Girvan Youth Trust visit Tavool House on Mull.

The sun always shines on Mull?

Lead climbing instruction on perfect granite.

Using our canyon at Tavool, cold but a real rush.

Mull, has been amazing this week, the clear weather held out for us and we had a blast, canyoning, Rock climbing, Hill walking and a variety of other adventure activities.

We were even able to do some lead climbing training with some of the clients, a rare treat for us instructors and we managed a new route in the dark, more of this soon!

Dry under foot, very cold in the burns and dry rock, has been the order of the day's, just lovely to work in, what an office we have!

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Late December Sunshine!

Bob high on the Ardmenach Hills with Ben More in the background.

Eraly evening in the Hills what a day.

So Crisp, so cold, so sunny. December has turned out to be amazing, after such a wet autumn, we deserved some really classic days out and we have had them!

On Mull this week, just perfect! Staying at Tavool House outdoor centre, working with a group from Girvan who have experienced 'Scotland Outside' at its best!

High Pressure In Oban and the sun is out!

Ben More on Mull seen from Oban Bay.

Little Ben Spink enjoying the sun at the beach!

Ben Cruachan looking very fine from my bedroom window!

Little Ben heading off for a paddle.

Frozen sand in Oban Bay! Sounds as though folk are having a great time high up as we are low down!

High pressure days are rare and very special on the west coast of Scotland, the last few days have been stunning!

I have been on Ben 'watch' so exploring the smaller corners of Oban's wee hills and coastline has been in order! While folk chase up the the Ben and catch up early conditions I wait for further consolidation and longer days!

I am on Mull all next week with a group of clients so back to the Hills, Canyons and Rock, hope the weather holds out for a while!

Happy High Pressure where ever you are!

Oban High School visit the Ice Factor

The weather forecast was not optimistic this morning so Andy and Mike took the 4Th years from Oban High School rock climbing at the Ice Factor. A wise move as by 1pm it was lashing down!

We had loads of fun scaling the walls, competing against each other and learning new rope knots and skills.

The snow in Glencoe is hanging in there, but the mild air mid week will strip back what ever is left, Friends were out skiing today but no great conditions were found!

Scottish Mountaineering Club Dinner.

The 121st SMC dinner was held in Strathpeffer this year and a very enjoyable event it was too!

Guest speaker Rab Carrington, inspired us with memories of his early days and his recent involvement with the BMC.

On Saturday Mark , Dave and I went up Beinn a'bha'ach Ard and on Sunday Scott, Brian, Matt and i ascended Sgorr ma Diollaid, both Corbetts giving amazing views and shapely summit ridges.

The weather held off for us and the new snow was starting to melt at 600m, exciting feeling being up in the winter conditions again.

It was excellent to ascend my 121st Corbett on the 121st dinner meet, and in such rough and remote Glens.

Coasteering in Cornwall

Big swell hit Cornwall this weekend, everyone seemed to have a blast!

When i got home the hills shone with fresh snow, winter seems to have arrived, well for now any way!

Tuesday started crisp and has eneded raw with heavey rain in Oban, new snow will be falling high up though.

British Rock and Water Association Coasteering Course.

This weekend Hebridean Pursuits organised and ran a coasteering skills course for Aberdeen City outdoor instructors.

The weekend went really well, with excellent weather, small swell and warm sea's!

The venues on that coastline are excellent with a variety of aspects and types of journey, form easy boulder hopping to larger jumps and play spots!

Five Star Sea Kayaking Course.

Exploring caves on the Staffin coastline, by Stac Buidhe, just before dark, when night paddled for a few hours.

On the very sheltered nw coast of Eilean Trodday.

Open crossing to An t- Lasgair, in gentle swell and moderate winds.

The Rains stopped just in time to get really wet on a five star sea kayaking course based on Skye.

I had a great few days sea paddling, learning, brain storming planning and calculating tides times etc! My head was bulging with maths and thirds of things each time we went out on the water!

the conditions were just perfect, big enough seas, windy enough to challenge, the sea is warm still and the coast line was spectacular.

we visited small off shore skerries and caves, so new ticks too, which is always fantastic.

