Pabbay

We’ve been looking forward to and fearing our trip to Pabbay, a remote and uninhabited tiny island off Scotland in the Bishop Isles, in varyingly different amounts for some time…

Being hours from civilisation camping on this wild island for a week would be a massive adventure, taking all our food, equipment, and climbing gear etc. for every eventuality. Of course no-one wants to endure wet Scottish weather at the best of times, even less so when you have nowhere but your tent to retreat to. Luckily we needn’t have feared the weather, the high pressure of recent weeks was set to hold and deliver almost wall-to-wall sunshine for our entire stay! 🙂 Couple that with a cool sea breeze keeping temperatures pleasant for climbing and – crucially – ensuring the midges were not a problem.

The ferry from Oban was at 1.30pm on Saturday so we took a leisurely drive from the Lakes to Tyndrum on Friday evening to enjoy a stop-over proceeded by a pint in the Tyndrum Inn.

Overnighting in Tyndrum we enjoyed a pint in the Tyndrum Inn

Being foot-passengers on the ferry from Oban means you have to get on to the ferry in one go; there’s no walking backwards and forwards to carry multiple large bags of equipment on to the ferry. So, we used a sack trolley to load camping gear, climbing gear, personal gear and clothing, all our food for two for a week, a 100m static abseil rope, and deck chairs! There’s nothing like a proper chair to sit in when camping for an extended period. 😉

Plus John took a large group tent to huddle in for social evenings should the weather turn on us, and a full-size garden spade to dig a pit for our group of ten climbers to do their necessaries in without causing undue impact to the island environment.

Oban ferry terminal mayhem! Lots of climbers with lots of equipment!

Nigel, Pete, and Kenny on the ferry from Oban to Castlebay Barra

Amazing views from the Oban ferry in to the Highlands and Isles

Once the regular ferry got us from Oban to Castlebay on Barra the real adventure started with us loading all our kit on to the Boy James, a small boat skippered by Francis that offers transfers and day-trips to the Bishop Isles.

Laetitia boarding the Boy James … our small boat from Castlebay to Pabbay

Leaving civilisation behind on our way to the uninhabited island of Pabbay

Landing on Pabbay itself involves using a small tender to get the kit and people ashore due to the lack of a jetty and the shallow rocky coastline.

After that there’s a short hike to a lovely grassy camping area overlooking Pabbay’s white sandy beach.

Bob helping offload the tender used to get from the Boy James on to Pabbay

Laetitia, Nigel, and Roger carrying loads from the offloading spot up to our camping site.

Our campsite above the beautiful white sandy beach of Pabbay

Day 1 – Banded Geo South Face

We chose a friendly single pitch venue for our first day on Pabbay rock to get acclimatised and used to the style etc. The South Face of the Banded Geo also offered a sunny outlook that timed well with our leisurely departure from camp and the somewhat tiring, but thankfully short, hike from camp carrying both our regular climbing gear and a heavy bag containing a 100m static abseil rope.

The E1 Shipping News was a good easing in to the climbing, but it was the HVS Refrigerator Poetry that was the surprise quality climb of the crag for us.

The relative friendliness of Banded Wall South Face for our first day on the rock, here Pete is climbing Refrigerator Poetry

Nigel returning to camp after out first day climbing

Day 2 – Poop Deck

Another day, another quality single pitch venue, the Poop Deck. We started off on the classic E1 Illegal Alien, tested ourselves a bit more on the E2 Who Killed RJ [sic], and later enjoyed the fun Pabbarotti shown below with Mike and Tim following us up.

Day two we went to the Poop Deck, another single pitch friendly venue. Here Mike is climbing Pabbarotti.

Camp Scenes

There were ten in our group in total – John & Lewis, Bob & Roger, Mike & Tim, Nigel & Kenny, and Laetitia & Pete.

