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North Loch Aineort to... Liniclate? (via Beinn Mhòr)

North Loch Aineort to... Liniclate? (via Beinn Mhòr)


Postby Callicious » Tue Jul 05, 2022 2:59 pm

Route description: Beinn Mhòr and Hecla, South Uist

Fionas included on this walk: Beinn Mhór (Uist)

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Beinn Corradail (South Uist), Thacla (South Uist)

Date walked: 22/06/2021

Time taken: 16 hours

Distance: 40 km

Ascent: 1400m

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Nearing the end of my monthlong trip in the Hebrides (three nights on Coll, seven on Tiree waiting for a ferry, two on Barra, and the rest on South Uist with a daytrip to North Uist) I decided that it just wouldn't have been complete without taking on Beinn Mhòr- it was the highest gal around, after all.

After a late start (I overslept as usual- so I caught the second bus rather than the first) I reached the road leading to Loch Aineort (north) by around 11 AM. Making haste, I reached the residences at the end, and then headed onto the (surprisingly quite good!) path... the locals have a fair few boats lying around- I wonder how the heck they get to them? :wink:

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Boats out on the Loch

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Panorama at the entrance to the path- absolutely stunning! (though the thick Scots haze soon settles in- sadly common on this trip and in general.

Sadly, the OS Map proved accurate, and crossing a sheepfence proved necessary. There's a wee gap at the upper right corner of NF 79746 28747 where you can squeeze under it (rather than having to go over- those fences would break if you so much as tried to bend or twist the wires in any way.) Alternatively, squeezing under a derelict deerfence would've proved feasible- if you don't mind getting wet and covered in ticks. I mean it about the ticks- just following the path thus far, I'd gotten at least a few dozen of the bastards on me- I wear light pants for a reason!

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Quackers on Loch Lang

Making the ascent up, you pass Loch Lang. I'm aware that this route isn't that popular (due to the extra distances associated with getting to it and up compared to accessing from further north) but you really can't pass up the views here. After reaching the bealach I headed for Beinn nan Caorach, figuring "a top is a top"... I wasn't disappointed!

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A wee stopping point for a snack, there's great views to be had here.

Continuing my ascent, Beinn Mhòr was soon conquered- and what a fantastic hill it is! Perfectly campable, with plenty of grass up the top with nae rocks to scrape your tent, and plenty of views. The ridge is gorgeous, and the glen behind it absolutely stunning.

https://i.imgur.com/6XnxEQa.jpg
Views back down toward Loch Aineort, looking across in the direction of Lochboisdale (I did a walk report on those hills you see in that direction- arguably much more rugged and fantastic than this walk, no offense to Beinn Mhòr!)

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Panorama to the north, the ridge on the left, with Beinn Corradail the hill in the midground on the right and Thacla in the back. What a day!

I paused for snacks at this point, and then continued on- looking back, I just found it to be imposing and absolutely stunning in the light I had- the harsh sunlight cast some great shadows, leaving the peak looking like a fortress.

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I just like B&W!

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I also got some coronae on the way down- diffraction in action! I've never witnessed it this vividly before, so it made the physicicist in me tingle with delight!

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Heading to the bealach, the atmosphere turned ethereal- loved it!

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I'm quite sure if you went down there, you'd get some great rugged coastline, too. Isn't there a bothy up here somewhere, too???

After reaching the bealach, the ascent begins once more. Corradail looked intimidatingly bouldery- naturally all just perspective. The ascent was spectacular though- bouldery rocky hills just feel so much more rugged than grassier ones! Reaching the top, I took the moment to have a break, a snack, and a few minutes to worry about the fact that clouds were starting to scarper in.

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Looking back at the bealach

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Looking up Corradail- quite intimidating and awe inspiring!

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The top of Corradail, looking west.

Deciding that time was of the essence, I began a hasty descent, beelining for the bealach to Thacla and then pounding my way up it. While getting to Thacla was straightforward, I had to then get from Thacla to the road- given the sparsity of paths at its northern side, and the boggy nature of the Uists, I had judiciously planned a route that followed some tracks I found on the aerial photography OS maps- one guaranteed to ensure I do not drown in a peat bog. I reached Thacla in time for the sunset- though I did not stay to see it, as a horrific realisation had hit...

