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Section 15 - Loch Broom to Easter Ross Mountains
Section 15 - This section refers to the hills and mountains from Loch Broom to Easter Ross including Ben Wyvis and The Deargs. They cover the Corbetts, Grahams and Munros that I have climbed in this area since 2003.
Index to Hills in this SectionMeall Mor9 May 2008
I was joined by my brother for the ascent of this Graham located north of Loch Glass. The starting point was the end of the public road in Glen Glass at Eileanach Lodge. The glen was reached from Evanton which is just off the A9 between Inverness and Alness. We followed an estate road on the south side of the River Glass to the weir at the start of Loch Glass. From there we had fine views up the loch as it was a sunny morning. Once across the weir we followed a forestry track on the east side of Loch Glass but soon left this track for another one that climbed up through the forest. At least here we were sheltered from the morning sun. It was a steady climb and eventually we alighted from the forest with views of a few of the Novar wind turbines. We continued up the track to the wind farm passing close to a couple of the turbines. After the westmost turbine we crossed some peat hags and commenced the climb of the south-east ridge of Meall Mor. The ground was a bit spongy but with the dry conditions the walking was okay although later we encountered some more peat hags. A pile of stones was reached and just beyond that the summit trig point. Although it was windy we sat and had a snack looking over to Ben Wyvis, the Glen Diebidale Corbett and Grahams, and the Grahams Carn Loch nan Amhaichean and Beinn nan Eun. Although it was a bit hazy we could still recognise Seana Bhraigh, The Deargs and Fannaichs. The return was back to the edge of the forest where we descended the path on its north side towards Loch Glass before following another track through the forest which took us to the track we used on the outward route which was followed back to the start.
Beinn Tharsuinn3 November 2007
Beinn Tharsuinn is a fairly remote hill situated between Strathcarron in the north-east and Strath Vaich in the south-west. The Strath Vaich approach in particular would benefit from the use of a mountain bike but whatever approach is selected there is still a lot of cross country walking. I opted for an approach from the north-west, without the use of a cycle, as I had planned to use a stalker’s path after around 1.5 kilometres, but as you will read this didn’t materialise. Strathcarron is reached along a single track road from Ardgay near Bonar Bridge. At the telephone kiosk at The Craigs another single track road goes to Glencalvie Lodge. Just before the Lodge there is some limited parking. I set off from this parking area and followed the track through the Lodge grounds with its tree houses and well laid out garden including a pond and small island. Beyond the Lodge I walked south up Glen Calvie at the west side of the Water of Glencalvie. At the bridge over this river I had planned to leave the vehicle track and follow a path, marked on the map, across the hillside to Glen Malagain. However the area was fenced off for natural regeneration of a Caledonian Pine forest and there was no sign of the path. I continued up the Glen, passing several hay stooks until I came to a bridge over the Water of Glencalvie. It was partially collapsed so I decided against a crossing at this point and continued to another bridge just south of the joining of the stream Abhainn Coire a’Mhalagain. I was carefully crossing this bridge when I my concentration was disturbed by a salmon unsuccessfully leaping to the next pool. It was then rough going as I followed the Abhainn Coire a’Mhalagain west until I came across a new bridge and then followed a wet and boggy All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) track along the north side of the burn. I had already seen and disturbed lots of deer and more were spotted as I walked westwards. The ATV track wasn’t in great condition and the further west I went the worse it became. I decided to leave the Glen once I was beyond a fenced off part of the north side of the Diebidale Ridge. As I crossed the Abhainn Coire a’Mhalagain I saw a few trout in the stream. The climb of the steep hillside onto the ridge was really testing through knee deep heather trying to follow deer tracks. Once the gradient eased the walking was a bit easier and I climbed to the 691 summit. Here I had views east to Carn Salachaidh and Carn Chuinneag. There was a cold strong wind blowing at the summit but it was dry although I had already encountered a few short showers. I still had another couple of kilometres west to go till I reached the summit of Beinn Tharsuinn so I headed off down the rather wet west ridge to a large area of peat hags which took a while to negotiate before reaching the bealach. The ascent of Beinn Tharsuinn’s east ridge was rather different, it was steeper and quite rocky in places. Around five ptarmigan took off into the wind. From the summit cairn I had views of Carn Ban, Meall a’Chaorainn and Beinn a’Chaisteil although the mountains to the west were cloud covered as another rain shower approached. Now the long walk back was in front of me. I had the option of descending into Glen Mhalagain or to return along the Diebidale Ridge. I opted for the later which involved returning to the 691 point, re-crossing the peat hags and climbing its west ridge. However once over this point the underfoot conditions improved until nearer the east end where there were some more peat hags. Once beyond Mullach Creag Riaraidh I followed a wet and boggy ATV track to Diebidale Lodge, which appeared to be a holiday establishment. On the east side of Glen Calvie there were dozens of stags feeding on the hillside. A footbridge north of Diebidale Lodge allowed me to cross the Water of Glencalvie and follow the vehicle track back down Glen Calvie to the start.
