Summit visitor books

"Paul Simonite" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors
book, pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved
wooden flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

The only visitor book I've come across was on Montecito Peak, a 3200 ft hill overlooking Santa
Barbara in California. At the time I thought it was very dangerous....Let me explain. Montecito Peak
is part of a range of mountains that separate coast from desert. They are unusual, for UK walkers at
least, in that it gets hotter the higher you go! Once on the top I was being pestered by flies and
so I decided to go to the edge of the summit in the hope of getting some breeze to keep the
persistent little blighters away. A quick hop and skip later I stood at the edge, and was greeted by
the distinct noise of a rattle snake I'd disturbed!! The snake kept rattling for felt like a very
long time, while I stood there frozen to the spot glancing out the corner of my eyes for the snake.
The rattling stopped, and I picked up some gravel and sticks and threw them in the direction I
wanted to go - I didn't want to get close to any more rattlers, and at least this way they knew I
was coming!! A couple of yards away from where the rattler was I came across a plastic bag and a tin
box in a small hollow beneath a rock. Ideal rattle snake house!!! Some more stones thrown in and no
sign of any life so I reached in and found two visitor books, and a selection of pencils to record
your thoughts. This was 3 or 4 days after the 9-11 attacks, and there were pages of messages and
poems to the victims. It was obviously a popular place to visit (despite the snakes!), though I saw
only two people all day.

Dave.

In article <[email hidden]>, Paul Simonite <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors book,
pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved wooden
flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

When I was a boy many of the Lake District peaks had such tins.

Bernard Hill Selkirk, Scotland

Paul Simonite said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

It is a nice idea which (from what I have seen) seems to be much more prominent in the European Alps
than in this country. I suppose one of the problems we experience here (sadly) is vandalism, which
(again from what I have seen) does not seem to be such a problem in the Alpine regions.

Best wishes,

--
Andy Harbach email: [email hidden] Walking in Snowdonia: walk-snowdonia.co.ukwalk-snowdonia.co.ukOpen ↗
UK Conditions Server: conditionsout.co.ukconditionsout.co.ukOpen ↗

Paul Simonite said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors
book, pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved
wooden flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

There's one on Twin Law Cairns in the Lammermuirs. A biscuit tin with a notepad & pencil, in a
recess in one of the enormous cairns.
--

Bernie Get back on the wagon to reply..

Paul Simonite wrote

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Found on in the cairn on Meall Buidhe on Ardnamurchan.

Chris

In message <[email hidden]>, Jhimmy <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

I signed a book on Great Lingy Hill in The English Lake District, 27th June 2002 sometime in the
afternoon.

If you mean the one in the bothy, I'm not sure that really counts

There used to be a tin on top of Pillar Rock - but I think that only lasted for the early ascents in
the 19th century.
--
Philip Powell Looking north across the Derwent Valley and Northumberland to The Cheviot

In article <[email hidden]>, Phil Cook <urwalk@p-t-
cook.freeserveSPAMTRAP.co.uk> writes

Quoted message said:

RJ Webb said:

Quoted message said:

I can't help thinking that the Glen Elchaig approach is best from a scenic point of view as you
arrive at the bottom of the falls.

And is of course unrestricted to non powered means of transport.. Cows permitting

I think Nanny would blow a gasket if that Glomach path was promoted to tourism though... A
great way in.

The NTS guide recommends the Dorusduain route which I can't help feeling is a disappointment.
Hauling ones self up through that forestry then over the open moor at over 500m to drop down to the
top of the falls it's an 11 km round trip, against a much easier 16km walk along the valley from
the car park at Camas-luinie.

I found a visitor book in a tin in a 'cave' part way up a hill and way off the path sometime in the
last twelve months - but I am damned if I can remember where it was.

--
Martin Richardson

216/284 Munros (34/34 'Furths'😉
217/89 Donalds 385/1552 Marilyns 439/439 Nuttalls

Paul Simonite said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors book,
pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved wooden
flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

Common in Norway, but I have only ever encountered one in Scotland, on Sron a'Choire Ghairbh, but
that was a while ago.

Richard Webb

in article [email hidden], Paul Simonite at
[email hidden] wrote on 12/10/03 11:04 am:

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors
book, pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved
wooden flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

There use to be one for visitors to the Falls of Lomach. Wonder what happened to it when acces was
restricted?

