Sgurr Choinnich - Sgurr a' Chaorachain - Maoile Lunndaidh route, 20 July 95 (1 of 12)
Unauthorised Access Prohibited! Not a very encouraging start to the day!
(All photos in this series were taken with a simple, fixed-focus Olympus Trip film camera)
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Hillwalking journal entry for the day:
Thursday 20/7/95
Sgurr Choinnich - Sgurr a’ Chaorachain - Maoile Lunndaidh
29 km, 1700 m: 9.4 hrs
Conditions: Dull, wet, windy and misty
Base: The Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer
Map and starting point: OS Sheet 25, GR 041493
<<<<>>>>
The forecast for later in the morning was quite promising with clearer and drier conditions supposed to move in from the north. So as I was feeling no worse than yesterday I decided to take on another demanding route: the 3 Munros north of Loch Monar - including the remote Maoile Lunndaidh.
I left the car at the side of the road just before the cottage adjacent to the railway crossing at Craig, and set off along the track towards the plantation. The weather was less than encouraging with the cloud base down to about 600 m, a light drizzle and a blustery wind.
I was disconcerted to find tree felling operations in progress about 1 km past the bridge, with a “no unauthorised entry” notice by the side of the track! However, there was no way I was going to turn back voluntarily and so I just kept going, giving a few nods to the workforce en passant, and keeping clear of some ferocious tree mauling machinery. Thankfully no one raised any objections. Phew!
A few kilometres further on I left the track at a cairn and followed the path to the bridge over the Allt a’ Chonais where I found an improvised notice asking walkers to use a new bridge 100 m further upstream and to keep to the path. I complied with this advice and was intrigued to find that the “new” bridge was of the infamous wire rope design; and moreover that it was already in a state of some dilapidation with several of the cross-bracings detached at the lower end. However, after some experimentation I devised a reasonably safe modus operandi (involving leaning into the top wire and keeping it taut) and slowly inched my way across to the other side. Phew again!
As I headed south the clouds occasionally lifted to reveal the col between the 2 most westerly Munros. This had originally been the planned route of ascent onto the ridge, but in view of the wet conditions and the trackless terrain I decided instead to follow the path to Bealach Bhearnais in order to avoid saturating my boots so early in the day.
I eventually arrived at the bealach and then set off up the west ridge of Sgurr Choinnich - looming through the mist and looking intimidating. This proved to be an interesting route with rocky outcrops offering some undemanding scrambling, but with a trace of a path most of the way up. However, under the prevailing conditions it was a hard ascent, with a gale force wind cutting right across the ridge from the south, forcing me to stop several times to avoid getting blown off. At this point the prospect of completing the planned route seemed negligible and I decided to call it a day after Sgurr a’ Chaorachain - if I managed to get that far. However, surprisingly, the wind relented as I approached the west top of Sgurr Choinnich. Thence easily to the summit, with intermittent views along the way of Bidean and Lurg Mhor in the distance to the SW, and what was presumably Bidean an Eoin Deirg at the far end of the ridge.
Onwards without rest arriving at the summit of the second Munro about 30 minutes later. With the wind now diminished and with my health and fitness still holding up, I felt uplifted and soon decided that the planned route was on again! So after a brief lunch stop I headed off down the broad north ridge of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain on a compass bearing, anticipating some demanding route finding over the 6 km of trackless terrain to the distant Maoile Lunndaidh summit. However, thankfully I dropped below the cloud base at about 900 m and the way ahead was soon revealed.
Downhill all the way to the start of the steepish 250 m climb up to the 870 m plateau en route to Carn nam Fiaclan - prominent solifluctions towards the bottom and rocky towards the top. A steady ascent without rest, keeping just ahead of Naismith. With all the hard work now done I was at last confident that the third Munro was in the bag. An easy walk up Carn nam Fiaclan, with the large Maoile Lunndaidh summit cairn now clearly in view a kilometre or so away across the intervening depths of the Fuar-Tholl Mor Coire. Thence an effortless stroll around the coire headwall - very impressive views - to the summit. I was thankful of the clear conditions as the cairn could have taken some finding in the mist.
After a brief stop I headed for the col to the north and then down the Creag Dhubh Mhor west ridge towards Gleann Fhiodhaig, arriving at River Meig adjacent to the ruin to the south of Coire Beithe. As the river was not fordable here I made my way down the glen over fairly good ground eventually finding a crossing place just after the Glenuaig Lodge, where I stopped for a second food break - very enjoyable with the sun now shining for the first time that day - 18:00 hours!
I still had 9 km to go but with a track all the way I could at last switch on the auto-pilot. I made good progress to the site of the tree-felling operation and stopped to take a few interesting photos (Olympus Trip) with the heavy forestry machinery in the foreground and the north Achnashellac hills in the background. Thence easily back to the car.
A demanding but rewarding day.