Glemore Lodge, yet again put on a very professional, considered and specific course and the accommodation at Whitewave was excellent as was the food.

It was so relaxing being on a training course again, to revisit and learn new skills is always enjoyable.

The Sky's open again on Skye!

The second weekend running and the rain didn't stop!

Andy and Di ascended Beinn na Caillach 732m above Broadford and then headed up to explore the atmospheric Old Man of Stor in what can only be described as horrible conditions!

Caillach was as expected a steep, but short lived thrutch over moorland to a great ridge walk over looking an impressive corrie! the summit hosts a huge cairn, which a Norwegian Princes is believed to be buried?

Given clear conditions the whole traverse would be amazing as the positioning of the range is ideal for views up to the black and red Cullins.

We dried out eventually!

Always worth getting out though!

hebrideanpursuits.com Winter Courses still have places on them!

steep ground saftey.

snow shelter building.

Winter walking skills or guiding.

Winter mountaineering and climbing skills...

Classic Munro locations.

It seems really early to be talking about winter in October, but folk are booking days and longer courses for walking and climbing already!

Hebridean Pursuits ltd are offering winter skills courses and mountaineering courses in its 21st season , so check out our website for full details of what we can offer. http://www.hebrideanpursuits.com/

Prices are the same as last year, we appreciate times aren't quiet as easy!

All winter walking skills or winter mountaineering courses cost : at a ratio of the following. This is for instruction / coaching only. Divide the cost by numbers of participants and you have your daily cost.

1:1 £150 per day

1:2 £175 per day

1:3 £190 per day

You can book one day or five, its up to you.

Please call us to discuss your ambitions or discuss availability of dates.

Oban Hi School 4th years go coasteering!

Nicole take to the air!

End of the journey, always good fun in the rocks.

Mike drops into the gully.

Long swim to the jump site.

Wet days require wet adventure activities!

Coasteering is perfect for this sort of day and great for team building as it includes everyone all the time!

We went coasteering today with the 4th year pupils of Oban Hi school, it was the first of a series of outdoor education days with them. It will culminate in a residential at Tavool House in March 2010.

Hebridean Pursuits Ltd offers specialist adventure activity training for all ages and abilities and we are proud to be in partnership with Oban Hi again this year.

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A very wet weekend on Arran!

at the 'giants graves', only 5000 years old!

Glenashdale Falls in spate.

Wild day often are the best!

Meall Donn when you could see it!

Gill and Hamish near Pirnmill.

Andy and Gill headed to Arran this weekend, we were greeted by low cloud, constant down pours and gales! Nice!

The High Hills were off, always another day, but did ascend to Coirie Fhionn Lochan and its lovely shapely hills at 650m that encompass the high loch.

Visits to a variety of iron age forts, standing stones and a walk along the south coast at Kilmory enchanted us to return, often the small and often passed over rambles are the nicest?

We stayed at the quaint and very cosy, Lagg Hotel, the open fire, great food, warm hospitality and excellent ale all added up to a unexpected yet very enjoyable weekend.

The higher hills beckon, when the weather improves!

Coasteering at Seil Island.

35 feet and a some!

Thin slab moves, good to fall off here!

Sally, at the pour over spot, ace fun!

Sally takes to the air.

Mull in the background.

Andy and Sally went down to Seil island today to Coasteer.

Yet again we basked in glorious sunshine and climbed on warm, sheltered rock !

The venue is a great coasteering site with allot of variation and play spots, we didn't have alot of swell today but the jumps made up for that, as we had huge tides increasing the height of the jumps considerably!

swims, jumps, gullies, pour overs and traversing on technical steep sections of rock all add up to fun!

Never the same twice it always entertains and i think Sally really enjoyed the experience!

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Glencoe on a very windy day.

Sally and Andy ascended The Zig-Zags and Stob Coire nan Lochan today.

The weather really was strange today 55mph on the summit and the most amazing cloud formations over the Glen and Ben Nevis.

It remained dry which was a surprise, the cold wind driving in from the south east was a taste of the colder days to come!

A fantastic day up high!

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