The Bell Traverse

Welcome on VE Bazzer!

Glad to hear you guyes had a good time in the Berg.

Regarding the Bell Traverse, yes, there are dodgy sections, and, depending on weather and the prevailing conditions on the day it can range from "relatively easy peasy" to "oh crap, better concentrate now!". I've had both and it can definitely be dangerous, BUT, there are bypass routes that minimises the risk. Have a read of my latest Bell Traverse Trip report form 2024 where I explained how to bypass the most dodgy section basically under the chessmen.

BTW - there are sections of the Camel that I've found particularly hair raising in the right (or should I say wrong?) conditions. Throw in high winds and a bit of ice and that rock plate near (below) Windy Gap will elevate your heart rate in no time!

That's mountains for you. They are often dangerous, but quite often you can negate the dangerous/risky bits by taking a different line or hiking when the weather is better, or, like you did, hiking a different route altogether.

That was a bit wrong of them to discourage you from doing the BT. There is one section that I would say is a bit trickier than the Camel but otherwise completely fine. As Riaang said, there are also ways to bypass certain sections. Buggers gulley, in my opinion is in a better state than it was this time last year. I just used it for the 4th time this year and used it on Nov 18th