Creag Meagaidh Blog & Mountain Info

Rare opportunity.

25th February 2018

Had a few technical problems with technology yesterday so wasn’t able to post. Apologies. I’ve included a few photos from Saturday as well.

Fantastic week end with a full car park on both days. Plenty of walkers, climbers and ski-tourers out and about. Snow surface conditions vary from hard or very crusty through to moist at lower levels on sun-exposed slopes. Some of the sunny slopes stayed pretty hard all day above 800m.(Above) Saturday. Plenty of folk about on the main Coire Ardair path.

(Above) Saturday. Looking towards the Post Face from the high point of the Coire Ardair path. Easy Gully – the diagonal one – prominent in the photo.

(Above) Saturday. Part of the Post Face showing the top of the opening ramps of Staghorn Gully. This route was quite busy – at least two sets of climbers visible in the photo.

(Above) Saturday. The Inner Coire of Coire Ardair with the distinctive col, The Window, to the right. Debris from a Size 3 avalanche that slid on the 18th/19th of February ran down across the usual ascent/descent route to The Window – just visible. There’s a really clear and deep crownwall in the photo, too – the largest snowy bay on the crags on the left. Good stability everywhere at the moment, though can understand why some passersby might be spooked by the amount and spread of this old avalanche debris.

(Above) Today. Went over the Carn Liath plateau to Shark’s Fin gully (or Uinneag Coire a Chaorainn to give its Gaelic name) to visit our beloved and very popular snowholes. The Post Face and a view towards the actual summit of Creag Meagaidh – top of shot.

(Above) Great cover! The slopes descending west from the summit of Carn Liath. Fast and easy high level travel on foot or skis today. Shark’s Fin gully just visible on the extreme right of shot, a third of the way up.

It is with great sadness that we announce the sale of the snowholes in Shark’s Fin Gully. The SAIS Creag Meagaidh guys have been the sole custodians (and effective owners under Scottish law) of this popular mountain retreat, but maintenance issues have finally exhausted our energies and patience. I visited them again today for the last time before the ‘For Sale’ boards go up. It’s a fantastic spot but we really feel their stewardship should be passed on to the next generation. We’ve listed the properties (there’s five) for sale in one lot on eBay:

(Above) The eBay listing. If you wish to ‘Buy it Now’ or make a ‘Best Offer’ do so quickly as we foresee a lot of formal interest from sportScotland, Mountaineering Scotland and that place down in N.Wales (whasisname?). Sir Philip Green and a few offshore landlords of similar high repute have also expressed an interest.

Here’s the text of the eBay listing:-

Rarely on the market. FIVE bijou secluded snowholes located just off the popular Carn Liath plateau in the Monadliath Mountains of the romantic Scottish Highlands.Â

Selling as one lot.

Very quiet . Compact but deceptively spacious.

Bedsit-style accommodation with open plan arrangements. White walls (sort of off-white, really).

Built in refrigeration.

Open air toileting. As nature intended!

Ample parking. Sort of.

Wonderful views.Â

A real feeling of ‘getting away from it all’ & a romantic hideaway.

Outstanding micro-climate with hours of sunshine (per year).Â

Massive rental potential. Deffo an AirBnB top listing!

The largest snowhole has it’s own name and nameplate – ‘Flintstone’.Â (A creative if somewhat capricious choice of name we admit.)

To ward off accusations of ‘not as described’ (eBay is very strict about this) and for the purposes of full disclosure, here’s a list of the few minor issues the properties have:-

* Leasehold & Seasonal residences only – December, January, February & March. (Actually, November can be a nice month too. Might throw that one in for free to the right buyer.)

* Not convenient for shops or schools.

* When I said it was very quiet I meant when the wind wasn’t blowing. The wind does blow. Sometimes.Â

* The roof(s) may need a little attention during the spring months.

* The floor in one of them has red stains. Not blood.

* Got into a spot of bother with the builders a few years ago over attribution ~~bragging rights~~ or something. (The BBC picked up on it. Fake news.)

* One snowhole needs a little tlc with a shovel (shovel not included in sale). See photo.

* Occasional & bothersome late night visitors with head torches asking, “Is this the Min Window?”, or seeking directions to spot height 969m.

* There’s been some minor vandalism recently. Someone has defaced our ‘No Trespassing’ sign by adding one letter and rubbing out another. Louts.

* Have to admit there’s been problems with occasional groups of squatters originating from North Wales, Ballachulish and Glenmore. I’ve written strongly-worded ‘Cease & Desist’ letters to the parties involved and have had no response so far but don’t anticipate further problems. (We have the full backing of the law.)

Cash payment only. None of your Paypal shenanigans, thank you.

Immediate possession upon handing over of the folding stuff.

Buy in confidence from a 100% Feedback eBayer.

Think we’ve covered everything but are happy to answer any questions.

Here are some of the eBay listing photos:

(Above) The nameplate of the largest snowhole. ‘Flintstone’. The choice of name may not be entirely self-explanatory.

(Below) A peek inside ‘Flintstone’:

(Above) That red stain on the floor. Not blood. No, really, definitely not blood.

(Above) This one needs a bit of a makeover and was subjected to a little light vandalism recently – see below.

(Above) The ‘No Trespassing’ sign has been defaced. One letter added and one rubbed out.

We also commissioned a ‘walk around’ video of ‘Flintstone’ which we think will clinch the deal for interested buyers.

A stunning bargain and a rare opportunity.

Comments on this post

Stan Wygladala
25th February 2018 11:11 pm

Great photos and wonderful eBay parody. So good I couldnât take it all in and will have to reread.
And…….best snow hole I ever saw was in the Malverns! A course of Royal Marines had made a home of which prairie dogs would have been proud. Canât remember the year but it t was the same year that we were able to do an ice climb in the Breacon Beacons. Will look up the location tomorrow and let you know should you be interested. Comes into condition once every 20 years apparently and needs about 10 days of minus temps to form. Could be this week but sadly I wonât see it.
paul
26th February 2018 5:51 pm

Can you deliver? Would like them on Lochnagar please.
- meagaidhadmin
  26th February 2018 6:25 pm
  
  Would sir like them gift wrapped?
  
  Looking at the met forecast over the next few days you’ll have plenty enough snow to dig your own, Paul. Better still, get JSMTC or suchlike to dig them for you!
roger clare
26th February 2018 9:07 pm

Dear sir
Can you please provide evidence of local authority and national park planning consent and building warrant. Also paper work supporting correct building techniques and materials. If not available then I withdraw my bid.
Yours, Wilma F.
- meagaidhadmin
  26th February 2018 9:48 pm
  
  Historic monuments. Category A listed buildings. Pre-date the planning system. Enhancements/upgrades all exempted from Building Regs.
  
  Crisp Â£50s and Â£20s, please.
Ian Loombe
26th February 2018 9:50 pm

I think I have title rights to the hole marked with âno trespassingâ given that I dug the hole in the first place! Please send cheques (better still, cash) when sold!
- meagaidhadmin
  26th February 2018 10:41 pm
  
  We will entertain no claims of ‘sweat equity’.
  
  A stiffly worded letter from our lawyers will be landing on your doormat forthwith.

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