Carn Salachaidh20 October 2007
Strathcarron was the location for the ascent of this Graham. The Glen was reached along a single track road from Ardgay on the A836 just south of Bonar Bridge. Directly opposite the impressive Gruinards Lodge a metal gate permitted access to the hills on the south side of the road. A vehicle track was followed through a small area of forest onto the open hillside. The map actually showed it as a path but as far as its highest point it had been used by vehicles. It was a very pleasant morning, calm with the occasional roar from cows in the glen and from stags. However the rut must now be over as the stags were very quiet, either that or they have all been shot. This was the final day of the stag stalking season for this year. The autumnal colours were wonderful especially where the sun was shinning on the hills. The track continued uphill to the east of Carn Mor and was a bit boggy at times. I 'put up' a few grouse and some deer on Carn Mor watched me for a while before running off. The track levelled out, reverted to a path, before it gradually descended for around forty metres to the Allt a'Ghinne. It was very tranquil and calm here with only the noise of the stream disturbing the peace. I crossed the stream and a followed a stalker's path on the opposite side. This was not shown on my map but it soon disappeared into long heather and bracken. I kept to the west side of a small stream trying to find the easiest route through the vegetation watched by a stag and a few hinds. Higher up the gradient eased and here it was a bit windy. I worked my way to the west of Carn a'Bhealaich and towards the surprisingly rocky summit of Carn Salachaidh. I had to work my way round some of the rocks before reaching the summit trig point. However this was not the highest point as a large boulder just to the east was obviously slightly higher. From the summit I had views of Carn Chuinneag, Ben Wyvis and the wind farms east of Loch Glass and on the east side of Ben Wyvis. It was windy here but I found some shelter to have an early lunch looking at the distant mountains of the North-West. The return was by the ascent route although I kept to the east of the stream flowing into the Allt a'Ghinne where there was a bit more grass, although underfoot it was wet in places. Lower down I still had the bracken and long heather to contend with before reaching the path back to the start. This was a fairly isolated hill and I never saw any sign of human activity even in Strathcarron.
Seana Bhraigh17 May 2007
This was to be another challenging walk for my client as Seana Bhraigh is a very remote Munro and recently she has been struggling as she tries to complete the final dozen Munros, most of which are long and tough days. We set off from Inverlael, on the A835 Braemore Junction to Ullapool Road, and walked along the track through the forest and onto the open hillside. The path here was rather wet and boggy in places as we climbed over the Druim na Saobhaidhe ridge. The stalker's path, which was now much improved crossed the heathery hillside to Coire an Lochain Sgeirich where there is a series of small lochans, each one higher than the previous one. A very idyllic setting which had obviously been noted by a solo camper. The weather forecast was for rain and wind to spread into the west coast during the day but we could see out over Loch Broom and there was no evidence of the weather breaking at this time. After several hours we came to the end of the path in a very wild area but fortunately with good visibility we could see the route ahead. A slight descent was required to a point above the rocky face of Cadha Dearg. However even in clear conditions care was required as there were several rocky areas to avoid. Once above Cadha Dearg it was a steady climb to the 906 Point south-east of Seana Bhraigh where we were affected by low cloud which broke at times as we climbed to the summit of Seana Bhraigh. Here we sought some shelter for lunch with the occasional break in the cloud which allowed us views down to Loch Luchd Choire and over to Strath Mulzie, which is another approach route to this Munro. The return was by the ascent route but once away from the high tops there was no problem with low cloud and the walk back was long but uneventful and my client coped reasonably well with the long walk in and out.
