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my Blog!!

I'm Mike Laing and I work as a freelance mountaineering instructor in Snowdonia, North Wales. I operate as a sole trader using the name Snowdonia Climbing and the aim of my blog is to provide interesting and useful information about my passions - mountaineering and travel. To do this I'll be posting articles about my mountaineering and travel activities both in my private life and through Snowdonia Climbing.

I've just returned from the Isle of Skye in Scotland where I took a group of TA soldiers to traverse the Cuillin Ridge. 6 of us, 3 instructors and 3 novices to scrambling, planned a 2-day South to North traverse with a planned bivouac halfway. Initial forays to recce key sections of the ridge and make a stash of our bivouac kit were beset by rain and high winds. A favourable but finite fair weather window forced our hand and we started having made our bivouac stash though without having been able to make any detailed recce of the ridge.

The Team: Paul, Mike, Sally, Dan & Alan

Travelling along the ridge with novices requires care and an ever watchful eye to protecting the less experienced which slowed us down somewhat, the descents seeming to require the greatest care so as to avoid taking the wrong line off. Eventually, we had to make an extra unplanned bivouac but completed the traverse in 3 days of good weather with strong gusts only blowing in during the final few hours. Despite taking longer than planned, the second bivouac was comfortable and we completed the ridge in high spirits.


Climbing out from the TD Gap

This was a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying trip. Those who scramble but don't rock climb might find some parts such as the TD Gap quite challenging and the whole experience is quite Alpine in character.

Full Photo Gallery

Next I shall be departing for West Bengal in India for 2 weeks. This will include Darjeeling via the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a quick visit to Sikkim, tiger watching in The Sunderbans and of course, lots of great Indian cuisine!