Sun & Scrambling in Scotland: Roamers Collective Funded Trip

Location: Blencathra

The original goal was to drive straight through to Scotland to get every hour we could up there, but checking the weather apps on the road changed that. It was looking absolutely miserable up north for day one. The Lake District, however, was scoring a rare window of perfect sun.

We decided to drop in on an old friend in Penrith, crashed there for the night, and set an early alarm to catch Blencathra via Sharp Edge. We wanted to get ahead of the crowds because parking in the Lakes is usually a nightmare, even worse when you realise it’s a sunny bank holiday Monday.

After driving around in circles for a bit, we finally spotted a gap. It was basically a massive, deep puddle, but a solid leap out of the van door sorted it. We packed light and moved fast since we still had a massive drive ahead of us.

The whole point of this hike was to get our eyes used to the exposure and warm up our legs for the bigger scrambling ahead. It turned out to be a class day. We had a bit of cloud on the lower track to keep the temperature down, and the sun broke through exactly as we hit the crest of Sharp Edge. The rock was bone dry and the conditions were perfect. Hands-on rock scrambling and proper good vibes for the week ahead.

We hit the summit, ran back down to the van, cleared the puddle again, and pointed the nose north. We rolled into Glen Coe late to massive, moody peaks under a dark sky.

Location: Curved Ridge, Buachaille Etive Mòr

There’s nothing quite like waking up in the van. It’s the smell of coffee on the stove while rain hits the roof, and the absolute freedom of knowing everything you need is right there on four wheels. The morning started wet and miserable, proper Glen Coe style. Instead of rushing out, we had a slow morning in the van, packing gear, checking over the ropes, helmets, and rack while waiting for the weather window.

As soon as the clouds started splitting, we grabbed our bags and headed for the Buachaille. We started out fully layered up in waterproofs, but within an hour the sun started breaking through. Shells went straight into the bags. We geared up at the bottom of Curved Ridge, got the helmets on, and started up the line. There’s nothing like the feeling of cold, rough rock when you’re moving well.

Watching the mist drop down into the valley far below makes you feel tiny, which is exactly why I love being out in the mountains. Curved Ridge is a proper Grade 3 scramble—you need a steady head for heights and a decent amount of mountain experience, but standing on top with the clouds clearing made the slow start worth every second.

Location: Aonach Eagach Ridge

With the momentum from the day before, we went straight for the big one: the Aonach Eagach. It’s known as the narrowest, most exposed knife-edge ridge on the mainland, and it completely lived up to the hype. We spent hours on the crest, totally focused on where our hands and feet were going, completely zoning out from everything else.

The weather was flawless, with bright blue skies and 360 views right to the horizon. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. By the time we dropped off the end, our legs were completely shot from the vertical mileage. The plan was to drop down to the main road and hitch a lift back round the glen to where the van was parked. Within two minutes, the very first motorhome pulled over. The catch? They only had one spare seat. Since there were two of us, we had to pass. We figured, "If it’s this easy, we’ll get another lift in five minutes."

Famous last words.

Car after car just drove straight past. Thumbs out, boiling hot tarmac, zero luck. With the Scottish sun absolutely beating down on us, we decided to break up the walk and stopped off at the Clachaig Inn for a freezing cold drink. Once we were sorted and spirits were back up, we got back on the road with our thumbs up.

Pretty quickly after that, a car pulled over with two Canadian girls inside. They looked a bit skeptical about picking up two sweaty scramblers, but after a few minutes of swapping travel stories, they relaxed and dropped us right back at the van.

Location: The CIC Hut, Ben Nevis

The plan for the morning was massive: Ledge Route on Ben Nevis, followed by a descent down the CMD Arête. But three back-to-back days of heavy, technical moving on rock had completely caught up with us. Our bodies were sore, our legs felt like lead, and the energy just wasn't there.

Real adventure isn’t about being stubborn; it’s about listening to your body. We ditched the climbing gear and went for a slow walk up the track to the CIC Hut at the base of the North Face instead. Sitting right underneath those massive cliffs, drinking freezing water straight out of the mountain stream, and just looking at the scale of the place was exactly what we needed.

While we were sitting there, we had an honest chat about whether forcing the big route was actually going to be fun. The reality was we wanted to be in good spirits and actually enjoy the routes we do, not just drag ourselves through a classic line just to tick a box. With that decided, we headed back down the path to find a quiet spot to park up, slide the side door open, and watch the sun go down.

Location: Glen Coe & Falls of Falloch

We packed up the van and slowly started the drive home, but we weren’t quite ready to leave the hills behind yet. We spent the last couple of nights at a brilliant campsite looking right out over the Glen Coe peaks, swapping our mountain kit for comfortable fleeces and watching the last light hit the summits from the back of the van.

On the final morning, we made one last stop at the Falls of Falloch to watch the river crashing through the woods before finally hitting the motorway back south.

Scotland doesn’t always give you the exact routes you wrote down on your list, but it always gives you the trip you needed. Until next time, it’s the one place I’ll always keep coming back to.