Leadership and managing groups over hazards and difficult ground were the topics today on the West Highland College Summer ML Training Course. On a cold, dry Autumn day there is no place better for this than Coire na Ciste on the North Face of Ben Nevis. We walked up to the Castle Coire and traversed under Carn Dearg Buttress to the lochans in Coire na Ciste. From here we went over Moonlight Gully Buttress and across Number Five Gully to Ledge Route.

The summer ML is a walking award and hill walking can be enjoyed with your hands in your pockets. When you need to take your hands out of your pockets you're venturing towards the edge of the scope of the award and we were certainly doing this today. The group management was challenging and the feel of the place was huge, a great place to practice leadership skills.