#Ben Dearg

[kvetch19]

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[scotianostra]

Good Morning from Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Carn Mor Dearg and Ben Nevis arête at Sunrise.

📸type1_adventurer on Instagram

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

1. East-Northeast Face of Stob Dear from Kingshouse.

Jake Norton’s photos of the Munros in the Scottish Highlands🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Jake Norton certainly travelled from Colorado 🇺🇸 to Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 first to climb and know the energy of the Scottish Highlands, not to meet SH.

2. Glencoe sunset.

3. Three Sisters of Glencoe from Altnafeadh.

4. Climber on the Rannoch Wall.

5. Hills and dales from the summit of Stob Dearg.

6. Looking NNE from Stob Dearg to Ben Nevis (on left) and the high peaks.

7. Autumn color at Loch Achtriochtan.

8. Cottage on the River Coupall below the peaks of Buachaille Etive Mòr.

From Kinlochleven the penultimate stop on the West Highland Way and an important tourism destination in the Highlands.

[brianmchenry]

After Peter Seddon: Memories construct a different picture

In the 1980 the artist Peter Seddon created a series of large scale pastel drawings based on the Highland Clearances that explored themes such as history, memory and cultural difference.

These were included as part of the 1986 exhibition ‘As an Fhearann/ From the Land’ organised by An Lantair Gallery in Stornaway to mark the centenary of the Crofting Act. I visited the exhibition when it first came to Glasgow and it had a huge impact on not only my practice but also how I was to view the Highlands and Islands of Scotland that I would be living in for the next fifteen or so years of my life.

The following images and notes are the start of an attempt to explore the themes that I first came across in Peters work and to place them in a personal context.

Essie Stewart is playing the accordion again for Richard Burton'

The drawing takes it’s subject matter from Tim Neats’ book ‘The Summer Walkers’ about the pearl fishers and travelling families of Scotland.

‘Bill Travers is looking across the Firth of Lorne again’

There’s a point in the film ‘Ring of Bright Water’ when the main character first travels north and gets off the old Calmac bus to look across the Firth of Lorne towards Mull in the distance.

Of course the movie takes vast liberties with both the book and the story of Gavin Maxwell himself but somehow for me, with that scene it all gets forgotten.

Ben Buie, Sgur Dearg, Dùn da Ghàoithe are in front of him like incomplete notes, each a hesitant beginning to something that isn’t there anymore.

Each a grace note

and I am sitting there in Fishnish all those years later.

[comparativetarot]

Ace of Stone. Art by Sidney Richard Percy, from Majestic Earth Tarot.

Sidney Richard Percy, Carn Dearg and Ben Nevis from Achintee (1874).

[benvironment]

After a full week of utterly miserable drizzly grey weather in Fife, where any sharpness and clarity has been banished somewhere beyond the murk, it's hard to believe that there might be brightness, colour or clarity in the world. Tomorrow looks like it might be sunny.....but until then, here's a reminder of what nice sunny winter days are like :)

Last Friday I cycled from Linn of Dee to Derry Lodge.....in wonderfully still, cold and frosty conditions....and then ascended Carn Crom and Derry Cairngorm as the sun was rising. I had originally intended to walk out via Loch Etchachan and Glen Derry, but given how impossibly calm, sharp and bright it was, it would have been a crying shame to descend into the shadows prematurely. So instead I carried on around the ridge line to Stob Coire Sputan Dearg, down Sron Riach, and back through Gleann Laoigh Bheag to Derry Lodge.

This was one of those 'inversion' days, where it was fingertip-freezingly cold down in the glens, with a hard frost persisting all days, but freakishly mild on the higher summits. Around 1150m you could feel the change in temperature from subzero to +7C or +8C in the space of ten paces! As though someone had opened an oven door. And yet the ground was still frozen even high up, with a glaze of ice on everything.

It was....frankly....joyous to be back in the glen after that, with everything frozen solid, mist forming above the trees, the sky turning pink, and the moon rising  All that was left after that was a cycle back down to Linn of Dee in the descending darkness, during which I passed a couple of people who were walking IN to the hills, presumably for a similarly beautiful day after sunrise

A memorable day to say the least!

