Ben Nevis Memorial Climb – Assynt Memorial – Must get out on these hills.

Assynt Memorial – minutes silence filmed by the BBC!

At last my back seems to be getting better as I have not been on the hills for 3 weeks! How I miss it, I am so lucky that I am near the beach and can still go for a walk/cycle round to Cummingston on the Moray Coast. I cannot imagine what it must be like to live away from mountains and the sea like I did for 2 years when I was at Innsworth down South. At least I got away most weekends to Wales to meet with the St Athans mountain Rescue Team, that saved my sanity. It was crazy driving on a Friday night to meet the team but so worth it for my sanity. The forecast is not great for the weekend with high winds so I will have to wait and see, I was going to go out with my local Moray Mountaineering Club Sunday Bus meet but they are planning a big walk across the Cairngorms and would not like to risk the back on a must do route? I must be getting old, the forecast is not great for Sunday with high winds so maybe save the money for hopefully my visit down South late next week. The car has had a service and I am awaiting another spring, these holes in the road are a nightmare as I plan to drive South!

I have mentioned before that this was one of my first call-outs and a very sad one on Ben Nevis when we found 3 climbers who had fallen from The Douglas Boulder/ Tower Ridge in August 1972. They were from the Navy and I was with the RAF Kinloss Mrt who assisted Lochaber MRT in the recovery of the climbers. It was a sad callout and one that remained with me all my life. I climbed Tower Ridge with the late John Hinde straight after the incident and found it a difficult journey.  Now all these years later Brian the son of one of those killed and his sister and brother are climbing Ben Nevis to raise funds for Lochaber MRT.

Have a look at the link and try to raise money for Lochaber MRT. http://www.mountainwarehouse.com or go to Lochaber MRT Facebook page.

Ian Macfarlane Memorial Climb

Raising money for Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team

Brian M

The Challenge

My Brothers, Sister and I are planning to ascend Ben Nevis in august in a memorial to our Dad and two others that died on the Ben in 1972.

The Charity

Lochaber mountain rescue team were involved in the locating and recovery of all three men, We owe them a debt of gratitude for the service they provide totally voluntarily

The Training

In Late August 1971 My father and two other Royal Navy Personnel were ascending Ben Nevis in Scotland to maintain an aerial Mast that was used for Military Communication, while climbing up Douglas Boulder the lead climber fell taking the two others with him. I was not quite 4 at the time so grew up not knowing my Dad. I have spent the last 11 years having 23 operations to my knee which was damaged on Coastguard Service, having now had a total replacement I now wish to honour my Dads Memory.