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The third weekend of May brought us the first warm and sort-of sunny spell of weather. So now, with days much longer, we could get on with our main mission in 2021: climb as many remote Corbetts and Grahams as possible. Sometimes "remote" means overnighting, sometimes just a long walk in and out. Meall Mheinnidh near Poolewe falls into the second category.
Having visited all the Fisherfield Munros, we are now looking into lower Marylins in the area. For Beinn Lair and Beinn a' Chaisgein Mòr we are planning a two day trip with a camp by Fionn Loch. We had camped here before for
A' Mhaighdean round and absolutely loved it. Bring on a good summer, we'd be all over the Fisherfield Corbetts!
Meall Mheinnidh was an easier option, nearly 30km to walk in a single day, but most of it on tracks and good paths. Also much quicker with light daypacks. Our route starts from Poolewe (the usual car park by the bridge) and follows the track to Kernsary and then the path through the forest, past the steep cliffs of Beinn Airigh Charr to Strathanmore. Here, we left the safety of the easy ground and climbed the NW ridge of Meall Mheinnidh. Returned the same way:
Our Garmin was misbehaving for some unknown reason and only recorded the second part of the trip
so it looks like we started from the summit. Apologies for this. I don't know what happened, it hasn't done it since so maybe it just had a bad day
Early morning in Poolewe:
On the track to Kernsary:
Out of the forest and into the wild, Beinn Airigh Charr on the horizon:
The Fisherfield wilderness is one of my favourite areas in Scotland and I can't wait for another multi-day trip to explore the Corbetts! But even a day walk was a bliss and at last it felt like proper spring, after weeks of cold wind and snow showers!
The "sanctuary" of remote peaks seen from the approach path: from A' Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mòr (left) to Beinn Lair and Meall Mheinnidh (right):
Across Fionn Loch, the two Cheesecakes. We have visited the lower one since:
We reached a little lochan called Loch an Doire Crianaich, a perfect spot for a short refreshment break and a few photos with cloud reflected in the still surface. Weather was superb at the moment; forecast suggested some cloud around midday but it was supposed to stay dry.
Heading past the lochan to our target hill, now dominating the view in front of us. When I saw this side of Meall Mheinnidh for the first time, I described it as follows:
"The name means Grassy Hill, but to my eyes, it was made of sheer rock and nothing more!"Strictly speaking, the whole world above us was made of sheer rock. Kevin noticed an ancient rockslide on the slopes of Beinn Airigh Charr:
Meall Mheinnidh from the path just before it crosses the river flowing out of Strathan Buidhe. The name of the stream is so long and complicated, I gave up on it
The photo above might suggest that the NW slope of Grassy Hill is a constant scramble, but there are gaps in the wall of this fortress - and we were aware of it!
Might just as well show off a bit!
Of course, there are many optional pockets of scrambling here but everything can be avoided. You can make this hill as easy or as hard as you wish!
One of the pockets we decided to omit:
The world of lochs and lochans to the north and west of the Graham:
Admiring the eastern face of Beinn Airigh Charr. The two hills can be combined using our route of approach, but we had visited the Corbett before (in winter conditions, on a perfect crampon-axe day) so we could concentrate on the Graham and take our time with the ascent, picking some easier scrambles for extra fun.
Kevin assessing a rocky section:
We were surprised to notice a faint path all the way to the summit, we didn't expect this hill to be popular enough to have one. Obviously, it is more a magnet to hillwalkers than we thought.
Getting a bit steep:
Kevin found another scrambling wall
Fionn Loch in panoramic mode:
Beinn Airigh Charr and the northern view:
The final section is less steep...
...but we still managed to find some good rocks to clamber over...
...and took many photos, including panoramic views of the wilderness below us:
Kevin was already making plans for our next target in this area, Beinn a' Chaisgein Beag:
An Teallach just about visible:
Eventually, after getting distracted by far too many rocky outcrops, we arrived on the summit. As forecast suggested, the sky clouded over, but the wind was low, so we could spend some time on top, enjoying the rare vistas to both north and south.
Kevin superhappy, our first NEW Graham this year!
Me and Lucy (her 96th Graham) on the summit of Meall Mheinnidh. The Torridon panorama in the background:
Beinn Lair - we're gonna get you soon!
Zoom to Coire Mhic Fhearchair and the Triple Buttress:
The inaccessible Glen Tulacha:
We unpacked our lunch and sat by the cairn for a while, discussing different options for combining the Fisherfield Corbetts. We could do Lair and The Big Cheescake in one overnighting trip, if we got Beinn a'Chaisgein Beag out of the way first. The latter, we agreed, could be approached in a day trip from Gruinard. The same walk in along Gruinard river could be utilized to reach the twin Beinn Deargs. We'll see how it goes in the summer.
More panoramic snaps from the top of Meall Mheinnidh:
Since we didn't have to climb Charr again, we could simply return the way we came. Weather started to clear again as we dropped towards Strathanmore, blue sky (and better light for photos) returning:
Kevin taking a shortcut below some crags:
The sanctuary of wilderness in the afternoon sunlight:
We didn't hurry on the way back, just enjoyed the silence and solitude of the area. Despite it being a weekend and one with reasonable weather, we only saw a few walkers on the Kernsary circuit and one tent pitched by Fionn Loch. Strange, because the car park was full to bursting. But I guess in such vast, empty area it is hardy possible to walk in a crowd
One last look at the Fisherfields from the path on the way back:
My next story will concern... guess what...another remote Graham, this one in Fort William area. Another one usually added to a multi-day trip, but we managed to bag it as a single day. With considerable reascent on the return leg. TR to come soon.