[beyondbarbican]

Carn Mor Dearg Arête leading up to the top of Big Ben aka Ben Nevis.

Incredibly lovely morning on this September stroll😀

[fisherken]

Ben Cruachan by Iain Harris Via Flickr: The head of Loch Etive with Ben Cruachan / Stob Dearg in the distance.

[lionofchaeronea]

"Read me a lesson, Muse, and speak it loud" - John Keats (1795-1821)

Read me a lesson, Muse, and speak it loud Upon the top of Nevis, blind in mist! I look into the chasms, and a shroud Vaporous doth hide them, — just so much I wist Mankind do know of hell; I look o'erhead, And there is sullen mist, — even so much Mankind can tell of heaven; mist is spread Before the earth, beneath me, — even such, Even so vague is man's sight of himself! Here are the craggy stones beneath my feet, — Thus much I know that, a poor witless elf, I tread on them, — that all my eye doth meet Is mist and crag, not only on this height, But in the world of thought and mental might!

Carn Dearg and Ben Nevis from Achintee, Sidney Richard Percy, 1874

[deerwooduk]

This week we take a hike on the Ben Damph Estate in Torridon, in some of the best conditions for landscape photography. This is a stunning walk that isn't too strenuous, but provides great views of some of Torridon's most photogenic mountains, including Maol Chean-dearg, Beinn Damph, Beinn Alligin aHiking and Landscape Photography in Torridon - Ben Damph Forest via Pocket https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp38lXddG20

[teatitty]

Family Tree of Tuatha De Danann

Hopefully yall saw my post earlier about how hard it is to make a proper family tree for the Irish Pantheon. As a result, the layout here is a little different than usual and the names I’m using are the more common spellings for all the characters but they are by no means universal (as usual)

This is very long so it’s going under a cut. I will preface this by saying that Danu is more commonly seen as the Mother-Goddess of the Tuatha De Danann (hence their name), and so is usually The Dagda’s mother and/or wife instead of his daughter, but I had to include all versions just to cover my bases

Also this is not a complete list, it’s just all the info I’ve gathered, I’m sure there’s a lot more you can find out there

Danu's sons: Dagda, Dian Cecht, Nuada, Lir, Ogma (all have different fathers)

Unspecified parents: Dagda, Nuada, Credne, Luchta

Indui’s son: Neit (fomorian, King of Tuatha De, favoured his brethren so was disliked, also The Dagda’s Uncle)

____

Neit 

Spouses: Badb, Fea and/or Nemain (Nemain and Fea or Nemain and Badb might be the same person)

Neit's sons: Delbaeth or Esarg

Neit's grandchildren: Balor, Eab, Senchab, Esarg (if son of Delbaeth)

Esarg's sons: Dian Cecht, Goibniu, Credna, Luchta

Balor's spouse: Cathleann

Balor's children: Bres, Eithne (daughter)

____

The Dagda

Spouses and Consorts/Lovers: A wife with three names (Breng, Meng and Meabel), Danu, The Morrigan, Ernmas, Boann and many unnamed consorts

Dagda's children (unnamed spouse/s and consorts): Aed Minbhrec, Aine (daughter), Bodb Dearg, Cermait (may be the same deity as Ogma), Danu, Dian Cecht, Midir, Nuada, Ogma

Daughter by 3 name wife: Brigid

Daughters by Ernmas: Eiriu, Fodla and Banba

Son by affair with Boann: Aengus Og

____

Bodb Dearg

Children (unknown mother/s): Aedh (same as Aed Minbhrech maybe), Angus, Artrach, Aodh Aithfhiosach, Doirend (daughter), Fergus Fithchiollach, Mesca (daughter), Sadhbh (daughter), Scathniamh (daughter)

Sadhbh: marries Fionn and bears Oisin

Scathniamh: Gives her love to Cailte (Fionn's nephew) but they were forced to part

____

Cermait

Sons (had a joint rule as Kings of Ireland): Mac Cecht (marries Fodla), Mac Cuill (marries Banba), Mac Greine (marries Eiriu)

