Mellow Expeditions - @tans_wright & @joeadamhalliday
For this week’s Mellow Expeditions, we caught up with @tans_wright and @joeadamhalliday after a full-on winter adventure across the Scottish Highlands. From icy scrambles in the Cairngorms to big mountain days in Glencoe and Glen Shiel, @tans_wright and @joeadamhalliday share a jam-packed itinerary of snow, sun, and summit sunsets — and give us a glimpse into the van life freedom that’s taken them from the Munros to their next stop: the European Alps.
We started our most recent trip to Scotland in the Cairngorms, kicking things off by ascending Twin Ribs, crossing Fiacaill Ridge, descending the Goat Track, and then climbing 0.5 Gully before heading over to Cairn Gorm. All three routes gave us a solid mix of scrambling and winter climbing, offering a last opportunity to use our crampons and axes before the end of the season. The conditions were spot on with plenty of snow, and we enjoyed watching all of the other climbers tackling the various routes in Coire an t- Sneachda. We’ll definitely be returning here next winter to attempt some of the other climbs in this area.
After that, we drove west to Glencoe and Glen Shiel for a string of big mountain days. We were treated to more snow on Buachaille Etive Mòr, Buachaille Etive Beag, and Schoolhouse Ridge, followed by crystal-clear skies and 360-degree views on Bidean nam Bian and the Five Sisters of Kintail that made us feel like we’d somehow ended up in another country. The standout of our week was finally tackling the CMD Arête with another full day of sunshine and hands-down the best sunset we’ve ever seen, right over Ben Nevis. Big days, big weather, and unbeatable landscapes — March will always be our favourite time of year to visit Scotland due to the quiet trails, the snow in the gullies, and the fact that you get a bit of everything weather-wise (sometimes all in one hour!).
On the way back down south, we couldn’t help but stop in the Lake District for one more climb — Pinnacle Ridge on St Sunday Crag — with our friend Jake (@jakevial). It was a fun scramble to wrap things up: dry rock, great company, and views all over Ullswater. The perfect way to end the trip before heading home. In total, we covered around 8,000 metres of ascent and descent, walked roughly 120 km (about 160,000 steps), and drove just under 1,100 miles in the van. We’ve now ticked off 15 of the 282 Munros, so yeah… it’s going to take a while! Despite how tired we were by the end of the trip, we wouldn’t change a single moment and just wished we lived closer — this part of the world really feels like our happy place — and we will definitely be returning next month!
We’re also so excited to be heading out on our dream trip around the European Alps this summer, exploring more mountains, more routes, and having more wild camps, visiting Austria, Italy, Switzerland, and France. We feel so lucky to be able to do all this thanks to our van and have had so many amazing adventures together over the last five years — it’s given us freedom, flexibility, and a front-row seat to the outdoors. We already can’t wait for more early starts, mountain coffees, and nights under the stars!