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Some of the fantastic boggy pools on the bealach- they do make for some good photos, though the light wasn't having any of it in this case.

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Looking east, the light was providing some good shows higher up- a place I wasn't at :crazy:

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The view from the top didn't disappoint though! Absolutely stunning. Sorry for no more photos after this point by the way- you'll read why that is in a moment.

I'd realized at this point that I had... forgotten my headlamp. Aye- the dreaded fear. You sit down, tuck in to some supper, and crack open that top compartment that has it all (your knife, chlorine, tissues... and what, no headlamp? Oh no.) Aye- this was quite a setback, considering the fact I was about to go in to face a boggy mire in the pitch darkness that was soon to be fast approaching. Worse yet, when I called the taxi service I'd earlier scheduled a trip with to get me from the road (just double checking with them at this point) they told me that no one would be coming... :( :? :shock: At this point, I began to run down the hill.

Thankfully Thacla isn't that steep- I was able to keep a fairly good pace, my pack bouncing side-to-side as I ran, hopped and jumped my way down the hill. An inversion had formed by this point and felt great to go through, with my breathing improving every second as I paced through the clag. Honestly, I'd never felt so alive. I must have startled at least a hundred sheep on the way down, and the deer were out in numbers- at one point I'd passed within a few feet of one when I pounced over a boulder and landed in some mud, the devil damn near giving me a heart attack when it made its getaway!

I'd reached the path I marked out on the map- it wasn't as great as what the OS Aerial Photos indicated, and was in and of itself, a bog. But, it beat the rest of it, and it was a path! So I followed it, the twilight rapidly turning to a dull blackness I wasn't keen to find myself in. My pace gradually became slower and slower as the light faded and the contrast on the ground vanished. One of my poles snapped the night earlier and given that my second one was being used on my tent (held up by a pole- SMD Lunar Solo) back at the campsite, I had no way to prod ahead of me to check the veracity of my claim that it was indeed a path and not just a way to found myself drowned in bog- thus I continued increasingly cautiously, finding my legs getting covered in more and more mud with every step.

I found myself being swooped by some sort of bird at one point, too- the purveyor of the Liniclate Campsite later told me that it was likely a Barn Owl*- I can't remember what it sounded like, but I do remember that when I described it to him (and his daughter, who is a rather fantastic wildlife photographer) they told me that it was likely defending its owlets nearby, as the area was rife with them. This owl was clearly the king of this landscape, and I found myself moaning to it and telling it to sod off- clearly it worked, as after a kilometre or so, it did indeed toss off! Not before scaring the hell out of me and scraping my hat, though.

I reached the road, and began my march back to Liniclate. Given that the aforementioned taxi service cancelled my cabby, and none of the others around would get me, it was sure to be a long depressing night. With no headlamp, and no remaining rations, I trudged down the road, being cautious and getting far off the side whenever any cars came (few did- I could count the sum on one hand. I love the Uists for this reason!) Several times I passed some empty bus stops, and considered just falling asleep in one of them instead- I even tried at one point, but I just could'nae do it... it just didn't beat my inflatable airmat, and my cush sleeping bag- I also desperately needed to crap and I doubt the locals would look kindly to me dumping the days Co-op Chorizo and Cake on the side of the road.

By around 4:30 AM, the campsite came into view. I beelined for the toilet, then had a shower, and finally made for the tent- it had never looked so homely (well, it has, but for dramatic effect let's say it hadn't.) The next morning Dave (the campsite manager) mentioned to someone fairly loudly that they'd lost me- and I made it clear that I was still there, very much alive. I slept in until around 1-2 PM, after which I once again set off to walk around the area, hunting for more photos to take.

If you want to see (all the decent ones at least) my photos from that trip, here! (though this is the entire Hebrides trip! I have to go back and change some of 'em though- I've improved on editing since then, massively I would say, so I could definitely improve on them.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJr5QLW6dMo&t=505s
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Callicious
Wanderer
 
Posts: 15
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Joined: Aug 17, 2020
Location: Manchester

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