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May Bank Holiday weekend saw us up at our favourite corner, and May 1st brought superb weather, so an all-day-soaking-it-up on Quinag was in our sights. I've walked up Sail Garbh before in pelting rain and thick cloud, so I'd abandoned the rest that time. This time, we were both really looking forward to what promised to be a gorgeous day taking in all three summit tops (and the many nameless tops in between).
It started a bit claggy, but that meant it unfolded as the day went on, which I think actually made it better! The morning saw cloud rolling over from Glen Oykel way, and obscured the tops ahead of us as we walked up the delightful stoney slabby shoulder towards Spidean Coinich.
001 Will it wont it - our starting view 
003 Up to Spidean Coinich first 
004 Cloud rolling over Breabag Canisp played peek-a-boo, and when we rose enough to look down into the corrie it looked all the more magnificent for the cloud hiding the top of Sail Garbh. It was also heartening to be able to see the descent route for the end of the day.
005 Loch Assynt and Canisp nearly hiding 
006 Looking at our return route for laterWe both like our wildlife, so the presence of ptarmigan poo and (let me get this right) prostrate
juniper was another welcome sign.
007 Lots of creeping juniper And soon we were walking up into the clag, confident it was going to clear, just not quite yet...
008 Loch Assynt starts to disappear 
012 620m cairn
013 Strata and Canisp We were early up, so for a time had the hills to ourselves. There wasn't a breath of wind and so far the racket of motorbikes on the NC500 hadn't started, so we soaked up the peace while we had the chance. (It's the one drawback of Quinag on a windless day, I'd say, that it's so close to blatting tourist hell.)
014 Peaceful puddley reflections By now the cloud was coming and going. Moments of clarity gave us beatiful glimpses of a sapphire blue Loch Assynt, while ahead of us the top of Spidean Coinich remained in mystical obscurity...!
015 Loch Assynt reappears 
016 Up to Spidean Coinich topThe summit of Spidean Coinich reached, with us and it still wrapped in cloud, we then had to work out how to get off.
022 Spidean Coinich summit cairn We walked carefully in what we thought must be the right direction, but found we were just looking out over the vertical buttress. We tried a few other directions, with equally gingerly steps, and finally I yanked out map and compass. It gave me the direction, but without seeing the actual ridge, it was flipping disconcerting until I suddenly spotted the path round the back of a rocky outcrop. Euan took a bit of convincing, but then he saw it too and as we started down it, the ridge at last came into view as the cloud lifted. Yikes to small summits with massive drops all around!
024 Safe if scrambly descent to the ridgeAbout now, the cloud started to clear all over Quinag, and we were treated at last to its real beauty. So many twists and turns on this first two Corbetts section, I was really thrilled to be up on a much better day than my first ascent six years ago.
025 Twisty turny view from the ridgeEuan's not mad for exposed hill sections, and his look at the map with its names (Windy Ridge, Bucket Buttress, The Wind Pipe, The Waste Pipe, Rickety Ridge etc) the night before had him raising an eyebrow. So once down off the first airy scramble, I renamed Bucket Buttress
026 The real Bucket Futtress 
027 Glad thats over - Sail Gorm still under cloudTime to enjoy the views out west for a bit...
029 Stoer peninsula 
030 Over to Coigach peninsula ... though Suilven had yet to show off its curves.
031 A bit more Suilven and Coigach Soon we were down at Lochan Ruadh, and we stopped there to take in the (hazy) sights while a little group of walkers descended behind us.
032 Lochan Ruadh below 714m 
033 North Skye on the horizon 
034 Trotternish hills with South Harris behind 
035 Skyes Quiraing would-be spectacular eastern side 
036 Suilven and tip of our BMC ridge 
037 People on pointy gorilla head Oh yes, the GORILLA. Well, I didn't actually notice this til looking at photos that evening, but a later view of Spidean Coinich, with the sun where it was... well, I think it looks like a gorilla anyway
, so here's a sneak preview:
075 Euan and the gorilla [I have also shoved that photo in the Wildlife sightings forum (ridiculously, I know) , but under the title of the snow bunting we were later to find up here as well.]
We had a quick hello with the group once they were down and as they headed off for Sail Garbh, we decided to head to Sail Gorm first and sort of tag Sail Garbh on the end. But first we had to go up to the nameless 714 point, which I think is considered the north top of Spidean Coinich. (And I trust you to correct me if I'm wrong!)
040 Me on Spidean Coinich north top 
042 Sail Garbh to right - Sail Gorm beyond - bealach out of sightAnd down off it again. We were beginning to lose count of the ups and downs!
043 Looking back from descending north top From here, the little lochan we'd stopped at looked tiny now.
044 Tiny Lochan Ruadh below -bigger Loch an Leothaid to westJuniper and poo delivered. I'd seen a ptarmigan take flight as we were walking up, and here at last, it (or another one) had settled for a (re)pose.
045 Ptarmigan We waited for a while to see if her mate would appear, but no cigar, and set off up towards Sail Gorm again, now with another little group of folk on their way below us.
046 Next steep climb up with tiny people below From up here, we were at last far enough away from Spidean Coinich to really get a good view of its two first tops in all their weird majesty. (And of course, now, I can't help but see a gorilla
)
047 Spidean Coinich and Lochan Bealach CornaidhThings were clearing Coigach-way too
048 Canisp - Cul Mor - Suilven 
049 Suilven - Stac Pollaidh - BMC It doesn't have to take you 10 hours to walk the circuit, but it was turning into such a gorgeous day we were obsessed with making the most of being up Assynt-high in the sun, never quite sure when you're going to get another day like this on Quinag. So this isn't so much a rest-stop as just a sheer happy-stop! And we were later to find there were three other folk with the same idea in their own blissful corners of these hills.