Also on the island was another group of twelve. So, twenty-two climbers were the total population of Pabbay for the week. This was just about an OK number, any more and the queues for classic routes would have been quite depressing. However, with this number, and a little flexibility on venue each day, ensured we all got to do everything we wanted. 🙂

John and Lewis, with Kenny in the background.

Day 3 & 4 – Banded Geo Banded Wall

The Banded Wall was our venue for days three and four. It wouldn’t be our first choice to go here two days on the trot, but that flexibility in venue choice mentioned above forced by the numbers of climbers vying for classic routes meant we came back to this brilliant two pitch cliff twice. There’s plenty here to keep most entertained… the classic four-star routes Spring Squill (E1) and Endolphin Rush (E3) are what bring most I guess, but I’ll mention just one other, Stealing a Seal’s Gaze (E1), that is just as good!

Pete setting off up Spring Squill and John following up Stealing a Seal’s Gaze, which shares the same few metres of rock.

Orchids

The various flowers at this time of year are simply beautiful. In particular the orchids growing all over the place were stunning.

Day 5 – The Great Arch

The guidebook suggests that Prophecy of Drowning (E2) is likely the “route of the island”. It is most certainly a popular route with teams lining up to get down the 100m abseil to its start every day. Consequently we left it until the pressure had abated, allowing us to be first down and without any issues from following teams. Part of the issue is that the Priest (E1) also starts from the same tiny near-sea-level ledge. Anyhow, what a route! Brilliant… 🙂

Pete setting off on the mildly terrifying 100m abseil to the start of a Prophecy of Drowning, with the isle of Mingulay in the background.

John’s picture of the first pitch of a Prophecy of Drowning, complete with a audience of sea-kayaking onlookers.

Pete starting the second pitch of a Prophecy of Drowning.

Swimming

Of course Laetitia had to go swimming from the white sandy beach … she did this several times during the week. Perhaps in-lieu of a shower? She took her shortie wetsuit, but in fact the waters were just about warm enough to swim in just swimmies. Or even without!

Sea Birds

The sea-birds that help make the Bishop Isles famous with birders have been having a hard time in recent years thanks to avian flu. Their numbers were certainly not what I expected, and those in our group that had been in previous years noted that numbers were very depleted. What a shame. Lets hope they recover!

Here are a few images… There were loads of other species, and we also saw several sea eagles, some of which were being harried by gulls. Unfortunately the eagles were far too high to get any decent images.

A pair of infamous Bonxie Great Skua watching us with high interest.

Sea Mammals

We had hoped to see basking shark in the bay in front of our campsite, but they never showed themselves. However, we did have a dolphin display most mornings. What a great way to enjoy breakfast! 🙂

The following picture is a mash-up of a two images! Sorry, it wasn’t quite this impressive. But, a mash-up conveys the actual level of excitement! 😉

While we ate our breakfast a pod of dolphins showed off in the bay in-front of our campsite.

The next picture is a digital-zoom (so not such great quality) showing a pod of killer whales (orca) that passed by on our final morning. Wow!

Wow – a small pod of orca passes our bay!

Day 6 – The Grey Recess

Our final climbing day was at the Grey Recess. We had the route U-Ei (E2) in our sights. Laetitia and I set off first with two more teams, Roger & Bob and Mike & Tim, following on later to make use of our abseil rope. The abseil is something else! Through a natural rock arch, somewhat akin to a pitch head in a pothole, the abseil drops completely free-hanging over 90m to an accommodating sea-level ledge system. The abseil in to the Great Arch had been slightly terrifying, this abseil was absolutely terrifying! Still many tens of metres above the ledges I was staring into the rope bag and watching the rope vanish as I went down, hoping I had enough to land safely! With a 100m abseil rope, after using a little of that length rigging the pitch-head, I had just three or four metres left in the bag as I touched down. Phew.

Pete carrying a large bag of abseil rope on top of a large backpack of climbing kit!

