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Sunday Solitude - Beinn Damph

Sunday Solitude - Beinn Damph


Postby MusicalHiker » Sat Jun 19, 2021 9:36 pm

Route description: Beinn Dàmh (or Ben Damph)

Corbetts included on this walk: Beinn Damh

Date walked: 06/06/2021

Time taken: 5.5 hours

Distance: 12 km

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This one had been on my wish list for a while, and I'd taken a week off teaching because of the lovely weather.

Having checked the forecast thoroughly, it appeared that Sunday promised the best weather and there would be clear skies with the odd cloud and a breeze. I couldn't set off too early though, because my new greenhouse had been installed the day before, and I had to get some shading on the windows before the cucumbers got burned. I got up at 4.30 am, and by 8 the shading was finished, the cucumbers were revelling in their new surroundings and I had made my packed lunch.

We set off for Torridon.... I'd had breakfast about 7 but I realised I needed Second Breakfast, so we stopped in Kinlochewe at the Gorse Bush - I have pancakes with bananas and toffee sauce - wouldn't normally consume so much sugar but I thought I'd burn it off quite quick! We were so enticed by the menu for dinner the evening that we booked a table before we left, guessing roughly how long I was going to be.... in the end we were an hour early but it worked out well, as they could take us right away.

Started walking, eventually, at 11.30, from the Torridon Hotel. Autocorrect calls it the 'Torrid Hotel' which doesn't sound half so nice. I left Trevor there for the day with coffee and laptop, in the bar around the other side. What's it called? Barn and Muck? Bo and Muc? Something like that! I'd insisted he leave the green Crocs at home and don his Loakes and Barbour jacket as it's such a posh place....

Off I went up the path signed 'Beinn Damph Viewpoint'.

Up through the woods was very lovely, with the tantalising glimpses of a beautiful waterfall, all the more magical for being so inaccessible.

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Woodland path from the Torridon Hotel
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Stone bridge over the burn
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Magical glimpses of the waterfall


Coming out of the trees and heading up towards the ridge, the views were spectacular. The path here is great. Turn right at the fork.

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Above the trees
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Torridon and Liathach


It was quite a warm hike up towards the ridge.... but the views are so good that it was ok to stop and take LOTS of pictures! I'd taken my big SLR.... heavy.... but worth it.... although the new iPhone (I say new, it's a 7) is pretty good too! I have only attached half of the photos I took...
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Go right here....
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Great views back
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Looking ahead


Gradually the path gave way to a bit of bog and a small section of scree, really small but still HORRIBLE so I went round it so I didn't fall on my arse (I hate scree). The ridge appeared, and it's initially a big, wide flattish area, with super views down into Loch Damph the other side, as well as out to the west towards Skye, and back to the other Torridon peaks - Liathach, Beinn Eighe, Beinn Alligin, etc.
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Ascending the hillside
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Finally - the ridge approaches!


The steep part just before the ridge was definitely the hardest bit, but once on the ridge it was pretty easy and I like rocks, I like them far better than bogs, or scree, or deep heather! Rocks are good with me! BRING ON THE ROCKS!

I chose a sheltered bit where the wind eased, and sat down; I'd promised myself some fluids and snacks once I got to the ridge. Not a bad view! Half my pasta salad and some water later, I set off again up the ridge. It was very windy, certainly no midge would fly in it, and no flies either, and it kept me cool - so cool I put on my gloves which I'd packed just in case.

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Loch Damph
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Time for a tea break!



All the time, I was wondering: where was everyone else? I'd seen a group of four folk further down but they didn't go near the top and I never saw anyone else the whole day... on a sunny Sunday in June! Maybe they were all on Liathach or Beinn Eighe.... which I'm banned from doing without a companion, so I have a good friend who's in Mountain Rescue lined up for Beinn Eighe later in the summer, so at least I'll have the right guy there if I fall off.

From here it's grassy, then a mixture, then just rocky, with a path that's ok as long as you keep your eye on it and follow the cairns which lead ever higher... the path goes around to the right to avoid some of the rougher bits and then carries on around, over another undulation and gradually towards the final ridge, for a time being entirely rocky and lacking a path, as it's just ROCKS, although the cairns are useful - just go from one to the next, although in bad visibility they would be impossible to see! This bit took a while, and you can't see the summit for some time....

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Rocks ahoy


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Bypass path
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Looking towards the west coast

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The top comes into view....


Soon after this the spectacular final ridge appears, with the enormous bowl below... I think I might have squealed with excitement at the sight! I was certainly talking to myself, 'wow this is so great, woohoo,' etc....
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Big bowl phone pic


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The drama increases...
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The final, exciting ridge



The ridge never gets too narrow, and I felt perfectly secure. I'm absolutely fine with heights - my husband could not have gone near it and has kittens every time I show him my photos, but it's never so narrow that you have to be close to the edge if you don't fancy it. I did fancy it, I RELISHED it, so I walked fairly close so I could see into the plunging depths....

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Ascending the ridge

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Approaching the top

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Looking back along the ridge - wow!

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Phone pic

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The summit! Balanced the camera on a rock for some selfies.... I was here half an hour finishing my food and taking pictures.

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Yeee-ha!


Now for EVEN MORE incredible views..... superb panoramas of some cracking hills..... a tiny bit hazy but really a pretty fabulous day!

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Panoramic - taken on the phone



After an enjoyable summit break I packed the camera away in my backpack and headed back down.
I passed a ptarmigan with chicks, only about 3 days old. I knew this due to my previous experience rearing chicks, as due to my 'slightly' unconventional home education on a remote island my maths is appalling but I can hatch and rear chicks, once acting as a goose mother when I was only 12 and rearing 5 goslings. Anyway - they looked like they were about to scatter and hide, so I dove off the path and took a detour to avoid disturbing them. I heard meadow pipits and many cuckoos, plus a distant golden plover.
Happily, I saw no litter at all.
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Sun still shining on the way down...


I made it back down by 5 and we arrived for dinner at 6, which was very good - decent veggie food, for a change; a celeriac strudel with polenta, apple and walnut salad, and veg. Very nice indeed. Incredible food for a place that looks like an ancient community centre made from an old shed (pretty much what it is!) As usual had to watch hubby getting stuck into half a lamb - no animals are safe when he's around....

Home to Beauly about 8.30pm. Now, what to climb next.....
User avatar
MusicalHiker
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 130
Munros:17   Corbetts:21
Fionas:7   
Sub 2000:10   Hewitts:17
Wainwrights:22   Islands:25
Joined: Dec 26, 2011
Location: Beauly

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