The hill was worthy of its name today. From the snow-covered summit dome of White Coomb white-topped hills rolled on in every direction.

Northumberland’s Cheviot appeared as a vast whale-back, shining above its black outliers. The rise of the Pennines gave way to the snowy Lake District fells and past the pewter waters of the Solway Firth the darker outline of Criffel stood proud.

In the north, beyond Hart Fell and Broad Law and across the flats of the central belt, the highland hills rose in a frontier of white, their clarity only slightly distorted by whisps of muirburn smoke.

Closer at hand there were even fewer hints of springtime’s arrival. Below the frowning crags of Lochcraig Head the waters of Loch Skene were still frozen, although the tumultuous course of its Tail Burn now ran freely to form the Grey Mare’s Tail that drops precipitously down into Moffatdale.

We had followed the course of the cataract from the National Trust for Scotland car park beside the A708 Moffat to St Mary’s Loch road. Despite the cold there must have been an element of snow melt for the waterfall was impressive and the burn above it was lively, freed as it was from the confines of freezing ice that has captured its spirit for much of the winter. The cascades and cateracts could roar again, the voice of the mountain calling out to anyone who will listen.

It’s so easy to anthropomorphise elements of these wild places. We mountain writers do it all the time – poets are even worse. Indeed, Sir Walter Scott, a man who knew these hills and dales well, once reckoned that any poet, however poor his attainments, can describe a waterfall. Indeed, he described the Grey Mare’s Tail as: “White as the snowy charger’s tail,/ Drives down the pass to Moffatdale.” Mmm, sounds more like William Topaz McGonagall.

Although it’s not the highest waterfall in Scotland, the crashing sixty metres drop of the Grey Mare’s Tail is certainly one of the most spectacular, and indeed, motivated Sir Walter Scott, despite his literary theories, to pen a rather grandiose poem about those waters which hurl down the dark abyss from “dark Lochskene/Where eagles scream from shore to shore.”

I guess he used a bit of poetic license there for I doubt if you’ll see eagles there today, although you might see peregrine falcons. And once the snow melts and the ice on Loch Skene gives way to warmer temperatures then black-headed gulls will return to nest on the reedy shores and colourful displays of wild flowers will decorate the ferociously steep banks of the Grey Mare’s Tail.

Beyond the waterfall, and above Loch Skene, the south Tweedsmuir hills cut an empty, desolate quarter of Dumfries and Galloway. Rising between the Moffat Water and the source of the Tweed, these are well-rounded hills with boggy skirts that exude a very definite air of wet and wildness. The place names describe the nature of the land - Rotten Bottom lies between White Coomb and Hart Fell, and Dead for Cauld is just south west of the Megget Reservoir. I’d love to know the story behind that name, although I got a hint of it as we filmed the views from the summit of the 2696ft/822m White Coomb for BBC Scotland’s Adventure Show. A bitterly cold north westerly had me frozen as I waited for Paul, our cameraman, to do his stuff and although I wasn’t quite dead for cauld, I was relieved when we could start moving again. Television? Glamorous? You’re having a laugh!

White Coomb is the highest point of a network of ridges that lie south-east of the town of Moffat. The ridges are broad, giving way to steep-sided valleys and narrow cleughs, and can be linked to make extensive high level hill walks. The whole area is a walkers’ delight and it’s one of life’s curiousities that so many people are intent on driving past these hills on the way to the highlands, while others drive past them as they make for the fells of the Lake District. I guess the bonus of that is that these South Tweedsmuir hills are left for the connoisseur of the high and lonely places.

When I was asked to become chairman of the Nevis Partnership three years ago little did I think I would be presiding over its demise.

In those pre-recession days things looked rosy. The charity was held up as a prime example of partnership working, bringing together a diverse range of organisations, including government agencies, community councils, voluntary bodies, local guides, outdoor businesses and landowners.

