We assembled on Saturday evening, five of us, Martin, Andrew, Dave, Barry and Julie, based at Tigh na Mara, with Pam and Paul in an excellent cottage for four just down the road, and Sue and Phil were installed in a ‘bijou’ pad next to the Ferry Boat Inn.
En route Sue and Phil had accompanied Julie up Meall na Leitreach.
[Julie has a Corbett bagging agenda.]
And here’s a map of the area:
Dave hails the 'bus' outside Tigh na Mara
Day 1
Sue and Phil enjoyed Quinag, and Pam and Paul tackled Suilven on their first visit to the area.
Pam at the western summit of Suilven, Caisteal Liath
Dave and Julie found the descent from Foinavon to be very slow due to steep hard packed snow (they did well to find any of that!) so the three of us had a long wait on the A838 by Gualin House. But the journey back to Ullapool with the setting sun ahead of us was a pleasure, and we were back in time to enjoy a good meal at the Ceilidh Place.
This puzzling sign at the start of the path to Lone caused some concern, but the bridge was intact and we could only conclude that the sign was a symptom of ‘Health and Safety Mania’.
The sign (above), and, along the track, the Bridge (below!)
Andrew and Barry at the summit of Meall Horn
Julie and Dave finally arrive back from Foinavon
[Both excellent hills – Martin can vouch for that.]
A watchful stag at Gualin
The Corbett Bagging contingent – Julie, Sue and Phil – enjoyed an easy route up Sail Mhor, a waterfall strewn outlier of An Teallach. The rest of us, after some enforced shopping trips for forgotten items such as socks (Andrew upstaged Dave, who has been known to set off from the cottage with no socks, by leaving his entire sock wardrobe at home) and toiletries ('memory man' Martin left his at home), scrambled around on the warm rocks of Stac Pollaidh.
Dave stands on a pinnacle from which Beinn an Eoin and Ben More Coigach beckon
Martin on Stac Pollaidh's summit, with Cul Mor
Pam and Paul on Stac Pollaidh's final 'thrutch'
Today it was Pam and Paul’s turn to enjoy the three summits of Quinag, whilst the elderly gents had a relaxed plod up Cul Mor, though repercussions from the black pudding sausages supplied by Martin’s butcher did cause old Dave some discomfort and inconvenience. Meanwhile Julie and Martin joined Phil and Sue on a long bike ride up Strath Mulzie from Oykel Bridge.
Paul enjoys the view from Quinag
Sue and Phil 'speeding up Strath Mulzie
Julie lunches at the bothy, with Carn Ban behind
We were still 3km from the summit of Carn Ban when Sue phoned from Seana Bhraigh summit. So a rendezvous in Ullapool was agreed upon before we headed onwards past lots of hopping frogs, a lazy Viviparous Lizard, and patches of Purple Saxifrage….to the wrong summit. After puzzling - why is there no cairn? and why does that other summit look higher? we realised the error of our lax attention to the map on this calm sunny day and strolled to the correct summit in 20 minutes or so. We were on the excellent viewpoint of Carn Ban, a remote Corbett, at 3.30, so it had taken five and a half hours to get there despite having used the bikes for 12 miles of the ‘walk in’.
Riding back to Oykel Bridge from Carn Ban, with Creag an Duine behind
The descent was quicker, and we were back at Oykel Bridge by 6.45, in time for a leisurely drive back to Ullapool with fantastic evening sun (but not enough photo stops) and a shower before adjourning for a meal at the Argyll Hotel where we were virtually the only customers. Obviously warming up for the season, they were slow. The seafood platter was enjoyed by most of us but Andrew was concerned that IKEA may have supplied his steak.
Sunset at Ardmair |
Barry, Julie, Andrew, Pam, Dave and Paul setting off for Scoraig in the sun
After waving off Sue and Phil last night, and with a blip in the good weather predicted, the remaining seven of us drove around to Dundonnell and on to Badrallach through several flocks of sheep. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll for 5 miles as far as Scoraig, a village of 70 inhabitants but no services. So they have windmills, allotments and a selection of specialist skills – violin maker was possibly the most ‘exotic’. They do lots of knitting. A lighthouse has been relocated from Cailleach Head to a position next to the School, which itself has been relocated into a refurbished building. The lighthouse has been utilised as a mini visitor centre, with lots of information about the village in its small interior.
Beside it is a brand new seat built from strangely coloured stone that looks as if it is still in protective wrapping. On closer inspection it comprises separate stones on each of which one of the villager’s words (of wisdom?) have been inscribed. The children have provided pictures. We hope the seat wears well with time, it’s a lovely idea.
Back to our respective dwellings, after this most pleasurable coastal walk which we finished shortly before significant rain, and for those in Tigh na Mara - pasta carbonara á la Dave.
The village seat at Scoraig
Today Pam and Paul struck off up Cul Beag – a nice little Corbetty sort of hill. They set off even later than the old timers, whose shopping exertions had delayed them. There was slight concern when the old timers’ vehicle was still parked up when Pam and Paul returned. The old timers were quite (very!) envious as from several kilometres away they watched Pam and Paul drive off. These three, with a combined age of around 200, were obviously feeling the effects of a vigorous week and were finding their 10km stroll up the lesser heights of Beinn an Eoin (619m) somewhat demanding. The guide book provides some clues…. ‘rather boggy footpath’…’steep heather and slabs’…’rocky bluff’…’ridge ends sharply in steep crags’…’intermittent scrambling’…’deep fissure’, etc. They swore never to venture there again!
Julie glows on the warm ascent to Loch Vaich
The promised sunshine didn’t materialise. The cloud level rose from around 600 to 800 metres during a day on which our party of seven enjoyed the good path up Conival and Ben More Assynt from Inchnadamph.
It wasn’t as windy as usual, but it was foggy. Two mapless Bulgarians who said they worked at Dundee University latched on to us, but when we stopped for lunch in a sheltered spot between the two Munros, they continued. We soon met them coming back - ‘not far to the summit’ they said, not realising that they hadn’t gone to the summit; they had turned back at the cairn before a final dip in the ridge before it crosses a small snowfield and rises to the twin summits of Ben More Assynt. We clambered around in the mist on these tops, our altimeters being unable to distinguish which was the higher, before returning the same way back to Inchnadamph. We particularly enjoyed the lovely valley that led us reluctantly back to the cars past woods full of greenfinches and posts topped by stonechats.
Later, fish and chips from the establishment opposite the excellent (and friendly) bookshop went down very well with the remainder of our supply of alcohol.
A last view of Loch Broom from Tigh na Mara, before setting off for home
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