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Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir


Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Tue May 11, 2021 2:04 pm

Fionas included on this walk: Ben Mór Coigach, Sgùrr an Fhidhleir

Date walked: 02/05/2021

Time taken: 8 hours

Distance: 11.5 km

Ascent: 958m

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Around 30 years ago, a very important old flame and I walked up Ben Mor Coigach on a hot summer's day and enjoyed our first stunning elevated views of Assynt. 30 years on, our interim lives lived, we're back together, so a return trip was high on the agenda, whatever the weather.

Although he's not been here in the meantime, I have. And as always happens to me on this hill, everywhere else was bathed in sunshine, but as we approached Culnacraig, we were driving into cloud, then rain and - this time - hail to start us up the hill.

Through the hail, we heard a cuckoo.
Image

While we were ascending into the clag, the Summer Isles were clear, and with a cold wind, the crisp light suggested we'd get cracking views... if the forecast was to be believed, and the clouds were going to shift. :problem: ...

Image
003 Summer Isles in sun - us in rain

I normally strike up Fhidhleir first, get no view whatsoever (though did have my first and only Brocken Spectre so far up there), and then drop and rise to BMC. But my partner was keen to head for BMC first. That took us on to a path I've never known was there. When it petered out, we crossed the burn, now at the top of the chasm...
Image004 Fhidlheir and BMC - deceptively bland

... and like a pair of total numpties, kind of beelined up the steep flank of the ridge, which soon turned into a bit of a vertical beach. :crazy:
Image009 Fhidhleir - Suilven - Beinn an Eoin

We have a feeling we'd come down this way (like a pair of numpties) 30 years before - strong memories of very pi**ed legs! But neither of us can remember which way we went up. Anyway, it gave us an interesting angle on Suilven first, and a few slithering clambers on, Stac Pollaidh came into view.
Image010 Quinag behind Suilven - SP - Sgorr Tuath- Fhidhleir

Our route, if you can call it that, brought us straight up on to the Garbh Choireachan ridge - perfect really, since the summit of BMC isn't the point, and after such a long gap for my chap, he was really champing at the bit for a repeat of 1991. And crikey, that's what we got - in fact so much better without the haze of that summer. So: it's shut-up and let the pictures speak time!

Image014c Isle Martin and Loch Broom

Image014d Our Garbh Choireachan ridge again in sunshine

Image014e View unseen for 30 years (There's been much more cloud for me each time I've been up here in between.)

Image015 Speicein Coinnich with Cromalt hills beyond to E

Image016 An Teallach and Scoraig peninsula over Loch Broom

Image017 Over Loch Broom to Sgurr Mor and Fannichs

Image018 Over Ardmair - Rhue and Ullapool to Sgurr Mor

Image019 Beinn Dearg group incl Beinn Enaiglair - r

Image020 View west towards Skye - clearest day yet

We stopped and gazed, and lunched and reminisced, and enjoyed having all this to ourselves again. We discussed Outer Hebrides plans for a bit later in the year. And only the chill of the wind finally persuaded us to move. Even then, why rush? This is a sweet, sweet spot! Plus, you never know if you're going to get these views the next time... :lol:

Image021 Summer Isles Minch and O Hebrides from Garbh Choireachan

Image022 Stac Pollaidh - Fiddler - Quinag - Suilven - Beinn an Eoin

Image023 Foinaven and Arkle in distance - Canisp behind Cul Mor

Image025 An Teallach - Fisherfield Beinn Deargs - Torridon-Beinn Eighe- in distance

Image026 Beinn Dearg - An Teallach - Skye beind

Image027 Unbelievably lucky with conditions today

I'd forgotten, somehow, how sculpted BMC's tors look - now I've been spoilt by Sgorr Tuath! - but they're impressive. Here's one...

Image028 Torridonian sandstone tor on Garbh Choireachan

... and another walker has a beautiful image of the little one further along on Flickr, so I hope he won't mind my shamelessly sharing it here: ImageBen Mor Coigach ridge by Iain Harris, on Flickr

Then it really was time to get going to Fhidhleir, with a quick visit to the summit cos it's there, and a look back at the ridge:

Image029 Garbh Choireachan in splendour

Image030 BMC summit cairn

I normally have a bit of wildlife, and I had my eyes and ears out for dotterel, eagles, frogs - something! But it was mainly pipits today. Charming critters.:

Image032 Comedy pipit on Fhidhleir

Ee headed for the lip between BMC and Fhidlhleir, to take an ogle at the mighty 'ship's prow' before ascending:

Image035 Fhidhleir prow again

And for the very first time, instead of a bank of cloud up here, I got that Fhidhleir view I've known was there but been thwarted from seeing. My fella, meanwhile, had never been up here, and while he wasn't mad for standing out on the tiny top that is Fhidhleir's pointy pointness, he was overjoyed to be up here looking out to this:

Image036 The Fhidhleir view Ive never had before

Image037 Over to Enard Bay and Point of Stoer

Image038 Stac Polleidh and Suilven

Image039 Cul Mor - Cul Beag - Beinn an Eoin - and Fhidhleir top

So then, time to descend - with huge reluctance! It's great doing it this way round though, because one way or another, if you're not clambering down the BMC ridge to sea level, you're vertical heather bashing. This was a stroll.