But more importantly there was positive and cohesive action to protect and enhance the environmental qualities of Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis, for both locals and visitors, not an easy task when you consider there are almost 150,000 people every year tramping up a fragile mountain path to the summit of the Ben, our highest mountain.

But at a recent board meeting the decision was taken to cease operations of the Partnership because of funding cuts. We had been aware of potential cuts in funding for some time and we spent an appreciable amount of time examining our various options, but it became quite evident that if public bodies really appreciate the importance of the Nevis area, then they must all be willing to contribute sufficient resources to allow an organization like the Nevis Partnership to manage the area effectively.

I, along with the other Partnership directors, are all very saddened and disappointed that the magnitude of the cuts to our funding means that it has become impossible for the Partnership to continue.

Since its formation in 2003 the Nevis Partnership has secured almost  £3million to undertake footpath maintenance work on Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain; improved access to the North Face by creating a new route through Chapman’s Wood; re-aligned the Ben’s summit navigational cairns to make it easier to descend from the summit in bad weather; and created a memorial garden in Glen Nevis to those who have died on the mountain.

On top of that, the promotion of the Nevis Area has been a top priority and that was successfully achieved by publishing interpretive leaflets, creating new forest trails in Glen Nevis, helping safeguard the Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection and instigating a schools education programme and a footpaths skills training agenda at Lochaber College.

In short, the Nevis Partnership has been carrying out very similar work to a National Park board, except that Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis don’t have National Park status and the government funding that goes with that designation.

As a result the Partnership’s efficiency has always been susceptible to the level of money it could raise from various sources and while there is still a strong belief within the Partnership that major project funding is still available the problem lies with the organisation’s core funding. This core funding from Highland Council and Scottish Natural Heritage has been cut to such an extent that we can’t deliver the projects we were set up to deliver. If we continue we will have a severe funding shortfall next year with no guarantee of funding beyond April 2012.

It would be very easy to be critical of bodies like Highland Council and SNH but the Nevis Partnership is well down the feeding chain in terms of funding. We all know of the cuts to Highland Council from Central Government and I personally don’t envy the councillors’ task in allocating those limited reserves, but a big question mark now lies over the future of Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis.

There will be no more large scale improvements and repairs to the tracks and environment in and around the Ben and Glen Nevis. This particular programme of work was to be worth £2.5 million but is now lost. If urgent repairs to the lower Ben Nevis track are not carried out soon then there is a strong possibility of a landslip blocking the main route to the summit of our highest mountain.

Meanwhile, the Partnership has ring-fenced funds to ensure our path maintenance liabilities will be met and these will be passed to the appropriate partiers and with regard to the future of the area from an environmental and visitor management perspective. Then we will have to return to what happened before – individual organizations doing what they can. Sadly, that means we will lose the strategic approach that was such a successful part of the Nevis Partnership’s operation.

So, with the demise of the Nevis Partnership what happens now? It appears to me that a properly informed public debate about the future of Ben Nevis, our highest mountain and the area around is, is now essential.

There a very nice review of The Sutherland Trail in this month’s issue of the Scots Magazine. The review is by Rennie McOwan. You can read it here.

I’m saddened to reproduce a press release that we’ve just sent out from the Nevis Partnership, a charity I’ve been proud to chair for the past three years. Essentially, like many other organisations, we’ve had to endure cuts in core funding to such an extent that in order to fulfill our legal obligations we’ve decided to cease operations in 2011.

So what will happen to the essential footpath maintenance on Ben Nevis and the other projects that are underway on the Ben and in Glen Nevis? Well, as I’ve mentioned, we’re legally bound to complete many of the projects but after next year the care of the Ben and Glen Nevis will revert to the various stakeholders - the landowners and community groups.

However, Friends of Nevis will continue, under a new charity status, and that organisation will become more important than ever now. Here’s the press release:

The Nevis Partnership, a charity set up to manage and help enhance the environmental qualities and opportunities for visitor enjoyment and appreciation of Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis, has achieved a number of notable successes.

