walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.


Postby litljortindan » Sun Dec 19, 2021 5:31 pm

Route description: Sgùrr a' Chaorachain, Bealach na Ba

Corbetts included on this walk: Sgùrr a' Chaorachain

Date walked: 18/12/2021

Time taken: 3.5 hours

Distance: 7 km

Ascent: 375m

8 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

Image
It is a relief to emerge from the fog. Always taking a chance with an inversion forecast.

Image
Set off up the radio mast track at about 8.10am, trying to go fast so as not to miss the sunrise. This served to remind me how unfit I have become since September but, on the plus side, my knees were not complaining. Plenty of moonlight so no need for headtorch.

Image
View into Coire a' Chaorachain from near the radio mast.

Image
Fog lapping the shores of Na Ciochan.

Image
I elected to follow the edge of the coire and then ascend the rocky edge up to the first bump on the ridge which the OS appear to have named Sgurr a' Chaorachain. Why that honour doesn't go to the cairned and highest point at the end of the ridge I don't know.

Image
It is not possible to ignore the Black Cuillin on the horizon. I also notice The Storr, seemingly the only Trotternish peak to stand proud of the cloud to any significant degree. Glad then that I didn't pursue my other plan of Beinn Edra as that might have been a long walk in fog.

Image

Image
Ben More of Mull and Sgritheall prominent on the horizon.

Image
I am glad that my out of breath effort has got me into position for the sunrise.

Image
Meall Gorm / Creag a' Chumhaing.

Image
Pleased to reach the bottom of the first wee descent with very little complaint from my knees. This gives me confidence about completing the walk out to the end of the ridge.

Image
There's a grand array of peaks silhouetted on the horizon. I haven't yet taken the time to try to identify them but Ben More on Mull and Sgritheall were certainly easy to pick out because of their relative isolation.

Image
Zoom to Ben More of Mull.

Image
Sgritheall and maybe a hint of Chapuill or its slightly higher neighbour.

Image
End of the ridge ahead. So I must have descended the second small drop by this point. This is where my wife had wanted to turn back last time, having been past it a couple of times before. I wasn't bothered about continuing on that occasion because the walk then had been about walking together, not with any specific objective other than enjoyment. Since I was reflecting on that day I took time to see what the easiest descent might be and noted that a very short diversion north yields access to the descent path. And on the way back I tried out the bypass path which I am not sure I have tried before.

Image
Sunrise.

Image
I take a photo out of the direct sunlight just to make sure there's at least one that isn't subject to the vagaries of the sunrise light bouncing around inside the camera.

Image

Image

Image
Zoom west.

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image
Looking west again from near the end of the ridge.

Image
Sgritheall again.

Image
Looking north.

Image
Creag a' Chumhaing.

Image

Image

Image
Mull again.

Image
Looking north again.

Image

Image

Image
The Storr seems to be the only bit of the Trotternish ridge sticking out above the cloud.

Image
Ready to drive back into the gloom

Back at the car for 11.35am and knees in once piece so quite happy about that!

Last edited by litljortindan on Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:27 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2519
Munros:171   Corbetts:68
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby rockhopper » Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:02 am

I can sympathise with you on the problems of keeping fitness up :roll: Good idea to go early - it was certainly a great weekend for inversions - cheers :)
User avatar
rockhopper
 
Posts: 7536
Munros:282   Corbetts:222
Fionas:145   Donalds:89+20
Sub 2000:16   Hewitts:2
Wainwrights:3   Islands:26
Joined: May 31, 2009
Location: Crieff

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby BlackPanther » Tue Dec 21, 2021 11:10 am

Beautiful photos. It was a superb inversion weekend!

We were in the Fannichs, An Teallach looked like a solitary island in the sea of cloud :D
User avatar
BlackPanther
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 3853
Munros:268   Corbetts:182
Fionas:136   
Sub 2000:76   
Joined: Nov 2, 2010
Location: Beauly, Inverness-shire

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby Mal Grey » Tue Dec 21, 2021 12:51 pm

Fabulous.