Beinn Dearg and Cona‘ Mheal9 May 2007
The start of this walk was the A835 Inverness to Ullapool road at Inverlael, where there is some off-road parking at the edge of an old section of road. From here we walked up to and through the forest emerging in Gleann na Sguaib. It was fairly warm lower down in the Glen but higher up a bit cooler with some short spells of rain. The path was in reasonable condition although some sections were eroded. High up in the Glen we passed some idyllic wee lochans before reaching the bealach to the north of Beinn Dearg. Here we crossed over to the stone dyke that headed towards the summit and followed a rough and stony path on its west side. We left the stone dyke when it changed direction and continued the short ascent to the summit cairn. We had some views of the surrounding mountains but low cloud was approaching so we headed back to the dyke as a heavy hail shower made the descent slightly tricky. On returning to the bealach we traversed to a second and slightly lower bealach to the west of Cona' Mheal. From this point it was a relatively easy ascent, over some stony ground, to the summit cairn of Cona‘ Mheal. After taking in some of the surrounding views we returned to the first bealach and commenced the long walk back down the track to Inverlael passing some deer en-route. This was Laila’s 271st and 272nd Munros, meaning that she had only 12 Munros left to bag.
Am Faochagach21 August 2006
The evening before this walk I checked with the head stalker and was advised that they were starting stalking in the morning, but fortunately the route I had planned wouldn't interfere with either of our plans. I parked at the side of the A835 Inverness to Ullapool road at the bridge over the Abhainn an Torrain Duibh where another car was already parked. We crossed the road, fence and some wet and boggy ground to the Abhainn a'Gharbhrain. I managed to use some stones, one or two were submerged, to cross dry footed but my client removed her socks and boots and put on a spare pair of socks to cross the river. This was the first time I had seen spare socks worn to cross a river. We then climbed up the side of a stream where there was a walker's path and higher up we met a chap, who had obviously been out very early, en-route back to the start. Once on the south ridge of Am Faochagach the cloud lowered and we were soon engulfed by it as we headed to the summit cairns keeping to the east of the knolls. On reaching the summit there was a break in the cloud and we saw a large herd of deer, who were oblivious to our presence, feeding below us. It was a bit windy on the summit so we descended a bit to take a break before heading back to the start by the way of ascent. Just after re-crossing the Abhainn a'Gharbhrain we met a couple of hill runners who were en-route to the summit of Am Faochagach but we were happy to head back to the start and the end of another Munro bagging day for my client.
Eididh nan Clach Geala & Meall nan Ceapraichean20 July 2006
The start of this walk was Inverlael on the A835 road between Braemore Junction and Ullapool. Although it was just after nine o'clock when we set off through the Lael forest the sun was out and it was already 21C. There was no shelter from the trees due to a lot of them having been felled so we had to put up with the heat. There wasn't even a trace of a breeze. To add to our problems the flies and clegs were out and attacking us. The only consolation was that it was too hot and sunny for the midges. Once clear of the forest we followed the path up Gleann na Sguaib to just beyond the Eas Fionn. At this point we took the path towards Lochan a'Chnapaich and once above 600 metres there was a slight breeze which was very welcome as we were over heating in the direct sunlight. Prior to reaching Lochan a'Chnapaich we left the path and climbed onto the west ridge of Eididh nan Clach Geala and onto the summit cairn. My client's wish had been to continue onto the remote Munro, Seana Bhraigh, but due to the heat she sensibly abandoned this plan and we decided to climb Meall nan Ceapraichean instead. We descended the south-east ridge of Eididh nan Clach Geala to the small lochans, where it was very warm, before we climbed onto the east ridge of Ceann Garbh. Here there was a pleasant breeze and it was now rather hazy as we walked round Ceann Garbh and climbed to the summit cairn of Meall nan Ceapraichean with its steep drop into Gleann na Sguaib. Lunch was taken on the summit before the descent to the foot of Beinn Dearg and into Gleann na Squaib. It tried to rain but rather than put waterproofs on it was rather cool and refreshing but it didn't last for long before it became rather humid again. It was slow going down the Glen as my client was suffering from a pain in one of her knees. Lower down the midges were out so we needed the 'Skin so Soft'. On re-entering the forest the flies and clegs were worse than on the upward route and a few met a sudden death. We were grateful when we reached the shelter of the car to get away from their attention. For statistical details see here.
