Comments on: The Eastern Monadh Liath

By: cameron

cameron — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 14:29:03 +0000

Duncan, thanks for that information - really fascinating. It’s great to use your imagination to see your family living in that little cottage, your mother collecting wood for fuel. A different world. I always think it’s so important for us to remember these times, when we couldn’t just switch on a light, or turn on a gas fire. And I think your point about Wade’s bridge is very valid… Many thanks for getting in touch.

By: Duncan Macniven

Duncan Macniven — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 21:53:27 +0000

Hi Cameron, when I was 2 years old I lived with my mother and sister in the ruin, (it has a local name as Macgreors croft.)you can see facing south towards the keepers house just after you cross the wee humped bridge.

You do not see the ruin until you have walked up the path a wee bit, the gable end has fallen in and the roof is about to depart.

My father crofted there for a few years and bred goats. He was invalided out of the RAF, but passed away when I was to little to remember him.

My Mother worked in the Timber Corps for a while and she would cut trees in the local woods and carry them up the hill on her back as that was all we had for fuel.

She tells us stories about her time in Torbreck, at that time the road was still in use as a military road. There was often troops marching to Inverness and on manouveres. Her mother would give them tea and water and what she could, and wash their kit or do repairs to for them, and they in turn would do chores like felling timber and chopping it for her.

My mother is alive and well yet and living in Helmsdale.

Amazing to think the wee bridge was built all these years ago by Wade, and still in use and there are several others in the area. And the Forth Bridge is creaking!

With in the wood itself there is another ruin called Torbreck where my mother and her sister were born and lived for many years, it lies to the east of McGregors croft and is marked on the OS maps.

Have you done the telemark yet.

Regards Duncan.

By: cameron

cameron — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 09:08:02 +0000

Hi Iain,
I’ll probably use Nordic touring gear - my skis are pretty old now but will do for another few years. In recent years I’ve usually used skins but for a trip like this, with a lot of undulations, I’ll probably revert back to waxing the skis. I’m currently looking for a new pair of leather boots. I’ve flirted with the higher ankle, plastic Telemark boots in recent years but I don’t really like them. Like my backpacking gear I want ski equipment that is relatively lightweight.
I agree with you about Norway - very expensive. I’m hoping for a snowy winter here in Scotland like we used to get back in the seventies and early eighties when I worked as a ski instructor. I reckon the best time of year for decent conditions is usually Feb/March.

By: Iain Sharples

Iain Sharples — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:03:23 +0000

Hi Cameron, Your proposed trip looks fantastic. I would be interested to learn of the type of touring ski you intend to use on this trip - Telemark or nordic, I expect that in the right conditions the snow /terrain could offer a similar experience to a ski tour in Norway, with of course the exception of no marked birch trails. Also what do you consider as to the best time of year for favourable conditions? I backpacked through part of the Monadhliath earlier this year, an area I visit frequently from Newcastle, and I am also an enthusiastic nordic ski tourer. Currently I have found that travel to Norway is not as straight forward logistically, financially and with family. With the slightly more promising winter conditions, the hills in this region could be appealing for short backpack/ ski tour trips.