Day Seven.  The Saddle.  Glen Shiel.

The Saddle, 1010m, 3313', 118

The classic view down Glen Shiel of this complex mountain makes it a real 'must do' Munro and it gives a memorable day.  It's rightly regarded as one of the finest of all Scottish hills.

A great bonus to this is that it starts right from the roadside.  There is a stalker's path that can be seen meandering up to the col between two outliers.  Foachag (the whelk) is the prominent peak seen from the roadside and this is a very impressive, classically pointed peak.  Before too long though, this route takes you high above 'the whelk' making it seem insignificant from the Saddle.

The Saddle from high col.

Looking across to The Whelk. 

This is an obvious, easy-to-follow well-graded route that takes you up to a point just below the Forcan Ridge.

The start of The Forcan Ridge

Whereas it had been pretty easy so far, it was going to get much, much harder from this point.  The duo you see in the photo on the Forcan ridge were a nice couple of fell-runners from Derbyshire I got talking to and they had the same dodgy moments on the rock face as I had.  There is the choice of taking a full-frontal assault on the ridge or by side-stepping it, it's possible to go to the top another way avoiding the rock face.  Given the many, many ups and downs and the numerous false summits on the ridge, it is no hardship to give this face a swerve.  Either way, once you're on it, you're committed to it.

There are many hairy moments on this face.  A good head for heights is essential and the frustrations of climbing up and up and up, and then having to lose height and drop down several times can get annoying.  The number of times you think to yourself, 'that MUST be the summit' only to get there and find out the top is a lot further on, is also irritating.  

But eventually, there is no more higher ground so you've made it!

Looking back down on the Forcan Ridge

The views from this particular top were amongst the best I've ever had in Scotland.  It was a wonderful place to be and the hills both nearby and distant looked glorious.  It's terrific to see the shape of the land from high up.  The coast, the islands to the west, the high ground rearing up all around you, this is the magic of the mountains for me and all seen from this vantage point!   

Me chomping the last of my food on the top of The Saddle

Another 'must-do', Beinn Sgriteall beckons

The Five Sisters from the descent on the Saddle.

A very wearying descent was made from here, hot and waterless and I couldn't get to the car soon enough.  I stripped off at the roadside caring nothing for any cars going past, took the drum of water and sluiced it all over myself to cool off.  The thing is, it had been so hot, the water gave the feeling of having a warm shower!

My route:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/182835735

Day Six.  May 24th Beinn Alligin.  Jewelled Hill

Beinn Alligin.  Sgurr Mhor (Jewelled Hill) 986m/3234', 160, Tom na Gruagaich (Hill of the Maiden) 922m/3511', 262

My bedroom.

There's just enough room to the right of that camping box to lay out the airbed and sleeping bag.  The sleeping bag is too much though in this blistering heat.  Even so, it is a portable bedroom that it's possible to park as near to the base of any mountain you want to climb as you can get.

And I was woken by the car being buffeted by very strong winds.  This made me concerned about what it would be like on the tops of today's two Munros, Tom na Gruagaich and Sgurr Mhor, the summits of Beinn Alligin, right above my choice of bedroom for the night.  It had the added advantage of being accessible straight from the road and the return heading right back so no walk/cycle to the start/finish required.  For some reason, this is always a bit of a priority for me.

Beinn Alligin across Loch Torridon

The SMC's Munro book tells you the ground is rough and boggy so I took gaiters but dumped them very quickly (hidden behind a marked stone to collect on my return) as the ground was extremely dry and the path must have recently been created or renovated as it was very good.  It is possible on a clear day to do this entire route without recourse to checking the map, it's so obvious.  The path leads up the Coire nan Laogh to the slopes of the route's first Munro, Tom na Gruagaich.  I'd taken the precaution of setting off early to avoid the worst of the heat but the wind that had buffeted me awake in the morning was non existent on the tops.  I'd assumed it was coming from the north and so the bulk of the mountain was sheltering me but it clearly had blown itself out.

First summit of the day.

Sgurr Mhor from Tommy.

Having set off so early, I had the summit to myself and took in the breathtaking views of the scenery from this fantastic position.  The only downside was that the heat had created a haze making the distant views flat and featureless smudges whereas in reality, they were wondrous vistas of complex and dramatic topography.  As weather in Scotland goes though, where 300 days of the year are of cloud/rain/sleet/snow, I could hardly complain!  The nearer views were uninterrupted so that range to the left of the summit is of a fabulous Corbett, a very shapely Baosbheinn, in a wonderful setting above a stunning loch with a beach at one end!