Beinn a'Chaisteil30 April 2006
The starting point for this walk was the A835 Inverness to Ullapool Road at the Black Bridge just south of the Aultguish Inn. The first three kilometres of the walk was on a tarred road to the farm at Lubriach, which could have been cycled if we had bikes with us. Just beyond Lubriach we followed a path that crossed the hillside to join a vehicle track below a small hillock called Meallan Donn before traversing round the side of this hillock and heading for the Corbett Top, Meall a'Ghrianain. The ascent of this hill was over rough and boggy ground and in bad weather very old fence posts would assist in route finding as they mark the ridge line as far as the steep climb to the summit. The earlier high cloud broke and it was now sunny with a cold breeze as we made the final ascent to Meall a'Ghrianain, on traces of an old path. From the summit we had good views and noted a fellow walker at the summit of our next hill Beinn a'Chaisteil. A drop of around 125 metres took us to the bealach followed by the ascent of the south ridge of Beinn a'Chaisteil which was fairly gentle after an initial steeper section. We eventually reached the summit trig point where the fellow walker was still located taking in the views of the surrounding mountains including those of Ben Hope and Ben Klibreck to the north, to the near-by remote Corbet Carn Ban. The snow clad Fannaichs and Beinn Dearg group of mountains also stood out well. We spoke to this chap for a few minutes and realised he didn't have a rucksack. He explained that he travelled as light as possible storing everything he needed in his pockets. Well this was definitely taking 'Ultralite' seriously. He headed off in the direction we had come and we headed off down the south-west ridge of Beinn a'Chaisteil which later became steep and heathery but we eventually reached the old houses at Lubachlaggan. It was then a long walk on a vehicle track along the east shore of Loch Vaich back to the farm at Lubriach and then the remaining three kilometres to the start. For statistical details see here.
Am Faochagach22 April 2006
The weather forecast was for heavy rain and strong winds spreading across the North-West of Scotland early in the morning with cloud bases around 400 metres. Despite this forecast it was a bright morning with cloud levels well above the summits. The only thing that was accurate about the forecast was the strong wind as we set off from the parking area just west of Loch Glascarnoch at the Abhainn an Torrain Duibh. We crossed the fence on the north side of the road and followed a boggy path to the Abhainn a'Gharbhrain. This river was flowing fairly fast due to additional water from snow melt. My client and I headed upstream looking for a suitable crossing point and found a spot near the outflow from Loch a'Gharbhrain, where the bed of the river had smaller rocks, rather than the larger boulders downstream. The water was half way to our knees but at least we were across and could now concentrate on climbing this mountain as this river crossing is a problem to Munro Baggers. We climbed to the bealach north of Sron Liath, en-route spotting a lizard its light colour blending in well with the dead grass. On the bealach the wind was very strong so we tried to find some shelter on the lee side of the hill as we headed towards the summit of Am Faochagach. However the downside was that the snow was deep and soft and at one point collapsed around me and I landed in a bog. My feet were already wet so that didn't make a lot of difference other than they were now rather cold. I extricated myself from the hole, retraced our steps slightly before heading higher onto the ridge as it was better fighting the wind than going into another bog. On approaching the summit several snow buntings were feeding on the bare sections of the hillside and took off and were blown away in the wind. There was now some hail in the wind as the weather was starting to deteriorate. At the summit we had a quick look round at the surrounding mountains including the remote Munro Seana Bhraigh which stood out well in the darkening sky. We set off on the return journey, initially back along the ridge, but to avoid the wind and the soft snow we came off the ridge, descended west before traversing across to the Allt na h-Uidhe. There were a few pools containing frogs but they soon dived into the bog on our approach. We followed the Allt na h-Uidhe to Loch a'Gharbhrain and the Abhainn a'Gharbhrain, which looked a bit higher, but there was only one option so we waded across the river, crossed the boggy ground and returned to the start as it started to rain again. For statistical details see here.
