Nice Neist.

Finally got back to Skye this weekend, after only a year and half of trying to get back since September 2010. Finally got back to Neist, which is still awesome. I love many things about Neist....it's the furthest Westerly point you can drive to in Scotland, it has a proper end-of-the-earth feel, the backdrop of imposing choss cliffs is dramatic.....but the highlight is the view out to sea, a simply stunning panorama of the Outer Hebrides as far as the eye can behold...30 miles away and stretching for over 100 miles. And then beneath all of this you've got a ring of dolerite crags and sea-cliffs, tapering around the headland to the Neist lighthouse, only interrupted by the prominent pinnacle of An T'Aigeach...

http://hqworld.net/gallery/data/media/137/neist_point_lighthouse__isle_of_skye__inner_hebrides__scotland.jpg

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...on which I finally got to climb Supercharger - this happens to be the route up the front of the pinnacle, but in a rarity for me, the actual route is secondary to the summit tick. Many tourists gain the tick by a casual stroll, we did that, abseiled straight down, and regained it via a variety of good climbing, bad climbing, imposing sections, easy rambling, grassy grappling, and occasional perched blocks. A satisfying adventure that went pleasingly smoothly.

On the second day we stuck to the strictly "good climbing" style and went down to the classic-cluttered Financial Sector, full of sheer single pitches that always give....good value ;). Having done some of the harder climbs there, I mostly bimbled through the day, aided and abetted by now being a team of 3, and a shoddy night's sleep in the cold tent. The one remaining challenge had bad rock at the top, so I left that alone and stuck with some steadier but good climbs - all enjoyable though.

So another weekend of pottering and treading water, but a more satisfying one than some due to the excellent and long-desired location. Glasgow to Neist makes a mightily long weekend of driving, but being familiar with the areas did allow us to get climbing pretty swiftly. It's tiring overall but if that's what it takes to make use of these distant areas, sobeit.

I still need to work on pushing and progressing my climbing. The current mileage will no doubt help....and hopefully the inspiration of exciting venues can summon the determination to be truer to my climbing desires.