____

Dian Cecht

Children (no mother given): Midach/Miach (may have a brother/aspect called Ormiach), Airmed (daughter), Octruil, Etan (daughter), triplets Cian, Cethe and Cu

____

Midir

Spouse and lovers: Fuamach (wife), Etain Og (lover, human), possibly Ernmas

All daughters (mother/s unclear): Bri (loved Leith), Blathnat, Ailbe, Doirind, Macha (also said to be a daughter of Ernmas), Blathaine (gender unclear)

Foster son: Aengus Og

____

Nuada 

Spouses: Macha (among many others), Eithne (Balor's daughter), Nemain

Son by Eithne: Tadg

Son by unknown spouse: Gaible

Tadg: marries Ethlinn and fathers Muirne (Fionn's mother) and Tuirenn (daughter)

____

Ogma

Spouse: Etan/Etain (either Dian Cecht’s daughter or the daughter of a human king)

Sons by Etain: Cairpre or Cairbre mac Ethne (Pro bard of the Tuatha De), Tuireann (Chieftain of Ben Eadair)

Tuireann's lover: Danu

Children with Danu (presumably all sons but I'm not sure): Brian, Iuchar, Iucharba, Ethne (not the same as Eithne)

____

Brigid

Spouses: Bres, Senchan Torpeist (real Irish poet, lived around 560–647 AD)

Daughters (unclear if they have a father or not): 3 daughters/aspects all named Brigid

Son by Bres: Ruadan

____

Boann

Spouses and Lover: Nechtan and Elcmar (both are aliases of Nuada's lol), Dagda (affair)

Son by affair with Dagda: Aengus Og

____

Aengus Og

Spouse and Lover: Caer Ibormeith (human wife, cursed to be a swan 324 days of the year), Eithne (lover/affair, Balor's daughter (she gets around with this family dont worry about it))

Foster-son: Diarmuid (Caer is cited as his foster-mother in some sources bc of her marriage to Aengus)

Son by Eithne: Delbaeth

Daughter (unknown mother): Maga

___

Delbaeth

Spouse/lover: Ernmas or Eirnin

Daughters by Ernmas: Eiriu, Fodla and Banba

___

Maga

Maga's spouses: Ross the Red, Cathbad (Druid, more often seen as Nessa's one-night lover who fathered Conchobar)

Son by Ross: Fachtna Fathach/the Giant

Children by Cathbad (not likely but a version of this still exists): Conchobar, Deichtine, Findchoem (both daughters)

Fachtna's spouse: Nessa

Son by Nessa: Conchobar

Daughters: Deichtine, Findcheom (unclear if biological or not)

____

Lir

Spouses: Aeb, Aife (not Scathach's sister)

Sons (unknown mother/s): Manannan mac Lir, Lodan

Children by Aeb (presumably all sons): Fionnuala, Aodh, Fiachra, Conn

No kids with Aife

Lodan's child (no mother given, gender unclear): Sinann

____

Manannan mac Lir

Lovers: Caintigern (wife of Fiachna mac Baetain), Aengus Og (much evidence for this), Fand (wife, had a brief affair with Cu Chulainn)

Son by Caintigern: Mongan (may also be a reincarnation of Fionn mac Cumhaill)

Other children (no parent/s given): Aine (possibly same as Dagda's daughter), Donall Don-Ruadh, Sine Sindearg, Sgoith Gleigeil, Guitne Gorm-Shuileach, 

Other sons, explicitly not Donall’s brothers: Gaidiar (had an affair with Bechuma of the Fair Skin leading to her banishment to the human world), Gleigal Garb, Rabach Slaitin

Daughter: Niamh

Foster Sons: Lugh (Noted as being the foster-brother of all the sons listed above, but not the foster-brother of Diarmuid, possibly due to there being a large gap between their respective eras), Diarmuid (raised him with Aengus Og)

___

Niamh

Husband: Oisin

Children: Oscar, Finn, Plor na mBan (daughter)