Image040 Descent with Trotternish on horizon

What's more, as we looked back up, an eagle appeared, then stooped, briefly rose again, then stooped again and was gone. All too fast for the camera, and I'm really not sure if was White-tailed or Golden (I think the latter, and I've seen both on Scoraig, though only a WTE on An Teallach at the other end of Loch Broom). A joy to watch any raptor stoop though.

ON BMC I thought I'd heard the tell-tale wind-up-clock of ptarmigan, but I've never seen one this far west. A little further down the Fhidhleir slope, however, here was a female, and though I looked and listened for a male, couldn't find one.

Image043 Female - no male visible or audible

Back at base, the cuckoo was still going. Had it been blue-ming-cuckooing all that time? We'd taken nearly eight hours indulging in 'our' corner! You'd think he'd be pooped. Couldn't see it this time - all was golden gorse and un-topped fir.
Image046 Can still hear but not see cuckoo

BMC is pretty underrated, being 'just' a Graham. But I hope it stays that way - it's always a particularly special hill for me, and I like it unpeopled!
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EmmaKTunskeen
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Location: was West Sussex, now Ayrshire

Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby jmarkb » Tue May 11, 2021 6:57 pm

How lovely - you could hardly pick a better hill to have special associations with! Glad you got to see the views this time.
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Wed May 12, 2021 10:51 am

jmarkb wrote:How lovely - you could hardly pick a better hill to have special associations with! Glad you got to see the views this time.

:D Thank you. You sound like a fellow BMC fan!
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EmmaKTunskeen
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby jmarkb » Wed May 12, 2021 11:23 am

EmmaKTunskeen wrote:You sound like a fellow BMC fan!


Absolutely! One of my all time favourite walks.
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Wed May 12, 2021 11:49 am

jmarkb wrote:
EmmaKTunskeen wrote:You sound like a fellow BMC fan!


Absolutely! One of my all time favourite walks.


Ooh yes, I've just had a relish of your 2015 end of year walk https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59830 Gorgeous!
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EmmaKTunskeen
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 348
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Joined: Aug 19, 2016
Location: was West Sussex, now Ayrshire

Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby Avocetboy » Wed May 12, 2021 1:05 pm

I echo the mutual appreciation for BMC. We spent four fantastic holidays at the cottage with the red roof at Culnacraig. Such happy memories when my son was little, exploring BMC, the Fiddler and the shoreline below the cottage
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Wed May 12, 2021 1:23 pm

Avocetboy wrote:I echo the mutual appreciation for BMC. We spent four fantastic holidays at the cottage with the red roof at Culnacraig. Such happy memories when my son was little, exploring BMC, the Fiddler and the shoreline below the cottage


Very gneiss! :thumbup:
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EmmaKTunskeen
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby Anne C » Thu May 13, 2021 7:48 pm

Emma, I totally agree re BMC - it's an absolute cracker. I couldn't take my eyes off it when we recently climbed Stac Pollaidh. Even the drive along to SP, my eyes were straying to the outline of BMC. You got great photos in particular from Fhidhleir too. Amazing Assynt :)
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby EmmaKTunskeen » Fri May 14, 2021 7:30 am

Anne C wrote:Emma, I totally agree re BMC - it's an absolute cracker. I couldn't take my eyes off it when we recently climbed Stac Pollaidh. Even the drive along to SP, my eyes were straying to the outline of BMC. You got great photos in particular from Fhidhleir too. Amazing Assynt :)


I loved your SP report, Anne! I'm not one for holidays involving planes, but in 2019 did take a trip to Iceland because I wanted to travel back in time, as it were, to when this kind of landscape was in its bolshy teenage phase. Your photos of Assynt with weather were an equally mesmerising journey.
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EmmaKTunskeen
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Posts: 348
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Location: was West Sussex, now Ayrshire

Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby jmarkb » Fri May 14, 2021 9:14 am

EmmaKTunskeen wrote:Ooh yes, I've just had a relish of your 2015 end of year walk https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=59830 Gorgeous!


Yes, that was a good day out!
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Re: Return to Ben Mor Coigach and Fhidhleir

Postby Anne C » Fri May 14, 2021 3:07 pm

Thanks Emma, great to hear you enjoyed the SP report! Quite a mountain in itself too :o
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