Having the mountain to myself, I plugged in my i-pod as there was no one else to speak to, and listened to an album of various friends/fans of Van Morrison doing versions of his songs.  It was fitting for this scenery, especially the Liam Neeson one.  Listening to this, I dropped down off the first peak and wandered up the ridge you see in the photo above to the second summit of the day, Sgurr Mhor.  It was a fairly easy walk which took about twenty minutes. 

There were no difficulties at all on this route making the heat and the water situation the only potential problems.  Again, having summit two entirely to myself and having no rush to get anywhere, I spent a long time up there absorbing the wonderful views and the changing light on the peak behind me, Tom na Gruagaich.

Second Munro of the day, and eighth of the week, Sgurr Mhor

The shapely Baosbheinn with a beach!

Looking back to the changing light on Tommy

The Horns of Alligin

One benefit of the warmth is that it was very comfortable on the summit.  There was no cold, wind or rain to escape and despite the distant views being hazy, it was a beautiful place to linger.  It became a real fight to tear myself away from the tops as it was a real pleasure to be amongst such stunning scenery.  If the work put in is commensurate with the satisfaction of the viewpoint, this is a real gem.  I've had harder climbs and tougher days for less satisfactory views than this so the position that a moderate amount of work on this mountain gets you to is out of all proportion to the work required.  I'd recommend it to everyone!

Once I'd dragged myself on the downhill, I had another suffer-fest on the water front.  There's no point rationing water out.  You drink what you've got and then get on with it.  Again, this was easily the most uncomfortable aspect of the whole day.  As enjoyable as it is to talk to fellow enthusiasts met on these routes, the call of the water waiting for me in my car, as warm as it was going to be, became a real priority so I hope I didn't come across as being rude to people wanting to stop and chat as a quick 'hello, nice day' was as much time as I had to spare.

Day Five.  23rd May 2012.  Liathach.  The Grey one.

Of the whole trip, this was the most satisfying climb.  Two Munros on an awesome terraced rock wall rising majestically above the Glen.

Again, the bike came to my aid as I cycled up the Glen to the start point to avoid having the walk in or out at the end of the day.

The heat, for the rest of my time in Scotland, was going to become a major problem.  I bet that hasn't been said before about Scotland!

The climb up at least had the benefit from starting right from the road.  It was very steep though, an impression not shown in the above picture, but it WAS very steep and totally unrelenting.  This has the advantage of enabling you to get higher with every footstep but the cost is that is tiring!

After about 90 minutes of labouring up and up and up, and with no trumpets, the ridge was reached.

Despite the height, it was very hot and there was no cooling breeze at all. 

From there, the walk westwards entailed several rocky up and down pitches until a very good viewpoint was reached. I mistakenly took this for a summit but that was some distance ahead.

Looking back towards Beinn Eighe

It was about now that a problem I have never experienced or read about in the Scottish mountains became potentially serious; water, or mainly, the lack of water.  The heatwave had dried up all sources of drinkable water leaving only what could physically be carried as to what was going to be available.  It is possible to carry an expensive or time-consuming form of sterilising any dodgy ground water that might be stumbled on but in this very wet part of the country, this isn't a consideration thought to be necessary.  On the one hand, I was very lucky with the timing and the views but on the other hand, I could envisage a serious situation developing.  It is tough and tiring walking/climbing and in this heat, copious amounts of water are required.  I'd taken the precaution of downing a full litre before setting off but then I was limited to what was in my rucksack.  And water is heavy!  It wasn't long after this point I'd drained the last of my supply and I knew I had some distance to go without this precious commodity and boy, was I going to suffer!

Summit, Spidean a' Choire Leith

I had a real shock on reaching the first summit. The distance to the second summit was much further than I'd expected it to be.  Having done all the ups and downs, I assumed all the technical and climbing bits were over but there was the tricky aspect of the Am Fasarinen pinnacles to navigate before getting a clear run up to the second summit, Mullach an Rathain.

View over to Mullach an Rathain

There was an alternative route around the pinnacles and I'd got in company with a man from Somerset who was also out of water and together, we decided to take the lower route.  This was very narrow and eroded in several parts leading to some serious exposure above deep clefts in the rock face.  It does make speedier going though.

Looking back along the ridge to the first summit.

Final ridge to second summit, Mullach an Rathain

Standing at second summit of the day.

From this summit, the obvious route back to Torridon is a very short walk westwards along the ridge before an extremely steep scree slope drops away to the south.  Stronger legs would have allowed a rapid scree-run to descend very quickly to the roadside.  To my cost though, I discovered from a peak in the Dolomites that unless you are doing this regularly, you're going to be very sore the following day.  And the next mountain along was my next mountain to do tomorrow so I certainly didn't want to risk my chances.  There was the problem though, probably exactly the opposite of the usual problem here, that I was out of water, and so, for the most part, wad the ground.  The water that was trickling down the mountain was too risky to drink, mainly being to or from small stagnant pools of brackish liquid.  The road, and the drum of water I had in my car, could not come soon enough!

