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KLIBRECK ON THE BOUNCE
- Winter Conditions in mid-April.
I had a little difficulty with Ben Klibreck, and, as a reminder to set the scene, as a Munroist starting things afresh, I’d made a mental note to ‘do things differently’, if possible, second time around. This approach had led me towards trouble in mid-April, with fresh snow making a long summit approach to Klibreck from Crask difficult to the point of impossible. I’d set off in snow showers up the Strath a’ Chraisg towards Bealach Easach and struck off up the slopes of Carn an Fheidh without too much concern. But then a series of peat hags filled with fresh snow made progress impossibly slow, and by the time I pulled onto the slopes of the adjacent top Creag an Lochain, I was barely able to stand on its summit because of the strong wind. My mountain experience told me to call it a day, and fighting a white-out and the wind, I finally got west off the high ridges, skirted Cnoc Sgriodain first east then south (with more peat hags!) and returned to Crask somewhat deflated after 8 hours on the hill without gathering the tick. Ben Klibreck had appeared tantalisingly close across the coire from the ridge opposite, but I knew that Meall nan Con is a big lump of a hill and wasn’t easily won. The scene was thus set for a replay. Meantime, I was extremely grateful for the hospitality and refreshments of Douglas and Denise Campbell at the The Crask Inn where I parked the campervan overnight.
- Ben Klibreck from Loch Naver.
It wasn’t until mid-June, two months later, that I was able to return. This time, driving in along Loch Naver, the sheer bulk of Klibreck was impressive. Indeed, I also climbed Seana Braigh on the same trip, and Klibreck’s prominence in the northern landscape was clear. It is a colossus.
- Heading up Cnoc Sgriodain.
I had already made a mental note to myself to compromise my ideals on the second strike and settled somewhat reluctantly for the ‘trade route’ which happened to be that used for my first ascent some 25 years ago. I parked just south of Vagastie bridge in the late afternoon near to the main windfarm entrance, ensuring that I was well off the enlarged road. Another Alpine start at a 15:45 departure – the logistics are not that easy climbing Munros from Orkney!
- The Vagastie Bridge Trade Route.
I picked up the rough ATV track up Cnoc Sgriodain with the wind at my back, and although the Klibreck summit was playing the cloud, Ben Loyal to the north was clear and prominent. I’d worked out the psychology of the route as ‘the rule of thirds’ – get up and across the introductory gambit of Cnoc Sgriodain, then complete the high-level traverse onto the col beneath A’Chioch at 688m and finally finish the summit pyramid and onto Meall nan Con. Easy, eh?
- Above Loch nan Uan.
I made the main summit cairn of Cnoc Sgriodain by 17:00 where the route and challenge became obvious. Golden plovers had warded me through their territory with their plaintive cries and behaviour, whilst skylark song resonated above. There was a minor area of peat hags to negotiate on the col beyond the Cnoc, but nothing on the scale of my previous visit. Spits of rain warned of the squalls marauding out west. The traverse was most enjoyable, looking across the nearby Loch nan Uan below, with ever-changing views out to the north and west towards Bens Loyal and Hope. The latter never cleared its summit of mist the whole trip! I made the col and a pitstop by 18:30.
- Hard to Leave this Display.
The triangular summit mass was now tantalisingly close but still skirting cloud. In fact, I entered cloud just above the col and never retrieved a clear view until my descent to the col post-summiting. Solifluction terraces were prominent on the SE slopes, and an hour got me into the summit shelter with its collection of broken trig points! I wondered whether to invent a collective noun for broken trig points?! Suggestions on a postcard, please. In the swirling cloud, all my lightweight ‘summer’ kit of base plus Páramo plus Buffalo was now deployed along with bonnet and buff. I decided to retreat and, on the descent, encountered a small group of scruffy yows that clearly had evaded the shepherds and clippers for a year or three. Back at the col there was a hint of sun at last, a prelude as it turned out for a spectacular light show.
- Summit Selfie, Meall nan Con.
One of the advantages of setting out late on the hill is the rich reward of light when everyone else is in the pub! Suddenly the light broke through the overcast nature of the day, and the show was superb! I literally dawdled off that hill and its traverse, as the quality and diversity of the light was so intense. I sat down then moved on a little several times as I didn’t want to lose this grandstand seat. It wasn’t a ‘sunset’ as such, just a battle between the diagonals of the light and the clouds parting oh so reluctantly. Ben Hope was still lost, but there so many other lochs and lesser hills being picked out by the rays of the lengthening day. Relatively large lochs would appear to be floating in the air, it was all I could do to watch my feet on the airy traverse. It was wonderful!
But even Cnoc Sgriodain below looked big from up there, and I eventually realised that I’d better get off the hill! I finally made the vehicle at 22:45 or seven hours later. I didn’t begrudge a single minute of it, and concluded that if at first you don’t succeed, well there’s probably a reason for it, even after a total of 15 hours logged for both trips! Bizarrely for mid-June I hadn’t seen a single soul all day – perhaps it’s something to do with the hours that I keep? I drove south into Strath Tirry just north of Lairg for a short overnight in a forest glade, before continuing south and west for Seana Bhraigh.
