UKH

I made my first visit here yesterday and I was pretty surprised how much vegetation there was on the crag. I get that there’s always been some - the Moustache, for a start - but was there always this much? I have the feeling that perhaps the crag was much more popular in the past (reinforced by a Scottish guy I met who was reminiscing about how groups of tents down by the loch  were common in the eighties).

 I suppose I’m just idly wondering - it’s no surprise that the crag is less popular than it once was, especially considering the quite tiresome path, but is the grass reclaiming its own?

jcm

It is late summer, early autumn the crag will be at its most vegetated.

The mind boggles - I can't begin to imagine how bad the midges must have been

We had the genius idea of climbing spartan slab on a warm, still cloudy August day, and suffered accordingly 

Most importantly, I hope this represents a comeback!  

I visited Cheedale last year for the first time since 1983. I was amazed at how much lusher the (non-cliff) vegetation was. Shorter winters and longer growing season? Generally warmer climate? Less SO2 from coal-fired power stations? Faulty memory?

Perhaps one or more of these factors are influencing the growth of vegetation at Etive as much as the theorised decline in footfall. 

Camping? Surely everyone is in a van these days and, having once camped at Glen Brittle in August, I don't blame them. 

I’m presently absorbing an old lesson. If you meet three or four routes in a row which seem way harder than their given grade there are two likely explanations. Either you’re in Scotland (or Northumberland) or you’ve become older and even more crap than you thought.

When, as in this case, both conditions are met, the underperformance relative to the climber’s inflated expectations can be quite spectacular.

jcm

Have been visiting for over 30 yrs and think the crag was always pretty heathery in the gaps between the routes.

The approach path is good when you are on it, although it can be a bit elusive sometimes. What is surprising is the fact that the path has stayed the same and not become eroded and wider...

'That which we are, we are...'

Mick

P.S. Don't know if you've read 'Electric Brae'. If not, two young lads meet on the slabs in the 1970s, start climbing together, become best friends. It's beyond poignant.