Pete starting up the first pitch of U-Ei

Rescue

Some way up the second pitch I heard a small rock-fall below me, but there was no shouting or screaming to follow, so I assumed all was OK. Unfortunately though Bob, now on the first pitch, had dislodged a loose block! He held on to it to save risking it falling on his belayer, Roger, or Mike & Tim now waiting in the sunshine on the sea-level ledges. Holding on to this block had dislocated his left shoulder!!!

After some debate Laetitia starting down climbing back to the ledge at the top of the first pitch, and Tim started climbing up the first pitch, both aiming to reach Bob and help. He had managed to fiddle in some protection with one hand and was now hanging relatively safely, albeit in great pain from his injury. How he managed to not fall, risking more injury, I don’t know.

They reached him and thankfully he was in good spirits all considered. They combined efforts, and with Laetitia’s untied ropes managed to haul Bob to the ledge at the top of pitch one.

Meanwhile most fortunately a fishing boat came across the Grey Recess inlet collecting lobster pots the fishermen had previously dropped. Roger hailed the fishermen and said we needed help…

After motoring out to sea a little to get clear of the cliffs to allow the radio to be used more easily the fishing boat summoned help and reported that the RNLI and/or a helicopter was en-route. Plus they would stay on-station until help arrived.

In less than 40 minutes the RNLI lifeboat came around the cliffs and in to sight. Utterly amazing! From distress call to on site in less than 40 minutes! The crew had scrambled from their day-jobs, donned rescue clothing, launched the lifeboat (which can bee seen in harbour behind Laetitia stood on top of the Boy James in a photo at the top of this page), and motored all the way from Castlebay around Pabbay to the Grey Recess! Those lifeboats are powerful.

From my vantage point at the top of pitch two I heard the squawk of the loud hailer on the lifeboat “launching the dingy”. And with that the small crane arm swung to the side and lowered a small RIB. Two lifeboatmen then zoomed into the sea-level ledges to start Bob’s rescue.

Roger, an acute care nurse, had now also ascended to the belay ledge to join Bob, Laetitia and Tim. Between them they had made Bob a little more comfortable and he had then been safely lowered back to the sea-level ledges in to the care of the lifeboatmen.

With the aid of a third rescuer Bob managed to get in to the RIB and then on to the main “all-weather” lifeboat.

During all this drama the coastguard rescue helicopter had arrived on scene too. They circled for a bit while Bob made his way to the lifeboat. From where he was winched into the helicopter and whisked off to hospital.

Bob boarding the small inflatable rescue boat to transfer to the RNLI lifeboat.

The coastguard helicopter arriving on the scene.

And being winched from the lifeboat to the helicopter ready to transfer to hospital.

Now one man down we continued, Laetitia & I and Mike, Tim & Roger, to the top of the climb and made our way back to camp.

All the lifeboat and helicopter activity had altered everyone on the island that something had happened. Plus it was very much later in the day than would have been normal for us to be returning to camp! The cavalry was preparing to leave camp to bring more manpower to the scene. It wasn’t needed, but they and we were glad to see each other. Thankfully learning that Bob’s injuries were likely not so bad, spirits were high on relief. 🙂

Of course we had no certain idea where Bob was, or how he was really doing. And he was without money, mobile phone, shoes or anything … literally just his climbing clothes, harness, shoes, and helmet.

Here’s a report on the RNLI website of the rescue.

Final Night

One man down but all in good spirits thanks to no terrible harm having been done, ready for our last night on the island.

From the highest and slightly westerly point on Pabbay there’s a small area with a line-of-sight across the open sea to Castlebay, and so with the right mobile network (EE), it is just possible to get mobile phone reception. John made use of this on our final morning to make contact and determine Bob’s condition. Thankfully he was well, it was indeed a dislocated shoulder, and he was in Oban hospital where he would wait for our return.

Leaving Pabbay

It took extra time for us to pack Bob’s equipment, but inevitably we had to leave Pabbay, and sure enough at 4pm the Boy James showed up to shuttle us back to Barra…