Sgurr Choinnich - Sgurr a' Chaorachain - Maoile Lunndaidh route, 20 July 95 (1 of 12)
Unauthorised Access Prohibited! Not a very encouraging start to the day!
(All photos in this series were taken with a simple, fixed-focus Olympus Trip film camera)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hillwalking journal entry for the day:
Thursday 20/7/95
Sgurr Choinnich - Sgurr a’ Chaorachain - Maoile Lunndaidh
29 km, 1700 m: 9.4 hrs
Conditions: Dull, wet, windy and misty
Base: The Heights of Inchvannie, Strathpeffer
Map and starting point: OS Sheet 25, GR 041493
<<<<>>>>
The forecast for later in the morning was quite promising with clearer and drier conditions supposed to move in from the north. So as I was feeling no worse than yesterday I decided to take on another demanding route: the 3 Munros north of Loch Monar - including the remote Maoile Lunndaidh.
I left the car at the side of the road just before the cottage adjacent to the railway crossing at Craig, and set off along the track towards the plantation. The weather was less than encouraging with the cloud base down to about 600 m, a light drizzle and a blustery wind.
I was disconcerted to find tree felling operations in progress about 1 km past the bridge, with a “no unauthorised entry” notice by the side of the track! However, there was no way I was going to turn back voluntarily and so I just kept going, giving a few nods to the workforce en passant, and keeping clear of some ferocious tree mauling machinery. Thankfully no one raised any objections. Phew!
A few kilometres further on I left the track at a cairn and followed the path to the bridge over the Allt a’ Chonais where I found an improvised notice asking walkers to use a new bridge 100 m further upstream and to keep to the path. I complied with this advice and was intrigued to find that the “new” bridge was of the infamous wire rope design; and moreover that it was already in a state of some dilapidation with several of the cross-bracings detached at the lower end. However, after some experimentation I devised a reasonably safe modus operandi (involving leaning into the top wire and keeping it taut) and slowly inched my way across to the other side. Phew again!
As I headed south the clouds occasionally lifted to reveal the col between the 2 most westerly Munros. This had originally been the planned route of ascent onto the ridge, but in view of the wet conditions and the trackless terrain I decided instead to follow the path to Bealach Bhearnais in order to avoid saturating my boots so early in the day.
I eventually arrived at the bealach and then set off up the west ridge of Sgurr Choinnich - looming through the mist and looking intimidating. This proved to be an interesting route with rocky outcrops offering some undemanding scrambling, but with a trace of a path most of the way up. However, under the prevailing conditions it was a hard ascent, with a gale force wind cutting right across the ridge from the south, forcing me to stop several times to avoid getting blown off. At this point the prospect of completing the planned route seemed negligible and I decided to call it a day after Sgurr a’ Chaorachain - if I managed to get that far. However, surprisingly, the wind relented as I approached the west top of Sgurr Choinnich. Thence easily to the summit, with intermittent views along the way of Bidean and Lurg Mhor in the distance to the SW, and what was presumably Bidean an Eoin Deirg at the far end of the ridge.
Onwards without rest arriving at the summit of the second Munro about 30 minutes later. With the wind now diminished and with my health and fitness still holding up, I felt uplifted and soon decided that the planned route was on again! So after a brief lunch stop I headed off down the broad north ridge of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain on a compass bearing, anticipating some demanding route finding over the 6 km of trackless terrain to the distant Maoile Lunndaidh summit. However, thankfully I dropped below the cloud base at about 900 m and the way ahead was soon revealed.
Downhill all the way to the start of the steepish 250 m climb up to the 870 m plateau en route to Carn nam Fiaclan - prominent solifluctions towards the bottom and rocky towards the top. A steady ascent without rest, keeping just ahead of Naismith. With all the hard work now done I was at last confident that the third Munro was in the bag. An easy walk up Carn nam Fiaclan, with the large Maoile Lunndaidh summit cairn now clearly in view a kilometre or so away across the intervening depths of the Fuar-Tholl Mor Coire. Thence an effortless stroll around the coire headwall - very impressive views - to the summit. I was thankful of the clear conditions as the cairn could have taken some finding in the mist.
After a brief stop I headed for the col to the north and then down the Creag Dhubh Mhor west ridge towards Gleann Fhiodhaig, arriving at River Meig adjacent to the ruin to the south of Coire Beithe. As the river was not fordable here I made my way down the glen over fairly good ground eventually finding a crossing place just after the Glenuaig Lodge, where I stopped for a second food break - very enjoyable with the sun now shining for the first time that day - 18:00 hours!
I still had 9 km to go but with a track all the way I could at last switch on the auto-pilot. I made good progress to the site of the tree-felling operation and stopped to take a few interesting photos (Olympus Trip) with the heavy forestry machinery in the foreground and the north Achnashellac hills in the background. Thence easily back to the car.
A demanding but rewarding day.