Carn Chuinneag16 April 2006
The starting point for this walk was the end of the public road on the north side of the Alladale River. Access to this area was gained from Ardgay, near Bonar Bridge and the single track road up Strathcarron. We crossed the Alladale River by the road bridge and headed towards the entrance to Glencalvie Lodge, which gives the impression that if you continue on this route you are intruding. However from past experience I knew the route and once through the main gates there is a small sign indicating the way through the grounds avoiding the main lodge, but only just. The buildings and grounds are very well laid out and maintained and for those who have a few thousand pounds to spare try this web site for your next holiday. Once beyond the Lodge it was a pleasant walk up Glen Calvie in the sun, albeit there was also a cold wind. On approaching Diebidale Lodge, another expensive holiday retreat we saw lots of deer, as we later learned from a member of the Estate staff, that this was one of their feeding grounds. Just beyond the vehicle track to Diebidale Lodge we headed up the stalker's path that zig zagged its way up the north ridge of Carn Chuinneag. The path was in fairly good condition but higher up it was very exposed to the strong wind. At the junction of paths we avoided the one going round the north face of the hills as there was lots of snow fields and the path would have been concealed and impossible to follow. We elected to continue in the same direction until the path started to descend. Here we left it and commenced the climb to the west top of Carn Chuinneag. This route was awkward as it was through soft snow and large boulders but any better route was concealed by the snow. The weather was deteriorating and we could see that a storm was on its way and it soon struck us with heavy snow blowing in the wind and reducing visibility. We were walking below the west top and headed for the bealach between the two tops, which we had seen earlier. The blizzard probably lasted for around ten minutes and began to clear just as we reached the summit trig point of Carn Chuinneag. We were therefore fortunate to get some views and photos from the summit but didn't stay there for long due to the biting cold wind. We returned to the bealach and rather than face the wind, the soft snow and the boulders we opted to drop down and descend through the snowfields on the north side of the hill and across a few boulder fields to the path we used on the upward route. We encountered a few snow and sleet showers but nothing as bad as on the summit. The stalker's path returned us to the vehicle track near Diebidale Lodge and the walk back down the Glen to the start. En-route we watched several newts in the drainage ditch at the side if the road. For statistical details see here.
Beinn Dearg Corbett23 May 2005The start of this walk was Braemore Junction , the turn off to Gairloch, on the Inverness to Ullapool Road. A signpost directs hill walkers to the end of the car park to round the south edge of the forest where a couple of 'fancy' stiles, using logs have been constructed. Thereafter a marked path leads you across the open hillside to the Home Loch. This path is wet and boggy in places as it gains some height although becomes a bit indistinct near the Loch. It was a sunny start to the day but it soon clouded over and it looked rather black and wild in the west. Once beyond the Loch the marked path, now a bulldozed track, is reached by fording the stream feeding the Home Loch. The track later swings north and has left an ugly scar on the hillside. I am unsure how far this track goes as we took the path up the side of the stream and higher up left this path and climbed directly towards the summit of the Corbett Beinn Enaiglair. It was a gradual climb and we came across some feral goats which weren't too perturbed by our presence. We continued to the summit cairn, with a slight deviation to the north to take in the views of Ullapool and Loch Broom, but the views weren't any different from those on the actual summit. On the final climb to the cairn we disturbed a couple of ptarmigan which tried to draw us away from their nest, although we couldn't see it. From the summit we had views of the Beinn Dearg Munros, An Teallach and the Fannaichs, but most of them were topped by cloud. From this summit we took a route to the south heading for the Beinn Enaiglair/Meall Doire Faid bealach. The descent was reasonably easy until just before the path where it became a bit steeper with some rocky outcrops for us to traverse. Once across the path we took a direct line up a gully, through some rocks to the summit of Meall Doire Faid, a Graham. Here we sat and ate lunch while taking in the surrounding views but the weather was definitely on the change as the cloud was building. Once lunch was over we made a direct descent to the south edge of the forest at Braemore Junction but about halfway down it started to rain and became very heavy so we were fairly wet by the time we reached our cars.