TW below for suicide mention

Though most people know Niamh as Manannan’s daughter, in the oldest text she was human, daughter of Aengus Tirech, King of Munster. She spent 6 weeks with the Fianna before her father arrived in pursuit of her. She then killed herself for fear of him, alongside thirty other women

It’s possible there are two different Niamh’s, as the poem in which Niamh is a Fairy Woman may have been based on lost traditional material

____

Ernmas

Lover: either The Dagda or Delbaeth

Mother of following daughters (no father given), collectively known as Morrigna: The Morrigan, Badb, Macha, Nemain, Fea, Fiachna

Daughters by Dagda or Delbaeth: Banba, Eriu and Fodla

____

The Morrigan

Husband/mate (yes they really use this term): The Dagda

Children (possibly by Dagda): Mechi (killed by Mac Cecht as a babe), Aine (either her daughter or The Morrigan herself)

____

Cainte

Sons (no mother given): Cian, Cu and Cethe

Spouse and Lover: Findchoem (wife), Eithne (lover. Told you she gets around)

Son by Eithne: Lugh

Lugh fathers Setanta/Cu Chulainn with Deichtine as the mother

___

Donn (most likely an aspect of Dagda)

Son (mother unnamed): Diarmuid ua Duibhne

___

Ailill Aulomm ("One-Eared", presumably human)

Spouse: Sadb ingen Chuinn (daughter of Conn of the Hundred Battles)

Daughters (unknown mother/s): Aeb, Aife (wives of Lir), Ailbhe

Sons (unknown mother/s): Dichorb (nephew of Art mac Cuinn), Cormac Cas, Eogan, Cian (not Lugh's father)

Foster son: Lugaid mac Con

TW for Rape below

Ailill raped Aine, which led to her biting off his ear. By ancient law, only an "unblemished" person can rule, and so, by maiming him, Aine rendered him unfit to be King

___

Conn Cetchathach (of the Hundred Battles, human)

Spouse/Lover: Eithne Táebfada

Son by Eithne Táebfada: Art mac Cuinn

Daughter (unknown mother): Sadb ingen Chuinn

Son (by fairy woman): Connla

Conn became the consort of Be Chuille/Be Chuma of the Tuatha De. A later version has Connla as her consort instead

___

Art mac Cuinn

Spouses: Delbchaem, Achtan

Lover: Etain (daughter of Olc Acha the smith, human, not Midir’s lover)

Son by Etain or Achtan: Cormac mac Airt (High King of Ireland in Fenian Cycle)

[scotianostra]

Good Morning from Scotland 

Ben Nevis and Carn Mor Dearg Arete at Sunrise 

📸ivorbondphotography on Instagram 

[itsmosblog]

Airy?  Airy?  I’ll give you airy!

Endurance - there’s the thing.  You gotta keep at it.  So in honour of the day before Summer Solstice (because it was the clearer evening and because we could both afford to be knackered on Wednesday morning but not Thursday) I suggested we go up Ben Nevis via the Carn Mor Dearg Arete instead of going to bed.  It has been fairly well documented that I don’t like high places - especially not exposed places - but surely with a bit of determination I could overcome that.  If not now, then when?

Alistair Humphreys of the Microadventure concept asks us what can we do with the 5pm to 9am between a standard days work.  Especially with all that daylight about.  http://www.alastairhumphreys.com/microadventures-3/

Spook and I have felt too old and tired for adventure recently and we sought to turn this around by just making the decision and getting on with it.  He kept asking me “Do you definitely want to do this?”  And I kept saying “Of course I do.” whilst both of us were thinking “oh god - do we really need to?”

We were crossing the stile onto the track up into the Ben Nevis gully by 9.30pm and it wasn’t long before we were trying to outpace the sun as it went down, and the shadow on The Ben went up.  We caught it eventually and already some endorphins had kicked in.