Fitness, I remember fitness!

Sadly, I also get reminders of knees too!
User avatar
Mal Grey
Wanderer
 
Posts: 4780
Munros:113   Corbetts:23
Fionas:12   
Sub 2000:9   Hewitts:116
Wainwrights:71   Islands:15
Joined: Dec 1, 2011
Location: Surrey, probably in a canoe! www.wildernessisastateofmind.co.uk

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby kilima36 » Tue Dec 21, 2021 5:57 pm

Stunning photographs :clap: . On Sunday climbing Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a'Chreachain I regretted only having my phone and not my camera. Still took plenty of photos though they didn't fully capture the experience first hand. I'm no spring chicken being 60 next year but I can't recall being so awe struck by those views as I was summitting. Having the opportunity to hike certainly provides a different perspective when the weather is as giving as it was on Sat and Sun. Even with my limited experience of less giving weather it makes me appreciate these special days even more.
kilima36
Walker
 
Posts: 20
Joined: Aug 5, 2021

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby litljortindan » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:34 pm

rockhopper wrote:I can sympathise with you on the problems of keeping fitness up :roll: Good idea to go early - it was certainly a great weekend for inversions - cheers :)


Hopefully the knees are recovering now after three months of doing their own thing and I can start to try more demanding walks. Physio exercises are lunges, squats and ankle raises to counter any arthritis. Painful to start with but I am pleased to find that I've actually been able to keep going with them, though not as many as recommended.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2519
Munros:171   Corbetts:68
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby litljortindan » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:43 pm

BlackPanther wrote:Beautiful photos. It was a superb inversion weekend!

We were in the Fannichs, An Teallach looked like a solitary island in the sea of cloud :D


Thanks BP! I can imagine the Fannichs would be a good place to be with the cloud top at around 500m. Sgurr a' Chaorachain was about my best option as I felt descending 500m+ is a bit doubtful for me at the moment.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2519
Munros:171   Corbetts:68
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby litljortindan » Tue Dec 21, 2021 9:47 pm

Mal Grey wrote:Fabulous.

Fitness, I remember fitness!

Sadly, I also get reminders of knees too!


Cheers Mal!
It's the length of time I've been hobbling about that has bothered me most but I think I'm now, after twelve weeks, where I'd expected to be after six weeks, going by previous experiences. Hopefully I can get back into the jogging routine that served me well this year or maybe time to buy a bicycle or exercise bike.
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2519
Munros:171   Corbetts:68
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

Re: Sgurr a' Chaorachain sunrise inversion.

Postby litljortindan » Tue Dec 21, 2021 10:04 pm

kilima36 wrote:Stunning photographs :clap: . On Sunday climbing Beinn Achaladair and Beinn a'Chreachain I regretted only having my phone and not my camera. Still took plenty of photos though they didn't fully capture the experience first hand. I'm no spring chicken being 60 next year but I can't recall being so awe struck by those views as I was summitting. Having the opportunity to hike certainly provides a different perspective when the weather is as giving as it was on Sat and Sun. Even with my limited experience of less giving weather it makes me appreciate these special days even more.


Thanks! Can't go wrong photo-wise with the air so clear and the cloud top sitting at some sort of optimal height.
It was very nice conditions on Saturday and I agree with you to an extent that this sort of day leaves an impression but I'm just as bowled over, if not more so, by a walk I did last month through clearing drizzle to a Skye clifftop. I also recall returning from a ten day trip to Moskenesoya with all its sensory overload and next completing a walk to the nominally dull Blair Atholl Beinn Dearg but I found it to be very soothing after all the drama of Norway. An occasional inversion is good though!
User avatar
litljortindan
Ambler
 
Posts: 2519
Munros:171   Corbetts:68
Fionas:29   Donalds:1
Sub 2000:47   Hewitts:12
Wainwrights:10   
Joined: Dec 11, 2011

8 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: partickpotter and 22 guests