Ben Wyvis13 April 2005Laila, a regular client had travelled north to climb Ben Wyvis. It was a cloudy morning when we set off from the new car park located on the A835 Garve to Ullapool Road just south of Garbat. We walked along a short section of new pathway to reach the usual starting point, the path up the north side of the Allt a'Bhealaich Mhoir, through the forest. Once beyond the forest we followed another newly constructed path which took us up through the heather clad hillside to around 600 metres. This path avoided the old boggy path which was getting worse with erosion and over use. When we joined up with the original path on a steeper section of the hillside it was windy as we climbed into the cloud base and onto lying snow. The path was followed to An Caber, a Munro Top, before heading along the ridge in poor visibility and snow showers. There were cornices on our right as we made our way to Glas Leathad Mor, the highest point on Ben Wyvis. After reaching the trig point the return was by the upward route with the snow showers continuing but once out of the cloud the wind dropped and the snow showers turned to rain and it was a wet walk back to the car park.
Little Wyvis12 March 2005This walk was to be short day in preparation for a few day's of winter climbing and an opportunity for my client to bag another Corbett. The starting point for this walk was a short distance south of Garbat on the A835 Garve to Ullapool road. On arrival we found a new car park had been constructed with a walk-way and footbridge leading to the path up the side of the Allt a'Bhealaich Mhoir. We followed this path, which had a covering of snow, to the end of the forest, where we had to ford the burn. Fortunately it wasn't too deep so crossing it was reasonably easy. Once on the other side we headed up the side of the forest and onto the open hillside. The terrain wasn't as bad as I remembered from my previous visit. However as we were discussing a forthcoming big event in my client's life I was able to 'wind' her up so the climb to the bealach between Tom na Caillich and Little Wyvis past pretty quickly despite the snow cover. This changed once on the ridge. It was windy and we could see a storm approaching, which didn't take long to reach us. The mountain was engulfed in cloud and snow started to fall. Fortunately the wind was on our backs as we climbed to the summit of Little Wyvis where visibility was poor. Rather than walk back into the wind we walked down the other side of the hill and picked up a vehicle track which ran below the north face of the hill and along to the ascent route. Due to the light and the fact we were wearing goggles it was difficult to make out the snow drifts on the track so we frequently came to a halt. On reaching the ascent route we returned to the start by the way we had climbed the hill. The client, who probably wishes to remain anonymous at this time, should be aware that enquiries have commenced to ascertain the exact date of this 'big event'. However a few of you may know who she is and I would welcome information on the exact date. No reward, but you may be permitted to join one of her walks.
Freevater Forest12 June 2004I had looked at this very remote Corbett in the middle of the Freevater Forest for some time trying to decide on the best approach. I settled on the southern approach from the A835 Inverness to Ullapool Road at Black Bridge, mainly as it appeared the easiest. This approach involved 16 kilometres of cycling up the side of Loch Vaich, across the shoulder of Meall a'Chaorainn and into Gleann Beag. I am not a cyclist so it was with a bit of trepidation that early on this Saturday morning I commenced the cycle part of this trip. The first stretch up Strath Vaich to Lubriach was on a tarred road but on a slight incline so it wasn't that easy. From Lubriach the track up the east side of Loch Vaich is rough and undulating so I was frequently forced to push my cycle up the Glen. Once beyond the north end of Loch Vaich the track rose over the east shoulder of Meall a'Chaorainn and round its north side before crossing the Abhainn a' Ghlinne Bhig. As this section was slightly downhill I was able to remain on my cycle. Once across the river the track climbed up Gleann Beag and I followed it to its conclusion beside a small dam. I took on some food here before walking up the stalker's path to Loch Sruban Mora and onto the south ridge of Carn Ban. Ahead I saw a lone walker and on catching up with him learned that he had also started off from Black Bridge where he had been deposited by his wife. We discussed the difficulty of the cycle and he advised me that he only had eight Corbetts left to climb, including today's mountain Carn Ban. We walked to the summit together and then back to Gleann Beag where we parted company for a while. I took on more food and set off back down the track to the highest point on the shoulder of Meall a'Chaorainn. I left my cycle there and climbed steeply up to the summit of this Graham. I took some photographs from the summit as the cloud cover on the higher mountains had dispersed, before I returned to the track for my cycle. I headed back down Strath Vaich, caught up with my fellow Corbett Bagger and we finished together. The return cycle was easier than the outward route but 32 kilometres is a bit too far for me on a cycle.