050 Above Bealach a Cornaidh Basking over, (and now intermittently interrupted by motorbike racket) we could see destination Sail Gorm ahead, and off we toddled.
051 Lump and Sail Gorm top ahead 
052 Kylesku Bridge from 687m cairn
054 People below between 687 and 650m Much posing is done on those impressive jutting crags. Not my thing, but I was thoroughly enjoying how Suilven was doing its posing thing now.
055 Suilven in full hussy On we went up the next up (650 on map), and then down t'other side with a bum shuffle manoeuvre.
056 Scramble down from 650m And soon we were looking at Arkle and pals in all their glory, nearly a year after I'd had another gorgeous day up there.
057 Ben Stack - Arkle - Meall Horn over Loch Glendhu 
058 Arkle zoomAnd we still hadn't lost sight of Suilven and co.
059 Eilean an Sgudain in Loch Assynt Gone were the grey clouds and it was full-on blue'n'fluffy from here.
060 A truly improved weather-day 
061 Looking back at the latest scrambly bits As we walked, we kept hearing a loud bird call that sounded like a buzzard mew but longer and drawn out. It was flying around, but out of sight, and we wondered if it could be peregrine, or maybe a wader. I'd seen greenshank here last time down at the foot of Quinag, but I really didn't know what we were looking for. Then the bird flew over us and I snapped a quick shot to ID it, and it was golden plover. I'm used to seeing them standing on a rock and calling, or more recently, we've seen them sitting silent or making short burst flights in groups, so this circling one was a new behaviour to us both. I wonder if it was distressed, e.g. had its eggs or chicks nicked by a corvid. We did later get a quick glimpse of (I think golden) eagle, so maybe that was disturbing it.
062 Calling golden plover in constant flight Anyway, as we deliberated on what it might have been all about, we found ourselves at Sail Gorm's summit. A couple of folk were up here too and had heard the bird, but then seen a pipit... put two and two together... and, well, y'know.
063 Sail Gorm summit with Arkle behind Another couple turned up, while we were lunching and shedding a layer now the day had warmed up, so we chatted, and the fella offered to take our photo. Euan's got so used to me not liking the selfie-thing, he's given up with us-two shots, but I don't mind the old concept of a someone-elsie, so here it is. (There was a red admiral up here too, so I did get distracted by that instead of looking at the camera, but you can't have everything!
)
064 Us two at Sail Gorm summit We parted company as they headed off, and the two of us drank in the views again.
065 Stoer and Oldany Island from Sail Gorm summit 
066 Euan with Assynt view from Sail Gorm summit 
067 Arkle - Ben Hope - Meallan Liath Coire Mhic Dhughaill And finally it was time to head off for our last Corbett of the day, Sail Garbh. Back we went, up and over, enjoying every moment of Quinag's twists, turns, ups, downs, shapes and quirks. The eagle made a brief appearance, then disappeared behind one of the tops,not to be seen again.
069 Back up and over to bealach 703m point And now we could see the view we hadn't seen in the morning, to Glas Bheinn, Ben More Assynt and Conival.
070 Glas Bheinn - BMA and Conival 
071 BMA and Conival (That view brought memories of another cracking sun-dramatic day five years ago, timed to get off the ridge before the storm cloud and lightning reached it from its racing advance over Quinag.)
072 Tiny people coming off Sail Garbh 
074 Gorillas if you keep the photo small (Just saying...)
And again, as we walked up Sail Garbh, we were rewarded with new views out to the south...
076 Beinn Dearg to Fisherfields behind Canisp 
077 ConaMheall to Beinn Dearg 
078 Sgurr Mhor very faint behind Canisp 
079 Seana Bhraigh with Am Faochagach behind... til soon we were up at the trig.
081 Sail Garbh summit with Arkle On the flat rock behind was a fella sunbathing, so we left him in peace.
084 Canisp - Cul Mor and Suilven from Sail Garbh summitIt's a fine sunbathing spot on the right day!
085 Out to the Minch from Sail Garbh summit 
086 Sail Gorm from Sail Garbh summit 
087 Happy Euan with BMA beyond And down we went for the walk out beside the lochan.
089 Gorilla and Suilven A white flash caught our eye and we found a snow bunting. I've seen them all year round on Cairngorm, and the North Norfolk coast, where it's cold for much of the year, but Quinag?
093 Snow buntingAs we descended, wondering whether our snow bunting had any buddies up here, strange haunting calls rose up to us from either the lochan or from over the rock beyond. Human, geese, crows, maybe divers? Two tiny white dots on the loch confirmed it was divers, though they were too far away for a decent picture with my camera. We were joined by another couple of walkers who'd seen us stop and asked us if we knew what the sound was. When we pointed at the divers, the fella produced the call from the excellent Collins Bird Guide app, and all four of us satisfied and delighted by their super-weird calls, on we all went. (They too had lounged around somewhere on the hill for a good hour and a half, also in no hurry and also enjoying the wildlife.)
097 Black throated divers heard more than seen At the end of the well-laid path, a bit boot-sore now, we took a last look back as the clouds folded Quinag up for the evening again, and wended our way away.
104 Farewell deer
105 Cloud rolling back in 
106 Last look back