Since its formation in 2003 the charity has secured almost £3million to undertake footpath maintenance work on Ben Nevis, Britain’s highest mountain; improved access to the North Face by creating a new route through Chapman’s Wood; re-aligned the Ben’s summit navigational cairns to make it easier to descend from the summit in bad weather; and created a memorial garden in Glen Nevis to those who have died on the mountain.

In addition, the Partnership has promoted the Nevis Area through publishing interpretive leaflets, creating new forest trails in Glen Nevis, helping safeguard the Scottish Mountain Heritage Collection and instigating a schools education programme and a footpaths skills training agenda at Lochaber College.

But like many other charities in the current economic climate the Partnership has been severely affected by recent cuts in funding. Those cuts have been of such magnitude that the Board has had to take the decision to cease operating during 2011 once the charity’s current commitments have been met.

The decision means that future plans to carry out repairs to the lower Ben Nevis Track and improvements in Glen Nevis totalling £2.5million will not be fulfilled. Funders need to see stability in core funding before they will grant project funding. The closure will also result in the loss of 3 jobs directly and more indirectly as the Partnership has supported other facilities in the area such as the winter opening of the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre.

Nevis Partnership Chairman, Cameron McNeish, said: “While I fully appreciate the current squeeze on funding will create casualties, I’m also concerned that Ben Nevis and Glen Nevis attract many thousands of visitors from around the world to Lochaber. More so, Ben Nevis, as the highest mountain in the UK, is of national importance and has been described by many as ‘iconic’. Over 150,000 per year climb to its summit, putting a huge amount of pressure on the mountain’s footpaths and facilities.”

“We have been aware of the potential cuts in funding for some time and we have spent an appreciable amount time examining our various options, but it has become quite clear that if public bodies really appreciate the importance of the Nevis Area, then they must all be willing to contribute sufficient resources to allow an organisation like the Nevis Partnership to manage the area effectively. The Partnership directors are extremely disappointed that the magnitude of the cuts to our funding means that it has become impossible for the Partnership to continue. 

Over the next 6 months the Board will consider the best way to manage the closure with due consideration given to existing staff and path maintenance liabilities.

Cameron McNeish added “In conjunction with the community, we hope to discuss the future management of the Nevis Area with the appropriate parties”

Mountaineer Jimmy Marshall was recently given this year’s Award for Mountain Culture for his contribution to climbing in Scotland.

A good pal of mine, Paul Diffley of HotAche Productions, made a great little film about Jimmy, speaking to a number of people who know him, including Hamish MacInnes, Robin Campbell, Ken Crockett, Mick Tighe and myself. You can watch the film here. It’s well worth a look.

At long last I’ve managed to clear enough space to sit down and get some serious planning done for this year’s TGO Challenge.

I haven’t been on a Challenge since the very early ’80s and in all the years since I’ve managed to resist it. My wife’s taken part in two or three with her pals but I’ve always had this feeling that I’d rather wait a few years. I think now I’ve waited long enough and this year my wife Gina, brother in law Raymond Bainbridge and myself will set out from Inverie in Knoydart and head across country to St Cyrus.

The route sheet has been filled in and submitted, my old pal John Donohoe has vetted it, and in between the piss-taking comments he has actually offered some very constructive comment. There is no doubt that within the group of route vetters that the event uses there is a massive amount of local knowledge, a brilliant resource that really is a boon to Challengers, especially first timers and those from overseas.

Indeed, between you and I, I’ve taken another look at my original route and already I’ve noted several possible changes that I might just make. Part of this is due to the possible underfoot conditions we might come across.

On our original route we’ve planned a two-day traverse of the high Monadh Liath, a favourite area of mine but at the moment the whole area is heavily covered in snow, so much that I have grave doubts that it will be gone by May. Indeed, I suspect this might be the snowiest Challenge for a few years and if anyone is planning any high level sorties to the likes of the Cairngorm plateaux or even the Lairig Ghru then they might find it extensively snow covered. I don’t really like the idea of having to carry an ice axe and crampons with me all the way across Scotland so we might make some adjustments to the route if things still appear to be white.