Strath Vaich29 February 2004After the very hard day on Slioch I expected some call offs but to my surprise all three were raring to go, if not in body at least in spirit. This may partly have been due to the lovely crisp sunny morning. I did disappoint them when I advised them that the weather would deteriorate during the day. We drove to north of Loch Glascarnoch on the Inverness to Ullapool road with the intention of climbing the Munro, Am Faochagach. This route requires the crossing of a fairly level strath and a river before access to the west side of the mountain can be gained. Despite the snow and hard frost the ground was still a bit boggy. Ask Frances as she decided to test it out by going up to one of her knees in the bog. Well at least she wouldn’t have to worry about getting wet crossing the river. The river crossing wasn’t too difficult despite sections of ice although Janice did manage to get a foot wet. The climb up onto An Faochagach was tough as we were tired and the deep soft snow made progress slow. However the struggle was worth it as we reached the ridge. The sun had by this time disappeared but we had a full 360 degree panorama of snow clad mountains including those we viewed yesterday but now from the other side. The distant Cairngorms were particularly attractive as the sun was still shining in the south. We reached the summit of Am Faochagach as it started to snow, but before the cloud engulfed the summit. It had taken us an hour longer than normal but this was due to the conditions. This was Janice’s 277th Munro and she now has seven left to summit. On the descent it was a competition between Frances and Eric to see who fell into the deep snow most often. Eric won hands down. He also managed to get his feet wet on the return across the river. The weekend was extremely tough but exhilarating. I can only congratulate my hillwalking colleagues on their determination to keep going in extremely adverse conditions and I hope it hasn’t put them off walking with me in the future. However I am sure that once the aches and pains of the next few days subside they will quickly be forgotten but the views will last a life time. Congratulations again, Janice, Frances and Eric you were terrific in adversity.
Strathcarron14 February 2004The first weekend in February much of Scotland was covered in several inches of snow and a number of roads were closed. The next weekend gale force winds struck the north-east of Scotland so it was ill advised to venture outdoors. So, on this Saturday morning in mid-February, it was a pleasure to be heading from Bonar Bridge along Strathcarron to Glen Calvie Lodge, the starting point for the day’s walk. Although the Strathcarron Road was frosty the forecast was for mild temperatures. In an attempt to avoid disturbing the local laird a diversion round the perimeter of Calvie Lodge took us to a track above Glen Calvie where we disturbed a large herd of deer waiting to be fed. A route along the side of a deer fence led us to the track up the Glen and a pleasant walk to Diebidal Lodge. This lodge has been extensively renovated and appears to be a holiday home. So if you want a remote house with peace and quiet, miles from your neighbours this may be the property for you, but no doubt at a price. Once past Diebidal Lodge a stalker’s path led up the hillside before climbing onto the West Top of Carn Chuinneag. On approaching this Top a ptarmigan in its white plumage was trying to conceal itself on one of the few patches of snow. More ptarmigan were easily spotted near the summit. As global warming reduces the amount of snow fall in the Scottish mountains these birds and the white hare are going to find concealment difficult and will no doubt be more open to predators. From the West Top it was an easy walk in cloud across to the summit trig point of Carn Chuinneag. Here we had lunch while nearby a lone ptarmigan was pecking away at the soil. I suppose at least the ptarmigan was finding food easier to obtain as the ground wasn’t covered in snow and ice. Once lunch was over we returned to the stalker’s path and Diebidal Lodge. The yellow grit bins positioned all the way down Glen Calvie made an eyesore of a beautiful glen. The Estate appears to have carried out a lot of restoration work but it is a pity that they didn’t get more aesthetically pleasing grit bins. These bins spoilt a pleasant walk in Glen Calvie.
