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Grahams: Carn Gorm.
Date: 13/11/2022.
Distance: 17 km.
Ascent: 1075m.
Time taken: 5 hours 15 minutes.
Weather: Sunny to begin, then greying over. Some breeze up high. Warm for November.
Plus a 10 mile cycle up Glen Strathfarrar.
Looking for a reasonably relaxed day out on Sunday I decided to go up Glen Strathfarrar. As the glen is now closed to motorised non-estate traffic in the winter I cycled up to the start of my walk - 5 miles each way from the parking area, and satisfyingly free of traffic. It was pretty warm for mid-November. Actually I missed the path for the Pollcherian footbridge initially but knew I'd passed it once I got to the Beannacharran Dam - I'd been looking out for a short section of vehicle track but it is actually a path from the off.
Beinn a Bhathach Ard from Inchmore 
Autumn colours in Strathfarrar This hill is probably easier to reach from Cannich but I had long wanted to explore the paths marked on its northern flanks. Dumping my bike before the footbridge, I set off into the pine woodland. The path started well but became very wet in places and occasionally hard to follow - I lost it about a mile in and waded through some heather to find it again (generally, sticking as close to the burn as possible is the way to stay on it). A couple of km in there is a fork. I hadn't been thinking and assumed this would be higher up and out of the woods, so was glad that a wooden sign with an arrow on it indicated the way. Even if you are on the lookout for the junction this is useful because there is very little other evidence of the way! Despite the wetness and vagueness, these woodlands are lovely, with many small waterfalls on the burn that is followed.
Crossing the River Farrar 
Carn Ban from the Coille an Ath path 
Sign marking the split in paths (paths themselves not very obvious!) The right hand fork of the path was even more vague initially but it gradually morphed into a quadbike track. Out on the open hillside it was even easier to follow. I passed another walker here, who was following the path in its entirety from Struy and walking back down the glen. I made a short diversion to Carn nam Barran as I passed it and stopped on the summit for lunch.
Garbh-charn and Sgurr na Ruaidh 
Lurg Mhor, Sgurr a Chaorachain, Beinn na Muice and Sgurr na Fearstaig 
Beinn a Bhathach Ard and the Beauly Firth 
Coire Deanie and Sgurr na Ruaidh After lunch I crossed the path and got onto the main summit ridge at the eastern end at Carn a' Mhuilt - the ground was pretty good and it was a nice stroll to the top of Carn Gorm from there over a couple of intervening bumps. There was a very short section of peat hags about halfway along, but otherwise short turf. From the summit some of the other points in the western ridge look higher but it appears that they are not.
Sgurr na Lapaich and Sgorr na Diollaid 
South from Carn Gorm 
Sgurr Choinnich to Meall Luanndaidh 
Loch Mullardoch from Carn Gorm From the top I headed down the eastern ridge for Loch Choire and Uillt Ghiuthais. This ridge is just defined enough to be a pleasant stroll as far as the loch. Then it was onto slightly rougher ground to reach Sgorr na Rhuadhraich.
Carn Gorm from Sgorr na Ruadhraich 
Boulder on Sgorr na Ruadhraich 
North Monar hills Next was a descent towards Meall a' Mhadaidh. Slightly steeper than the last descent but fine until the bottom, where there is a low profile ridge to cross with deep heather on the N side. This could possibly have been avoided by carrying on further towards Sgurr na Diollaid, and at one point I was even going to include it. In the end I decided to get back down in the daylight and got onto the southern slopes of Meall a' Mhadaidh. I crossed the end of one of the old paths back to Glen Strathfarrar here - the line could be picked out from a distance but was less obvious close up. This ascent seemed to take a while. Afterwards I realised this was because the ascent was twice what I had expected it to be and the summit was actually higher than the Graham I had just been on. Sgur na Diollaid now seemed temptingly close but I stuck to my plan.
South from Meall a Mhadaidh I was rewarded by some beautiful afternoon light over upper Glen Strathfarrar after much of the afternoon had greyed over, so I decided to have a decent break here. The Munros to the north looked particularly good.
Sgorr na Diollaid from Meall a Mhadaidh 
Up Glen Strathfarrar to Lurg Mhor 
Lurg Mhor and Strathfarrar Munros 
Loch a Mhuillidh and Beinn na Muice 
Sgorr a Choire Ghlais to Sgurr na Ruaidhe 
Beinn a Bhathaich Ard from Meall a Mhadaidh 
Last look west up Glen Strathfarrar The path down from here was mostly easy to spot beyond the initial part but is rarely used so it wasn't much easier than crashing across the heather really. Then it was back into the swampy forest, and eventually my bike.
The route down 
Sgorr na Ruadhraich and Meall a Mhadaidh 
Allt Coille nam BrathanThe quiet cycle back down the glen was a pleasant end to a lovely day out - will definitely be back up Glen Strathfarrar again before too long.
