Sat 20th May to Mon 29th May: Pabbay
Mike Tempest
The club is planning a week of world-class, adventurous sea-cliff climbing on the
uninhabited island of Pabbay at the southern extremity of the Outer Hebrides next
spring. If you need a better idea of the nature of the trip then read Jack Gilbert’s
excellent article in the June 2021 Mynydd journal (available in the members’ area on
the website) and the destination article on UKC
https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/destinations/ultimate_uk_trad_pabbay+mingulay-
6162 .
The SMC guidebook “The Outer Hebrides” 2018 is excellent as is Scottish Rock by
Gary Latter Volume 2. Alternatively the logbook on UKC will give a good idea of the
best routes available https://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crags/pabbay-3512/
10
The plan will be to gather in Oban and get the early afternoon ferry from Oban on Sat
20th May, arriving early evening on Barra. Weather permitting we will be ferried over to
Pabbay the same evening by Angus and his team at Hebridean Sea Tours. All being
well we will be picked up on Sun 28th May (again subject to weather) and taken back
to Barra and then get the ferry back very early on Mon 29th May to Oban. The island of
Pabbay is uninhabited so we will need to be self-sufficient with food and shelter. Fresh
water is available from a small stream.
Having spoken to the boat charters their prices will be going up next year due to the
present economic climate, by how much exactly won’t be known until early next year.
The price of the Calmac ferry is also likely to go up too. We plan to charter at least one
boat (maximum of 12) and also take some vehicles on the ferry from Oban to Barra to
help transport gear and people on Barra, particularly useful on the second Sunday after
leaving Pabbay – but before getting the Oban ferry back early on the Monday. We may
have some time on Barra on the second Sunday and then need to find somewhere to
stay that night.
To secure a place on the first boat a payment of £160 is payable on a first come, first
served basis (details below). This will cover the cost of the vehicles being taken on the
Oban to Barra ferry (shared out equally by everyone in the party) and the cost of the
boat charter to Pabbay from Barra. In addition you will need to pay individually either
as the driver of a vehicle or a foot passenger – at present this costs £31.80 (we will be
looking to book vehicles on the ferry in the New Year so don’t worry about booking
yourself as a foot passenger now). If you are struggling to make the £160 payment in
one go please contact me by email so that we can discuss a staged payment schedule.
If we get 12 people confirmed for a full boat I will then make this clear on the Mynydd
website and FB page. After that I will start a reserve list (just contact me and no need
to make a payment of £160) and when we reach enough on the reserve list I will then
contact you to request payment of £160 – we can then charter a second boat. The
second boat, depending on availability will have 11 or 12 places available – 23 or 24
members in total between two boats.
Please note that this £160 may not be the final cost and if it’s not we would require you
to make an additional payment on top. We just don’t know the final fuel and ferry costs
at the moment. In the event that the final cost goes above £160 and you have already
paid but are unable/unwilling to pay anything higher and you wish to drop out then you
will get a full refund. We will have to confirm numbers around Easter time with the boat
charter – be aware that if you then drop out we might not be able to offer a full or partial
refund. If we have a surplus by the end of the trip we will refund members.
To secure your place on the trip of a lifetime send £160 by BACS:
Sort Code: 01-05-51 Account Number: 40582787 Reference text: Pabbay
Email the treasurer (treasurer.mynydd@gmail.com) and cc myself
(tempestm65@gmail.com) to confirm how much you have transferred.
Also in the email can you indicate if you are willing to take your vehicle (make and
model also please) on the ferry to Barra from Oban? In the New Year we will ask the
owners of the vehicles we take to make a booking – you will then be reimbursed.