I must admit I felt just a little nervous, having read all the books which talk of knife edge arêtes, and wondering what we would meet. Having parked too far up the road (A87) we had to trek over some rough ground before meeting the fairly obvious path winding up round a bump called Meallan Odhar. The path was good and although we took it slowly it was a fairly easy climb up and round the small ridge. From here the path goes right across the side of the slope in a straight line to a ridge. Dead easy but slow with people now starting to overtake us. At the top the path turns round on itself and you begin to see for the first time the Forcan Ridge, not looking too terrible from this distance. From here you start meeting what the book described as scrambles to give you a taste of what is ahead. The path goes up and down and still generally easy until you meet the first real scramble leading onto the Forcan Ridge itself. It's a steep climb of about 15 feet and although technically very easy I actually found it one of the more daunting scrambles of the day. There was, to me at least, a real feeling that a slip would be dangerous and it didn't help that as you can only climb one at a time there are about a dozen people below watching you. No copping out under these circumstances. From here to the top of the ridge there is no mistaking the route, a mixture of scrambling up blocks and slabs and going across very narrow paths and arêtes. Graeme went ahead and I saw him following someone up a pinnacle. The guy appeared to be stuck as he could not get over the top. Eventually he went up the side and Graeme tried. I was standing talking to someone telling him that was my son going over. Only he didn't. He had the same trouble as the other guy and had to go round the side. I didn't even attempt it and went round on the bypass path, though I have to say this was the only point of the whole ridge walk I copped out on. Further on I saw Graeme going up a steep scramble which from a distance looked very exposed and dodgy. Seemed to be no problem to Graeme though and he was up it in no time. At first when I tried it I had a problem as I could not get my feet to stretch above the first boulder. I was keen though to do it and eventually by jamming my knee against the rock I was able to haul myself up onto the block. Not very professional but I got there. From here it was easy with no feeling of the exposure I had seen earlier. I think I may well be getting a head for heights as at no time, other than the first scramble, did I have any worry about the very steep (and sometimes sheer) drops on either side. I think you are so concentrated on what you have to do to get up or over that you don't have time to be worried about the drops. Once over this particular scramble at the top you reach a sharp slab of rock about 4/5 feet long which is shaped like the top of a roof. I had no idea how to get across as there was only fresh air on either side. Graeme, however, had waited just above to see if I would do the scramble (or to gloat at my predicament) and he shouted for me to use my bum. He actually meant for me to go side saddle but I simply then got astride the 'roof ' and went across à cheval. Others following me simply walked along the 2" crest making me feel a bit of a jerk.
The short scrambles and narrow arêtes seem never ending until suddenly you are at the top of the Forcan Ridge. A bit of an anti-climax as you can see you still have some way to go to The Saddle and the summit is not quite so exposed as the photos in books make you think. Shortly after the summit you can see a very steep gully going down to the right with people very carefully making their way down. In fact the impression was that this was the most difficult part of the climb, the care they were taking. One girl on her backside was terrified edging her way down the gully and round the very sharp left turn about halfway down. As you get there you find that ahead of you is a wall going down about 20 feet and to avoid this people have been going down gullies to the left and right of it. On this occasion I saw no-one take the left gully nor did anyone try the wall, although the latter apparently is not technically difficult. Actually
Graeme did look over with the idea of trying but the difficulty lies in the first move which is slightly overhanging and not easy to see where to put your feet. We both decided to take the gully on the right and found it much easier than expected and not a patch on Ben Lui. The soil was loose but not exceptionally slippery and there were plenty of grips on the side of the cliff, unlike the dreadful grass holds on Ben Lui. We were down and around and on to safer ground in no time. I was baffled at how all these people who had gaily scrambled up and over narrow blocks and arêtes could find this so difficult. The gully takes you round to the foot of the wall where everyone could see that from this angle it was not too difficult, and looked relatively easy to climb. From this point you can see up to the Saddle summit and as the books say the route looks impossible with seemingly sheer faces ahead. In reality it is relatively straightforward though it does have its moments. Almost immediately after the wall there is another knife edge 'roof' about 15/20 feet long, though it is fairly easy to cross. You more or less put your hands on the top and with plenty of footholds just edge along, first on one side and then the other with a little bit of à cheval (for me anyway) at the end. From here you thread your way up blocks and scrambles till you reach a path on a grassy slope. Seeing Graeme sitting above me I say "Can't be far from the summit now". "I'm sitting on it" says he. I hadn't realised I was so close, it's there before you know it. Guinness and turkey sandwiches, Graeme I think was on Fosters, having raided Eileen's supplies. The views were spectacular, one of the clearest days we have had. You could see 40/50 miles in every direction. The Atlantic and islands were fairly close and although I can't be 100% categoric I'm sure the patch I could see to the north east was the North Sea. The Saddle is another of those hills where you are not sure where the summit is. A trig point and a cairn appear to be at the same height though there is a couple of hundred yards between them. Somewhere I read the true top is in between. We did them all.
You just slip off the mountain after the trig point down some fairly easy grass slopes mixed with a few rocky fields. In clear visibility there is no problem as you just set your sights on a small lochan in the middle of the glen just above a corrie. You get down quite rapidly with no trouble. Over into the corrie the route is much as before leading down fairly quickly to the remains of a stone wall. This contours round the hill parallel to the Forcan Ridge. Alongside the stone wall a path develops, fairly level but with a few bumps. Quite gentle walking and before you know where you are you find yourself joining the upward path just at the point of the first awkward scramble onto the Forcan Ridge. It's incredible to think that what had to us been a tough, exciting climb would have been an absolute dawdle if we had climbed the way we came down. It should be made a criminal offence to climb hills like The Saddle the easy way. After this the way back down the path to the car was a long, easy but achey walk.
