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The decision to walk the Càrn Eige circuit was taken in the early hours of the morning. I had wanted to climb Ben Nevis via the CMD Arête and was checking the weather forecast every couple of hours the day before, but the wind was not looking good, and I wasn’t prepared to risk bad weather on the arête, so, I changed my plans and opted for 3 of the Glen Affric Munros, which are much closer to home for me.
This trip was my first proper solo hike and I chose not to have the distraction of having a dog with me, so Meg (The Fast) stayed behind and I (The Slow) set of from home at 04:30. Once at the car park, I attempted to start my GPS app only to be confronted with an error – it needed an internet connection! The GPS element was working but my planned route was not overlaid; I had a map and 2 compasses (you never know when might need a spare 😊) with me but I take a lot of comfort in watching the blue dot move along the red line! Visibility was good and there was a light breeze, but the forecast was for low cloud, so it was with some apprehension then, that I set off at 05:10.
- The start of the walk
The first 3km or so is along a hydro track, so very easy going. Once past the hydro dam, the track immediately deteriorates into a faint line through boggy terrain, following the river Gleann nam Faidh. About 3 km after the dam the track leaves the river and heads up towards Sròn Garbh. After stopping for breakfast, I missed the fork in the track and continued a little way along the lower track – not too much of a detour but the climb back up to the track was steeper than it should have been. Once back on the track I had a 4G signal and my GPS app started working correctly, so I could now follow the trusted blue dot!
- Looking towards Sròn Garbh
- Looking back down the trail from the approach to Sròn Garbh
- Looking towards Glen Affric from above Loch a Gharb-bhealaich
The weather was good at this point, mid and high-level cloud, a few wispy bits lower down, with a light breeze keeping the midges at bay 😊, but the forecast was only 20% for cloud free summits (I had almost not undertaken the walk for this reason – I was glad of my final decision). The climb to the cairn on Sròn Garbh is straight forward with a section of easy scrambling on the final approach. It was quite breezy on the top, but that soon abated on the walk along the ridge to Càrn Eige.
- The final approach to Sròn Garbh
- Looking north towards Mallardoch from Sròn Garbh
- Looking towards Càrn Eige (right) and Màm Sodhail (left) from Sròn Garbh
The ridge walk to Càrn Eige is pleasant, mostly grassy with a scrambling section in the middle (I took the bypass path, which made it easy). The views to the north, of the Mullardoch mountains and south to those beyond Glen Affric were spectacular. By now the sun was quite warm, t-shirt weather in fact, but still a pleasant breeze keeping the midges off. Being a slow walker, it was about 12:15 when I stopped for lunch near a small pool of water on Stob Choire Dhomhain. I had filtered some water at the river after breakfast and now used some of it for a coffee but ate my meal cold in order to save time. I wasn’t prepared to take any water from the pool for drinking (even filtered) as it was standing water. I reached the summit cairn on Càrn Eige at around 13:30, my first Munro of the day!
- Looking across at Beinn Fhionnlaidh from the approach to Càrn Eige
- Looking back along the route from the summit of Càrn Eige
- Màm Sodhail from the summit of Càrn Eige
The next objective was Beinn Fhionnlaidh, which involves losing about 400m in height before ascending to the summit.
- Beinn Fhionnlaidh from Càrn Eige with Coire Lochan to the right
The decent from Càrn Eige is steep and I was feeling it in my knees. Beinn Fhionnlaidh looks imposing from the bealach but actually, is an easy climb. By the time I reached the summit I was the only one there (it was around 15:00) – my second Munro of the day! The weather was stunning, clear for miles and the views along Loch Mullardoch to the dam were breathtaking. Sitting by the summit cairn, I could have stayed all day but decided on a quick coffee before moving on - that’s when I realised, I had a problem: I had used the reminder of my filtered water for the coffee but discovered that my water bladder was empty. I already knew from the map that there was no obvious running water until after the descent of Sgùrr na Lapaich, near the end of the walk, unless I wanted to take the “escape” route from Mam Sodhail on the track alongside Allt Coire Leachavie.
- Looking towards Càrn Eige from part way up Beinn Fhionnlaidh
- Loch Mullardoch from the summit of Beinn Fhionnlaidh
It was the hottest part of the day as I descended Beinn Fhionnlaidh (around 18°) and made my way beneath Càrn Eige to a small bealach ready for the climb up to Màm Sodhail. The ascent is fairly short, but the path involves minor scrambling and is on the edge of the ridge looking down onto Loch Uaine far below, an almost sheer drop of around 250m, so care was needed to avoid slipping. I reached the summit at about 18:00 – my third and final Munro of the day!
- Looking south-west into Gleann a’ Choilich from Màm Sodhail
I was concerned about my lack of water, but the river didn’t look that far on the map and I didn’t want to take the alternative route down, partly because I have walked the Loch Affric circuit several times and didn’t fancy the long walk back along the north track, but mainly because I wanted to walk via Sgùrr na Lapaich, just in case it is ever prompted to Munro status again 😄.
- Looking towards Sgùrr na Lapaich from Màm Sodhail
Decision made, I set off towards Sgùrr na Lapaich. The descent from Mam Sodhail is straightforward and the path across the ridge easy-going. The views were extensive, but it was getting late, and I was less interested now; I was looking forward to getting to the river and filling up with water. About halfway across the ridge, I opted to eat my last meal, mainly for the liquid content of the sauce. Without water, I decided to decant the meal into the Jetboil and heat it directly – that was a mistake! Almost immediately, the sauce began to burn, even on the stove’s lowest setting. It was edible, but it took me several days of soaking the pot afterwards to get it clean – lesson learned!
I reached to top of Sgùrr na Lapaich at 20:00, very tired and thirsty. By this time the wind had picked up and was now making walking arduous, and the cloud looked like it might descend at any minute.
- Looking south-west along Loch Affric from Sgùrr na Lapaich
- Looking south-east along Glen Affric with Affric Lodge in the distance
I was glad to get off of the top and begin my final descent. The route down is steep and rocky and the path easy to lose; it seemed never ending and I was exhausted by the time I reached the river at 21:45. The water was very welcome, but I didn’t want to hang around given the time and the now fading light. The route across the moorland here is boggy with no clear path to follow, but a distinct bend in the track leading down to Affric Lodge can be seen clearly in the distance, so I headed for that. Once on the track it’s just a matter of following it back to the car park.
- The sun starting to set over Affric Lodge
It was 23:40 before I reached my car – I had been walking for over 18 hours!
The day was long, very long, but the weather had been fantastic, and I was pleased I’d decided on the hike. It was a shame that Meg had missed it, but I’d made the right decision leaving her behind. Hopefully, she will join me next time.
