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I decided that a long walk was required to clear the cobwebs of the working week and I had had my eye on the east end of the Mamores for a while. There was cloud covering the tops in the morning but, by the time I approached Sgurr Eilde Mor, it was starting to lift. I lost the bet I placed with myself that I would not see anyone else out there, as I came up behind a threesome heading up to the same top. A fiver down, I'd collect it later!
From Sgurr Eilde Mor I had planned to ascend both Binneins, but Binnein Mor had lots of snow on the last section of the NE ridge and on the top itself. I debated whether I wanted to go the extra mile through deep soft snow up to BM, and as I had also wanted to descend via Sgurr Eilde Beag, seeing its path off the top was also obscured by snow, I decided to sit on the fence until I had done Binnein Beag.
I had a brief lunch stop when I spotted a couple of ptarmigan nearby, one in its summer coat, one in winter. I spotted the grey one first naturally and thought its change of clothes was a tad premature. Mental note to take a better camera the next time.
From its clear top the view to BM was now covered in cloud, as was its NE ridge, so I decided to see it another day along with the route from Na Gruagaichean. The ascent up BB was good hard work, and I certainly felt that the spiders work was undone! And boy was it a long walk!!
- Sgurr Eilde Mor from Binnein Beag
- Binnein Beag
- Pair of Ptarmigan
- Binnein Mor