Very early in the morning, we crossed back to the mainland at Ullapool from the Outer Hebrides. We immediately turned North to visit Assynt MRT where old friend Nick Ogden greeted us with tea and biscuits. Now it felt like we were on the home run as we headed South – how wrong we were! Actually, the hardest part of the whole trip was just starting…
We left the main Ullapool to Inverness road and wound our way to Dundonnell at the foot of An Teallach. Dundonnell MRT were represented by Conor Brown who also runs a kayaking guiding business called Ewe Canoe.
We rode the impressive coast road past Aultbea and Gairloch before heading to through remote and mountainous terrain to the Torridon MRT base in ever worsening weather. We couldn’t pass through the attractive village of Shieldaig without a quick pit stop to see friend Ruairidh at his stunning camp site.
We then took the long single track road to Lochcarron and afterwards rode what felt like endless soggy miles to Aviemore in squally and cold conditions.
There was a comedy moment along the way – well, Andy found it funny! Believe it or not, my bike has heated grips and a heated seat, but while trying to switch on the former I inadvertently activated the latter. By trying to switch it off again, I managed to toggle it to its hottest setting – designed to penetrate thick layers of winter clothing. Because I had thin, Summer trousers on, my backside rapidly went from being comfortably warm to almost blisteringly hot and I was in real pain till eventually managing to toggle the well hidden switch off…
Despite being wet, cold (apart from my backside!), midge bitten and road weary, we managed to visit both Cairngorm and Glenmore MRT’s before retreating down to the youth hostel at Aviemore and a much needed shower and some rest.
Mileage ridden was 301 – each day gets harder as we recover less at night. Guess we’re just feeling our age these days…
Assynt MRT
The team cover a truly colossal area – the Northern region of Scotland of Caithness & Sutherland which is bounded by the Western, Northern and Eastern coastline of the country.
The team is comprised of approximately 35 active and skilled members, many of whom are professional mountaineers and Remote Rescue Medical Technicians. Amongst the team’s membership there are search dogs and their handlers, part of the Search and Rescue Dog Association (SARDA).
Assynt MRT covers fabled mountains such as Suilven, Cul Mor, Ben Mor Assynt, Ben Hope and Ben Loyal in the far North. Because of the remoteness of the area and the wide distribution of members, helicopters play a vital role in the team’s work and a single fixed base is impractical.
Dundonnell MRT
The team are based in the village of the same name at the foot of the rugged and spectacular An Tealach mountain range. Thirty highly trained members cover a staggering 41 Munros including many other hills of note and remote areas such as Fisherfield and Glen Affric.
Because of the unique terrain in their area, the team are also skilled at extractions from river gorges. Like all other Scottish teams, Dundonnell MRT’s personnel work closely with HM Coastguard who provide search and rescue services from both Stornoway and Inverness.
Because of the extensive size of their area, the team mains three bases at Dundonnell, Ullapool and Dingwall.
Torridon MRT
The team came into being in 1972 and covers a large area extending from Achnasheen, in the east, to Applecross, in the west, and from Kinlochewe, in the north, to Lochcarron, in the south. The area includes 17 Munros, including the iconic ‘Torridon triptych’ of Beinn Alligin, Liathach and Beinn Eighe.
The team have around 30 personnel on their our callout list, drawn from all walks of life – all of whom have expert mountaineering skills.
Cairngorm MRT
The team are based at St Columba’s Rescue Base, Inverdurie, Aviemore. It is from here that they coordinate rescues which are predominantly in the Northern Cairngorms.
The vast area that CMRT cover includes the Northern side of the Cairngorms National Park, Ben Alder to the south and into the Monadhliath Mountains to the East Side of Loch Ness and some the most remote wilderness at the highest elevations.
The team comprises approximately forty volunteers, all who have extensive mountaineering experience.
Because of the unique and often hazardous weather conditions in the region, the team regularly conduct rescues in near zero visibility, blizzards and hurricane force winds.
Glenmore Lodge MRT
Because of Glenmore Lodge’s proximity to the mountains, its role as a Coastguard SAR aircraft refuelling site and the expertise and local knowledge of the instructors; Glenmore Lodge maintains an operational rescue team with affiliation to Scottish Mountain Rescue.
Glenmore Lodge MRT are not a conventional rescue team and Cairngorm MRT remain the primary local callout team. In keeping with many businesses, they are happy to accommodate their staff’s voluntary time to support mountain rescue.
The team work closely with Cairngorm MRT and the Coastguard SAR aircraft. They are often in the vicinity when incidents occur or they can quickly dispatch small expert teams when people walk through the centre’s doors asking for assistance.