The Great Outdoors – August 2019

A grand

night in the

mountains

MARCH 31, 2018. A full moon night on

Skye, and I was killing time before a night

ascent of Bla Bheinn, so I decided to visit the

bothy known as the Lookout on the north

coast of the island.

The evening light was starting to fade as

I arrived at the former coastguard station

perched high on the cliffs. The setting sun

was firing silver lasers through the cloud

cover, creating glistening spotlights on the

water.

I had met no one else on the walk in and

I expected to have the bothy all to myself.

Instead, I found a father and his two young

sons sitting at the table enjoying a quiet

dinner. They were staying overnight, and

the youngsters' excitement at their great

adventure reached fever pitch with the

appearance of this interloper.

The questions came thick and fast,

a grilling that would have made a court

prosecutor envious. Their dad smiled

and produced a 'what can you do?' sort of

shrug. Their enthusiasm was infectious and

inspiring. I said goodbye and headed off to

Bla Bheinn with a further spring in my step.

Fast forward a year. I had agreed to be an

auction 'prize' to help raise money for the

Mend Our Mountains paths appeal fund,

and the bidder was joining me for a night

walk in the hills. That 'lucky' chap turned out

to be Carles Ibanez, the dad I had met in the

bothy with his sons almost a year ago.

Now here we were in the Cairngorms, on

a clear spring night, climbing Bynack More

and its attendant peaks. The walk was a

success, an eight-hour tramp in moonlight

through to sunrise in great company.

Respect, Carles. Thank you for giving

back to Scotland's mountains. And for your

thoughts on a grand night in the mountains.

Among the prizes offered in the recent Mend
our Mountains: Make one Million fundraiser
was a night on the hills with TGO contributor
and moonlit walking expert Alan Rowan. As
Alan explains, the pair ended up having more
in common than they realised...

INTERVIEW WITH CARLES IBANEZ

WALK

MOONLIT

Why did you decide to bid for this walk?

I wanted to help with the Mend Our

Mountains fund, and the reward seemed a

good excuse to chip in a larger amount than I

would have contributed with a donation. My

boots have done their share of damage to

the hills so it made sense to give something

back. The hills are a grand playground for

me and my sons but that does come at a

cost. Plus a night walk is always something

to look forward to.

Had you done any night ascents before?

I have walked by night – sometimes I

even planned to do so in advance! But

this was my first dusk-til-dawn walk to

catch the sunrise in Scotland (I had only

tried that on Mountt Fuji before). I do love

night walks, particularly when the night is

clear enough not to need the head torch.

Unfortunately, they do require a larger

degree of determination than day walks

or expeditions. Starting to drive and walk

in the evening, and not sleeping much

or at all before going to work, requires a

considerable degree of willpower. So while

I have managed to climb all the Munros

over five years – probably the first Catalan

to do so – I unfortunately have only made a

handful of night ascents.

How did this compare with your previous

night walks?

It was longer and more physically

demanding. I did feel nervous before the

walk. I had spent a few days in Kintail

bagging Munros with my boys – 85 Munros

each now, and they're only seven and nine –

and I felt a little weary from driving, walking

and trying to keep the boys under control!

Moreover, I had not slept enough the nights

before and I was concerned I would not be

able to cope. My last night walks had snow

lying on the ground (the snow nicely reflects

the moonlight, of course) and the moon

was full. This one was darker at the outset

and the head torch was needed, although

it wasn't as dark as a walk on Lochnagar a

couple of years ago.

Was the route one you had fancied doing?

Did it live up to your expectations?

Yes, the route was what I was expecting.

While I was looking forward to the night

walk for its own sake, I was glad to be able

to count a new Corbett (Creag Mhor) and

Carles watches the sunrise

from Bynack Mor summit

Photo credit: Alan Rowan

20 The Great OutdoorsAugust 2019

ALMANAC