We let the sun go eventually as the going got steeper and the view back to the west was worth it regardless. Further down the path we’d met a fit looking, weather beaten man, carrying a rock in each fist.  He informed us that rain was coming in tomorrow - maybe he could feel it in the rocks.  If I had been on my own, my over-active imagination would have assumed he was going to beat me to death with the rocks.  Later, Spook commented that Noel Williams was probably right about the rain and I asked him when he’d consulted Mr Williams on the weather report.  He said -” back there on the path!”  I have read bits and pieces of Noel Williams writings on the geology of The Ben, but never met him.  It made me giggle that he happened to be walking down the path carrying rocks.  Classic. Does he always take a rock home with him?   He had been one of Spooks favourite teachers at the High School. If you want to meet him, you can - see below. Well, too late this year, but maybe next year (he’s apparently not dangerous at all.)

http://lochabergeopark.org.uk/spring17-local-geology-course/

Happy, “we love adventure and aren’t that old or tired” emotions were still in plentiful supply at 11pm as Spook saw the snow man on The North Face and I tried to be a snow angel.

10 minutes later I added a few more items of clothing....

But there was still the arete to face.  Seeing it from the CMD summit is not the same as seeing it from my kitchen window.  I don’t care how easy they say it is, I still require to have 3 limbs attached to the rocks at all times with the 4th limb only unattached long enough to reach out for the next hold.

Richmountainexperiences charge £180 to guide an individual across this route which they describe as “airy but never difficult”(!!!!!!!!!!) and Spook is now considering invoicing me this amount plus extra for the emotional strain he experienced due to me crossing it on all fours in a crab-like manouevre in the middle of the night.  He has no idea how uncomfortable the gut feels after 1.5hrs of being bent double and hyper ventilating from fear.  It was just as well I had asked for this......determination was reaching bursting point and love was hanging by the balance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkbEyaAr-Sg  (a winters view - no worse or better than a Summer Solstice one)

The scramble up the back of the Ben to reach the summit was conducted in mist - the only time we put the head torches on as now that I was not on all fours, I couldn’t see the definition and contours of the rocks so well, and getting a foot stuck between rocks was not to be recommended.  Spooks guidance and confidence at this point was probably worth more the £180 - perhaps an uncomplaining and grateful wife for ever more (though that value fades with daylight and solid ground,)

1.45am, at the summit of Ben Nevis, we shared a sandwich and chocolate as the line of light around the horizon stayed the same.  Spook had thought we might bivvy down and wait for sunrise at 4.27am, but we are no Mary and Alex Gillespie (now in their 80′s but still much more likely to nip up the Ben and Bivvy down for sunrise than we are.) There is a lovely photograph of Mary holding the sun in her hand, but whilst most of us up here in Lochaber want some of the Alex and Mary experience, we’re not willing to put in the effort, so off we headed for home.

Not that heading for home was that much easier, although no longer clinging to rocks on terrifying high ground, we were now well past bed time and even the familiar ground had us sliding awkwardly and going over ankles.  We used head torches for about a further 30 mins and then it was easily light enough without them.  There were quite a few hardy souls heading up for the sunrise, but I was glad to be going in the other direction.

The going got softer as we crossed the bog by which time we didn’t care how wet our feet were.

My worn out guide kept shouting “VELCRO” at me as I got my rucksack stuck on a tree trying to get across the burn and desperately cling to my water bottle as if this was going to save me .  This is what Big Roddy the Gamekeeper tells us the German guests say when they have to hit the ground to hide from the deer.  It’s good that he can still come up with colourful language at this hour.

Whilst I had no language left at all by 4am - nada, rien,  niets,  gar nichts,  chan eil. But still had my water bottle.

But we DID see the sunrise - from our bedroom window.  

Next year I am just going to set the alarm.

[maximumwobblerbanditdonut]

He is back ! If he posts this today, it's too late. Climbing Ben Nevis, it is not to forget. It reminds me of a story of someone who has a wee memoir book to sell.🫤

About his position in this photo, Someone helped him out there, which means he needed a guide to doing the Ben Nevis walk. Because another person took this photo. No, he’s not alone hiking independently.

Ben Nevis is a Munro in the Scottish Highlands area of Lochaber near the town of Fort William, towering at 1,345m (4,412ft) above sea level.