My route:  http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181865056

Day Four.  22nd May 2012.

Ciste Dubh.  The Black Chest.

From the window of the bar of the Cluanie Inn, the sharp point of Ciste Dubh looks very inviting.  At 982 metres, it stands proud out on its own away from the main ridge some distance from the road.  Of all the mountains in the area though, this must be the simplest and most straightforward.

Virtually from the door of the Cluanie Inn, a good track heads straight for the base of this mountain.  After a short while, I wished I'd cycled along it for a mile or so to reduce the distance I'd have to walk out and off it!

There were no navigational problems or any difficulties whatsoever apart from a huge steep bank of heathery springy turf which was a long, hard sweaty pull to get over.  Thereafter, the views of the Five Sisters opened up to the west and the route ahead was obvious.

The summit views were very good but one easy day hadn't entirely cleared the ache in my legs but once they got going, it got easier.

The route down was much easier and there isn't a lot to report about this.  It's number four of the trip so far.

Once I'd got down, I packed the car and drove up to Torridon were I was staying in the Youth Hostel.

Day Three.  21st May 2012.

Having been nursing an injury for the preceding six weeks, I wasn't nearly as fit as I hoped I'd be.  Cycling had been no problem so CV fitness wasn't in doubt but the unfamiliarity with walking, climbing and carrying weight on my back was going to take some getting used to.  After the efforts of the previous day, my legs were feeling very sorry for themselves and while I was getting ready to do the Ciste Dubh, the crying from them became too loud!  Instead of boots, cycling shoes found their way on my feet, the bike came off the roof of the car and the inviting off-road route over the bridge at the back of the Cluanie Inn was cycled.  An easy, easy day!

Day 2.  20th May 2012.  The Brother's Ridge.  Three Munros in Glen Cluanie


My opening three peaks were the eastern end of the southern Cluanie ridge, in contrast to the sisterly peaks to the west, these are collectively known as 'The Brother's Ridge'.  I drove up to the finish and cycled back down to the Cluanie Inn, stowed the bike and set off up the road to the start point.

I made a navigational error early on but this was easily rectified and got me back on track.  This is the route taken http://connect.garmin.com/activity/181865377

It was tough going once the track petered out and a big surprise was in store; in total contrast to the rest of the incredibly hot week, I encountered a lot of snow!  Despite a mild spring, they'd had a huge dump of snow the previous Tuesday and because of the height, it refused to melt!  It was deep and disconcerting as far as navigation, and steady walking was concerned.

Before too long, and with no fanfare at all, there was the unmistakeable paraphernalia that marked the summit of Aonach Meadhoin.

From there, the ridge ahead made the route very straightforward.  There were two more ascents after the inevitable descents and a leg-breaking major descent down to the sanctuary of my car from the end of this ridge to come.

It got very slippery underfoot now as I made my way to the second summit of the day, Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg.

The view down into Glen Cluanie from the ridge.

It was just before the second summit that I saw my first people of the day.  It turned out they were a walking club up from Glasgow to bag this ridge.  It took a while for them to out-and-back on the narrow ridge to the trig-point and when I got there, I understood why.  It is a very knife-edge arm of rock leading up and out to the highest point and with the deep snow and ice covering the rocks, it was a tricky manoeuvre to make it.  

It was now that my 'trusty' Canon decided to run out of battery power so I was reduced to using my mobile phone to get the pictures I wanted!

Through this deep snow lay the last peak, the easiest to pronounce, Saileag.  I took this looking back at the route just taken. 

Me signalling 'three' so I'd know which one this was!

From this summit, it was immediately downhill to the Bealach an Lapan and it got progressively steeper as it headed from there to the pine forest.  I'd say this was the worst part of the day as the quads above the knees really suffer on a slope like this.   It got to the point where the sharp peak of Sgurr nan Spainteach (the Spaniard's Peak) ahead to the west, being the end point of the Five Sisters Ridge, seemed more enticing than the steep drop.  Either way, that was my opening three under my belt and I came off the mountain with a real sense of achievement.  

Got back to the car, got the stove going and heated up a quick dried stew and drank copious amounts of water to ease the thirst brought on by the increasing heat that was going to become a real problem in the coming week.  

19th May 2012.
Drove to Spean Bridge which was a long enough drive, stayed over and set off early Sunday to get to Glen Cluanie for my first climbs of the day.