Gary’s Ramsay Round

Rob / 09.04.2003

Just before the clocks went back, and with the Scottish hills still in winter condition (despite most of the UK being bathed in sunshine), Gary Tompsett, completed one of the hardest mountain running challenges in the UK - the Winter Ramsay Round. (You may have seen Rob Priestley’s ‘live’ postings on the forum and if you wondered what it was all about we’ll tell you now.)

Better known to adventure racers for his ‘demonic’ course setting (and lilo disciplines), Gary is the current Race Director of the One.Tel Hebridean Challenge. Though not a regular competitor at UK adventure races he’s a top class rider (he’s won the Polaris Challenge in the past) and fell runner, and his latest challenge was one of his toughest to date.

The Ramsay Round is a 60 mile circuit with 28,000 feet of ascent (though Gary said it was more), starting and finishing at Glen Nevis youth hostel. First completed by Charlie Ramsay in July 1978 it takes in the Mamores, the Grey Corries, the Aonachs, has a big finish with Ben Nevis, and is regarded as a classic 24 hour challenge. Now that’s a long day out! But not hard enough for Gary who set off on the weekend of March 28/29th to tackle it in winter.

Two Winter Rounds

Until recently no one had completed the challenge while the UK’s biggest hills were still snow and ice covered, but then in November 2002 Glyn Jones of Dumfries did it in 53hrs 34mins. This inspired Gary to have a go when conditions were good. “Faced with such a dry winter, an approaching clock change, and a bout of confidence and fitness, I dashed up to give it a crack” he said. He then ran and walked almost non-stop to complete the ‘round’ in 32 hours 48 minutes, carrying a 22 lb pack all the way and running entirely on his own with no one providing support, although friends checked he was OK at certain points and by phone. (He was even texting news to SleepMonsters.com on the way round!)

Describing how the run went he said. “The weather was good at the start though it gradually got colder on the first day and visibility was very poor in the night, so I had trouble finding some of the far eastern Munro cairns. (He did 5 night time Munros.) I clambered up some very steep convex snow slopes in the pitch black and accidentally slept in the heather at 3.30am for 30 minutes. The next morning was cold with fresh snowfall and there was a howling wind on the second day.”