I am home, the weather is good, my washing is on, the camper needs cleaning (and a new exhaust !) and I head out for an early morning ride around the Lyth valley - it was good to be away but it's also good to be home.
Saturday, 1 October 2011
Beinn Fhionnlaidh - Friday 30th September 2011
My last day in Scotland and I need to get home later today.
I drive down Glen Etive and tackle the lonely munro of Beinn Fhionnlaidh (959m). It is humid, dry and clear. My book suggested a 4hr 40min trip, I think I can do a sub 3hr !
The forest track is muddy and the upper glen also boggy. The climb goes well, on the summit in under 1hr 45mins. The views are great, the Ben is clear...this is unusual.
Same route back down and back in just under 3hrs, I clean off and cool down in the river. Then to the Real Food Cafe for a late lunch, this sets me up for the long drive South.
It has been a good trip.
Beinn Eighe, Torridon - Thursday 29th September 2011
Beinn Eighe is the third of the great Torridoniants. The munro of Spidean Coire nan Clach (993m) is of two munros on this mountain; the other, Ruadh Stac Mor (1010m) I had climbed previously, before they had promoted the other to munro status !
The weather as I left Kinlochewe looked promising but soon after I parked and set-off the cloud dropped, the rain fell and the wind picked-up...oh great.
My original plan was to climb to to Spidean and then follow the spectacular ridge to the second summit and then descend into the impressive corrie of Coire Mhic Fhearchair, but conditions up high made this a pointless exercise. So I climbed the munro I needed to climb, turned round and head back down, a bit disappointing but no need to suffer !
Once back down I head south, back to Glen Nevis - this now feels much less remote and northerly, that's what some time in the far north does to you !
The Fannaichs - Wednesday 28th September 2011
It is a warm, breezy and clear start to the day - the MWIS forecast suggested winds gusting to 90mph, this could be interesting !
My objective for today is the four easterly Fannaich munros. A parking area just a few miles south east of Braemore junction is my starting point. It is a long trudge along the burn before turning west along another burn - the ground is very wet and boggy and the going is hard. However, once I start to climb out of the glen and reach the ridge the going is much better. The views are spectacular, it is windy but not in the region of 90mph, this is good !
Once up high the munros, Beinn Liath Mhor Fanniach (954m), Sgurr Mor (1110m), Meall Gorm (949m) and An Coileachan (923m) make for easy walking. I stop to chat to some other walkers on my last summit, their first and they give me some directions for the best line of descent.
The camper looks a long way away and is - it takes close to 2 hours to descend the peak and, again, have a very wet and boggy trudge out along the glen - as always, food and drink back at the camper are very welcome.
Conival - Tuesday 27th September 2011
A wet and windy start - I drive a little way out of Ullapool to Inverleal, right where the LAMM started earlier this year. During this event we climbed two of the four munros in this range - so hence my being back here today to tick the other two off !
I walk up the track through the forest and then along Gleann na Squaib - it is wet and windy, I have full waterproofs on and know that I will be in cloud on the summits. It is a long climb up the glen and it eventually brings me to some lochans, nestled below three of the four summits. It is an out and back to both summits, I head to Meall Nan Ceapraichean first (977m), this does not take long and I am soon skirting around the lochans and out to Cona'Mheall (980m), it turns really wild on this summit and I am quick to head back down to the relative shelter of the glen.
It is a long walk out and again I enjoy coffee and cake back in the camper.
Maol Chean-dearg - Monday 26th September 2011
An early start and I drive further North, through Glen Shiel to Glen Carron - this is a stunning part of Scotland - big, stunning munros all around.
My plans are already constantly changing and I finally settle on the munro of Maol Chean-dearg, at 933m and to the north of the Glen Carron road.
I set-off from a parking area at Coulags and head up the glen. For some reason I had hoped to keep dry feet, this soon changed - the ground was very wet and an early crossing of a burn, which I tried to boulder hop, resulted in even wetter feet and a bruised leg !
The path passes a bothy, I don't stop, wanting to take full advantage of the dry and clear weather before it changes. Soon the path turns west, away from the burn and climbs steeply to a bealach to the South East of the summit. From here a well defined path climbs over a minor summit and then more steeply across boulders to the summit.
It stays clear, the views out to Skye, north to Torridon and beyond, south to the Affric and Mullardoch hills are stunning. As much as I could savour this all day I can see rain showers coming from the west, I head down and catch just a brief shower and stunning rainbows on the way. I stop to look at the bothy, it is spacious and immaculate, it would be a good place to stay.
Back at the camper I enjoy coffee and cake and then drive further North to Ullapool for the night.
Heading North - Sunday 25th September 2011
After a lazy start the camper is packed and I head North to Scotland.
The weather from Glasgow on is atrocious, the roads are flooding, the visibility is poor and an over-turned Landy closes the A82 for a brief time. It is a relief to get to Glen Nevis campsite and it actually stops raining later in the evening.
I sleep well.
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