Strath Vaich14 December 2003I had some time to myself before I returned home so I planned to take in a Corbett (mountain between 2,500 and 3,000 feet). The forecast was similar to the previous day’s weather except that it was to be colder and that snow would fall at low level. It was dark as I drove north from Inverness towards Ullapool but as I approached the Black Bridge, south of the Aultguish Inn, which is situated below the dam at Loch Glascarnoch, it was clearing sufficiently so that I could see the hills were white. I set off along the private tarred road for Lubriach where I crossed over to the south ridge of Meall a’Ghrianain, a Corbett top. It was raining as I climbed this unpathed ridge and the rain turned to sleet and then snow. The last section of this hill was a steep climb and the snow was blowing off the summit into my face. Once at the small cairn marking the summit I headed down to the col. The spindrift and snow showers were making it impossible to see so I had to don goggles to stop my eyes stinging with the snow particles. An easy climb back into the cloud saw me heading for the summit of Beinn a’Chaisteil. It was still snowing now and again with the strong winds blowing the snow about. I soon found the summit trig point but there were no views so I headed back to the col. From there I descended steeply to a small burn where there was shelter from the snow and wind. I wasn’t on my own down here as I disturbed a large herd of deer who obviously had the same idea. I continued down to Loch Vaich where I had a quick lunch sheltering behind one of the derelict houses. It was then just a sake of walking down the glen for 5.5 miles on estate roads. The sun even came out on a couple of occasions but this was followed by snow showers. Once back to the warmth and shelter of the car I had a 3.5 hour drive back to Aberdeen.
Seana Bhraigh8 September 2003I was asked to go to Seana Bhraigh by Janice. Once again she arrived at exactly the arranged meeting time at out starting point at Inverlael on the A835. This was the first time I had approached Seana Bhraigh from the west as I normally come in from Strath Mulzie using a mountain bike. It was also a weekday and the middle of the stag stalking season so beforehand I contacted the stalker at Inverlael. I found him to be very amenable and in fact he phoned me back as he was out when I phoned originally. If you are entering the Inverlael Estate during the stalking season I would recommend that you give the stalker a phone beforehand to discuss your plans. A walk through the forest and a climb up onto the Druim na Saobhaidhe ridge took us to the stalkers’ path which crosses open hillside. Seana Bhraigh is a rather remote Munro so this is a long walk in. In bad weather there is no shelter but we were fortunate that it was a warm early autumn day. Higher up the path passes an interesting feature, a succession of about six lochans all at different levels which feed each other. After about three hours of walking on this path it disappeared and required a bit of searching for the best route of descent to the cliffs beside Cadha Dearg. It was then a short climb up to the summit of Seana Bhraigh and magnificent views of its northern corrie and the vista of the north. It was only spoilt by some rain clouds away out to the west. After a long lunch break at the summit cairn we headed back to the start by our outward route. Unfortunately not long after leaving the summit it rained heavily for a short time with some hail mixed in but it didn’t spoil our day on one of Scotland’s remote Munros.
The Deargs20 July 2003Jean, Janice, Frances and Alison joined me for this walk. The walk started at Inverlael up through the forest and a good stalker’s path in Gleann na Sguaib to the bealach. Jean and Janice didn’t stop talking all the way up catching up on gossip as they hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks. Once at the bealach Jean and Alison sheltered there as they had previously climbed Beinn Dearg. The rest of us climbed Beinn Dearg during a shower of rain. After returning to the bealach the next summit was Cona Meall before once again going down to the bealach. We were now headed back towards the cars but still had some climbing to do. The next Munro was Meall nan Ceapraichean and its Top Ceann Garbh before a descent down to a bealach situated beside some lovely lochans where we had our afternoon break. The sun even came out for us. Once refreshed we tackled the final climb of the day to the lowest Munro of the day, Eididh nan Clach Geala. This was Jean and Janice’s 261st Munro although they have different Munros to climb to complete all 284. On the descent down Eididh nan Clach Geala’s west ridge the cloud came down and later broke up to make the area very atmospheric with views of the surrounding cliffs. Unfortunately on the descent down the stalker’s path the heavens opened and we all got rather wet. The walk took over 10 hours, a fairly long day for some. Jean and Janice didn’t realise the time nor did they remember the route up through the forest and stalkers path as they were otherwise engaged in conversation. So no doubt I will get (BT) Jean’s response as “It’s good to talk”.
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