Alan

In message <[email hidden]>, Rob Naylor
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

"Boo" <boo@spam_me_no_spam.net> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

PhilipPowell said:

There used to be a tin on top of Pillar Rock - but I think that only lasted for the early
ascents in the 19th century.

Where did the book inside it end up dyk ?

I don't think it was a tin. It was a bottle, with a piece of paper rolled up into it, and corked. I
believe, IIRC, that Alan Hankison's "The First Tigers" describes someone arriving up there and
finding the bottle full of black beetles and the paper eaten away.

You're right - I muddled it with a fictitious account on "Kangchenjunga".

--
Philip Powell Looking north across the Derwent Valley and Northumberland to The Cheviot

I think visitor books are a great idea, they are common place in the Alps, on a recent visit into
Austria I noted my email address in a couple of "Peak Books" (as they call them) and have since had
5 replies!

Paul Simonite <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Chanced upon one at the summit cairn of Morven (Deeside) yesterday. A box containing visitors
book, pens, postcards and an honesty bag for money (donated to Deeside MR) nestles behind a carved
wooden flap, very neatly built into the cairn using cairnstones - wonderful idea.

--
Cheers, Compo

Paul Rooney <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Paul Simonite said:

The message <[email hidden]> from "Stuart" <[email hidden]> contains
these words:

Quoted message said:

i recently went into the Hutchison memorial hut, not to stay, just to rest a while and sign the
book, somebody had recently [censored] in the corner, what is wrong with some people?

What puzzles me is why person goes to the trouble and effort of hiking so far and then turning
into some kind of savage?? Most odd.

I blame the drink.

Tea Totallers always say that.
--
Gordon

Paul Rooney <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

Andy P said:

"Andy P" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

"Paul Rooney" <[email hidden]> wrote

> >What puzzles me is why person goes to the trouble and effort of hiking so far and then
> >turning into some kind of savage?? Most odd.
>
> I blame the drink.

I blame the Duke of Edingburgh.

Mind you I expect he can spell his own name at least.

I doubt it.

He couldn't even hit a tree with a coach and four.

Wait a minute..... Didn't I see him do that on telly once?
--
Gordon

Quoted message said:

There use to be one for visitors to the Falls of Lomach. Wonder what happened to it when acces was
restricted?

Oh bugger. Glomach, the 'G' fell off.

Alan

The message <[email hidden]>
from [email hidden] (RJ Webb) contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Common in Norway, but I have only ever encountered one in Scotland, on Sron a'Choire Ghairbh, but
that was a while ago.

There used to be one in Mid Wales. It was in the monument to (IIRC) a Mountain Rescue Team member
killed by lightning which is situated either on the summit of Drysgol, a minor bump on the slopes of
Aran Fawddwy, or further up the the ridge (Drws Bach) on an even more insignificant summit. I have
no idea if it is still there, it must be all of 25 years since I last signed it. It was in a purpose
made weathertight stainless steel box but that wouldn't have stopped any passing vandal from
lighting a fire with the book or pitching the whole thing over the adjacent crag.

--
Roger Looking North over the Aire Valley (and Marley Gasworks) to Rombolds Moor Top Posters
killfiled on sight

The message <[email hidden]>
from "Chris Gilbert" <[email hidden]> contains these words:

Quoted message said:

Paul Simonite wrote

Quoted message said:

I wonder how many mountains have a visitors book placed at the summit?

Quoted message said:

Found on in the cairn on Meall Buidhe on Ardnamurchan. Chris

Drat! I missed that one :-(

--
Cheers, Compo

The message <[email hidden]>
from [email hidden] (RJ Webb) contains these words:

Quoted message said:

I have only ever encountered one in Scotland, on Sron a'Choire Ghairbh, but that was a while ago.

Quoted message said:

Richard Webb

ARGH! missed that one too :-((

--
Cheers, Compo

PhilipPowell said:

There used to be a tin on top of Pillar Rock - but I think that only lasted for the early ascents
in the 19th century.

Where did the book inside it end up dyk ?

--
Boo

Alan Ashton said:

Quoted message said:

There use to be one for visitors to the Falls of Lomach. Wonder what happened to it when acces
was restricted?

Oh bugger. Glomach, the 'G' fell off.

They'd never find it down there!

The new access from Dorusduain seems to be suffering from GOMLitis as well with a sign at Ruarach
misdirecting folk away from the FC carpark when I was there last year.

I can't help thinking that the Glen Elchaig approach is best from a scenic point of view as you
arrive at the bottom of the falls.
--
Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"