Also giving my gear a good going over and I might take the chance to try some new gear. I already have a new Gregory Z55 pack which is a little on the heavy side at 1.90g but is a whacking 61 litres capacity. I’m just awaiting delivery of the new vaude Power Lizard, a new two-person tent that weighs an astonishingly lightweight 1kg! I’ve been told that in reality it’s more of a large single person tent than a two-person tent but Gina and I’ll have a look, try it out before the event and decide later whether to take it in preference to our usual backpacking tent, Hilleberg’s Nallo2.

I’ll probably stick with my MSR Windpro stove in preference to a super light meths stove as I find cooking for two much easier on a gas stove with a remote canister and Gina has already dehydrated all our meals. It’s great being married to someone as organised as her.

Still looking at the other gear I’ll use and I’ll let you know how that builds up. Meanwhile, we have a trip to Jordan to prepare for before the TGO Challenge. Seven days backpacking in the sun between the Dana Nature Reserve and Petra. I’ve been to Petra a couple of times, both times as visits added on to trips to the Wadi Rum, so this time I’m looking forward to having Petra as our final desination, entering the lost city by the back door through the mountains. A marvellous place and I’m looking forward to it.

But right now I need to opack the car, take the long drive south to Manchester, where I’m giving a talk to the Rucksack Club tonight. I’m looking forward to that too. Maybe see you there…

If you have a spare five minutes or so check out our new Five Minute Mountain video. Ben Ledi is an old favourite of mine and a great hill for a winter day out, especially in the current conditions. But more importantly my deputy editor on TGO, Emily Rodway, filmed this one. I think she did a cracking job. Have a look and see what you think…

Stirlingshire’s Ben Ledi is an old favourite of mine and an ideal outing for the shorter days of winter.

 

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Well, it’s official. According to figures released by the Met Office the UK winter has been the coldest for more than 30 years. It doesn’t surprise me, I can’t recall such a long and intense period of cold, and snow, in my lifetime.

I’ve lived in the Cairngorms area since 1977 and I do remember some cracking winters in the late seventies and early eighties, but I don’t seem to recall such intensity in the cold. Here in Newtonmore the last few nights have all been below minus ten, with a minus twelve last night. Such cold temperatures used to be one-off occurrences.

Apparently the mean UK temperature was 1.5C (34.7F), the lowest since 1978/79 when it was 1.2C (34.16F), the weather forecasters have said. The mean is calculated by taking the average of the daytime maximum temperature and night-time minimum over a 24-hour period.

Not surprisingly Scotland has experienced the lowest temperatures, with overnight temperatures falling as low as minus 22.3C (minus 8.14F) at Altnaharra, Highland - the lowest UK minimum since 1995, the Met Office said. In England the average winter temperature has been 2.4C (36.3F), the lowest average since 1978/9.

And it’s not over yet. Indeed I’m now becoming slightly concerned about this year’s TGO Challenge. My own route will involve a two-day crossing of the Monadh Liath and I’m beginning to suspect I’ll have to carry an ice axe and crampons. Certainly anyone considering a walk over the high Cairngorms would be well advised to carry winter gear. I suspect there will be snow on the Cairn Gorm plateaux all summer. The amount of snow up there really is astonishing, but the curious thing is once you go south of Drumochter the snow levels are pretty average for the time of year. It looks as though the Cairngorms has really taken the brunt of the winter, which at least keeps the skiers happy and puts some dosh into the coffers of the Cairn Gorm Railway Co - for better or worse!

I’ll start posting some thoughts on the TGO Challenge shortly, but for the moment here are a few pictures to remind you folk in the balmy south what a real winter is like!

Inshriach Forest in December

Sgairneach Mor in Drumochter in February

Carn Elrig in Rothiemurchus in January