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Well 2022 was going to be my year for knocking off lots of Munros, now that Covid restrictions were fully lifted and I was only working part time. I am not geared up/skilled enough for serious winter walking and it is not the dog's favourite thing either, so I started the year off with lower hills to get me legs into walking shape. Not sure how, but doing this I managed to damage my knee somehow. As such, after a trip to the physio when they said I could still walk up hills, I was just not allowed to walk down them if I wanted my knee to recover, I had to reassess my walking goals for the year. The physio also highlighted that I really should be using walking poles, something I had avoided due to complications of walking with poles and often having a dog on the lead. But now I have got used to poles, I am fully converted to using them and they have really helped. I decided that instead of doing Munros, I would look to try and do 52 Marilyns in 52 weeks and I have managed to do that, despite taking most of Feb and April off from hill walking. Most of these walks have been single hill days and I have been blessed with being able to choose my walking days to fit with the weather due to part time working. Within these hills, split between approximately half Sub2Ks and half a mix of Fionas, Corbetts and 3 Munros, the Sub2k hill Seana Mheallan really stood out as my favourite walk (although followed closely by another couple of Torridon hills: Slioch and Meall a' Ghiubhais).
My route for today:
- The target for today from the car park just west of the bridge over the Allt a Choire Dhuibh Mhòir
I arrived at the car park about 9.30 and got one of the last spaces, admittedly there did seem to be quite a constant turnover of cars while I was getting ready as a few seemed to be "tourist" cars rather than walkers cars. I then walked back along the road over the river and then took the path to the south towards the Ling Hut after a quick look around at the huge Torridon hills surrounding us.
- The Ling hut from the entrance to the car park
- Liathach from the start of the Ling Hut path
- Beinn Eighe from the start of the Ling Hut path
The path is very good to start with and heads off toward the Ling Hut after passing Loch an Iasgair.
- Looking back at Liathach from Loch an Iasgair
- Past the Ling Hut, the good path starts to go slightly up past a wee waterfall
- Looking down on the waterfall as we walk past
Once past the waterfall it was time to cross the Allt Frianach which was quite easy. From then on it was a pathless route initially up grassy slopes which eventually became classic Torridon rock. The grass immediately after the river was quite boggy to start with but this was just on the flat area next to the river.
- The grassy slopes up
- Looking back to Kinlochewe from the grassy slopes up.
The slope up was relatively easy walking and soon we were up at the top of the ridge (~400m) with the stunning views of the surrounding hills.
- Sgorr nan lochan Uaine, Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh
- Maol Chean-dearg
- Liathach - not sure I want to do that one Dad!
- Beinn Eighe
Once at the top, there was a good 1km walk over the Torridon sandstone rocks to the summit.
- At the summit looking at to Loch Torridon
- The same view without the pesky dog in the way!
Time for lunch and some more photos of the Torridon hills
- Liathach - how impressively steep does that look
- Close up trying to see the path to Mullach an Rathain summit of Liathach
- Beinn Eighe
- Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh
After that it was just a return back the way we came to the car park.
- A wee cool down in the Loch on the way back to the car.
As we were getting back to the car, there was an air force plane doing low level exercises flying between the Torridon hills, we've seen a few of these recently but this was certainly the closest!
- A wee flypast to celebrate the walk!
Why was this my favourite walk, well for a start it was my first Torridon hill of the year, I love Torridon and I still have the classic Tryptych to do! Although it is a Sub 2K Seana Mheallan is right in the heart of the Torridon and the views are just amazing for "relatively little effort". The weather was stunning which always helps. As a Sub2K, it is not the most visited of hills, I didn't see another person all day once out of the car park, just a couple of deer in the distance - my kind of hiking: me, the dog and the Scottish Hills!
