Читать книгу Walking the Corbetts Vol 2 North of the Great Glen онлайн

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Weather

Storm approaching the Bealach Bhearnais, Glen Carron (Route 53)

The main feature of the Scottish weather is its changeability and you should be prepared for anything. Sometimes it can seem as if you get all four seasons in one day. Don’t be surprised if you set out on a warm summer’s day and find it cold and windy on the summit ridge.

The north-west of Scotland has a reputation as the wettest part of Britain, with the prevailing wind bringing cloud and storms in from the Atlantic Ocean, and showery weather is common, but you may be lucky enough to get long periods of sunny weather. For instance in 2007 and 2012, when England suffered two of the wettest summers on record, north-west Scotland was largely dry and sunny and even approaching drought conditions.

There can be rain any month of the year, even in February when you may find it raining rather than snowing at 3000ft! Although there may be deep snow on the Corbetts in winter, the wind will tend blow the bulk of the snow off the peaks into the glens. Since the weather in Scotland is relatively mild for such a northerly country, the snow can melt very quickly in the glens and even on the peaks. If there is significant snow, only those with experience of winter mountaineering should attempt the steeper peaks because of the risk of cornices above the gullies and avalanche on the slopes.