Ben Nevis is the tallest peak in the UK. It’s a bucket list for most avid hikers. There are two* routes to the summit and they intersect for a section (The Mountain Path and The North Face/ Carn Mor Dearg Arête) but only one is suitable for the majority of people going up Ben Nevis.

* The Mountain Path 🏔 is sometimes referred to as the Glen Nevis Visitor Centre.

It's known by a few names - the Tourist Track, the Mountain Path, and the Pony Track -which is a 10.5m/17km out and back trail. it's still a long, steep ascent for 4-5 hours, and the terrain becomes quite uneven near the summit. It's not something you can just pop up to take a few photos of before moving on.

This first section is largely along with good stone steps and clear pathways, though is quite uneven and narrow in parts. You need to be relatively fit to hike Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis is actually a relatively accessible and manageable day of hiking for most people who are mobile and have an adequate level of physical fitness.

Although the first half is all up, up, then up some more, the main trail is quite straightforward and does not require scrambling or specialist equipment.

The best time to climb Ben Nevis is May to September is generally considered the ideal time for optimal, safe, and enjoyable conditions.

Lots of beginners do climb Ben Nevis, but whether or not it’s a good idea to do so is a different question altogether, particularly in winter conditions.

We do not recommend attempting Ben Nevis in winter unless you are an experienced hiker with suitable specialist equipment, clothing, and knowledge. Aside from safety and enjoyment, you also have to factor in the much shorter window of daylight in which to hike and the likelihood of very tough weather conditions

The summit cairns mid August

Path to the summit of Ben Nevis –Lochan to The Summit Plateau. This next section is steep and not enjoyable, with a series of switchbacks turning into less stable and less clear rocky paths, but it’s a good idea to keep one eye on your map / GPS to ensure you’re sticking to the path. Expect visibility to worsen in this section, and temperatures to go down.

The summit plateau in Spring

The Summit Plateau of Ben Nevis. This is a memorable section. Depending on the season, it still covers the top in that compacted winter snow and the visibility plummets from pretty good to zero—with only the iconic cairns of the Scottish hills visible in the landscape.

There are useful to even the most modern of hikers—and they prove their use as waymarkers (alongside the downloaded map GPS) as you continue to the summit.

Ben Nevis summit during a particularly warm spell. There is no coffee shop on top of Ben Nevis, just a rock cairn and a derelict observatory built in 1833.

Ben Nevis, a very well known hike, attracts a fair number of domestic and foreign tourism traffic itself, receiving around 150,000 walkers climb Ben Nevis each year, the majority of whom are unguided and make it off the mountain unscathed. It will take you eight or nine hours to walk up and down Ben Nevis.

Enjoy the moment, capture some photos, have a break and some food…but don’t wander blind. The summit and summit plateau are deceptively slender, with gullies and fatal sheer drop in proximity. 😊📸

** The North Face/ Carn Mor Dearg Arête ⛰️ Distance 11 miles / 17.5km, Time 10-11 hours (good conditions)

This is for experienced hikers only due to the scrambling involved and potential conditions faced.

[1907blck]

Ben Nevis and the Venus Belt by Free.heel Via Flickr: Not much to add about Ben Nevis but a word or two on The Belt of Venus..... "An atmospheric phenomenon seen shortly before sunrise or shortly after sunset. The observer is, or is very nearly, surrounded by a pinkish glow (or anti-twilight arch) that extends roughly 10°–20° above the horizon. Often, the glow is separated from the horizon by a dark layer, the Earth's shadow or "dark segment." The arch's light pink color is due to backscattering of reddened light from the rising or setting Sun. A very similar effect can be seen during a total solar eclipse. The zodiacal light, which is caused by reflection of sunlight from the interplanetary dust in the solar system, is also a similar phenomenon. The name of the phenomenon alludes to the cestus, a girdle or breast-band, of the Ancient Greek goddess Aphrodite, customarily equated with the Roman goddess Venus."

[jswanstromphotography]

UK - Scotland - Inner Hebrides - Isle of Skye - Fairy tale Cascading Waterfall at Ben Dearg by © Lucie Debelkova / www.luciedebelkova.com on Flickr.