free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
This was what we'd been waiting for. As usual, after our warm up on Sgurr Dubh
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=117232, the middle of our annual winter walking week would involve a few nights in a bothy. Last year that meant trekking into the Great Wilderness and a long walk to Beinn Tarsuinn, but this year our plans were a little less ambitious.
Many years ago, we'd climbed Maol Cheann-dearg on a pretty rubbish day, a little bit of snow but mostly just a wet cloud blowing in our faces and no views at all. The forecast we had for the middle of the week was almost unbelievable; from days out, it was suggesting Wednesday would be a calm sunny day after a day and a bit of heavy-ish snow showers. Could we actually get some decent views?
Now most people would just do this as a reasonably straightforward day walk, even in winter. The lure of a couple of nights in a bothy, though, is just too strong to want to rush in and hit the summit. We'd take it a little easier, using Coire Fionnaraich bothy as our base, so we could savour just living in the hills for a few days.
We'd awakened to about 3 inches of completely fresh snow up the glen at Craig, but the road was clear. The landscape was, though, excitingly white! It was a simple 10 minute drive down to the parking by the bridge at Coulags, but quite a lot longer faffing about with lots of gear. As usual, we don't travel light...not only winter walking gear, but with the overnight temperatures expected to be -10C in the glen, plenty of coal and our warmest gear was also in the packs. Plus a couple of big logs we'd been given by Simon at Gerry's. Yet even that weight didn't stop Steve and I bringing the entertainment too; my guitar and his banjo. Poor Nigel...
Many readers will be familiar with the walk in, leaving the road just across the bridge. For some reason, we took an extra little loop path before the farm "bypass" but it looks better in the photos than just a driveway!
Its a fairly easy walk in, with just a couple of hundred metres of ascent, but the bags were heavy enough for us to take it nice and easy. Meanwhile, the surroundings were fabulous.
The last couple of days had seen regular snow showers come right down to glen level, and we didn't quite escape the next one as it came down the glen into our faces. The last 20 minutes were in a bit of a damp blizzard, but soon enough the bothy came into view, and the 2.5km carry had been relatively easy.
That night, Steve cooked up his usual curry, we enjoyed time round the stove with a little music, and outside the temperatures plummetted as the skies cleared and the heavens were dotted stars. Later the moon came over the hill and bathed the landscape in shimmering white.
A few drams kept us happy, and we retired to the upper room content and warm enough.
The next day dawned just as the forecast had said. Perfect. Blue skies, a landscape covered in snow, and very little wind. The air was fairly chilly, but the sun had real warmth. Filling up bottles was a bit dicey, as the path and the rocks were somewhat icy! Unfortunately I didn't get the exciting action shot of Steve in a stream that I secretly hoped for
With our big packs emptied of overnight gear, and cinched down to a smaller size as best as possible, we headed up the glen on the excellent stalkers track, until the junction where the hill path heads left and starts climbing. This is a pleasant warm up before the muscles are really needed.
Turning uphill, we followed the zigzags of the stalkers' track, avoiding the icy patches hidden by a sprinkling of pure powder. Steadily we climbed towards the bealach, as the snow got deeper.
The bealach here is a special one, as it marks the point between 3 separate hills, and has some remarkable views. We declared it First Lunch. In front of us, the impressive pyramid of An Ruadh Stac climbed skywards beyond the frozen lochans, whilst to our right, Beinn Damh was standing proud, its head reaching for the sky.
Our way ahead looked quite steep, but also the way the very soft powder was covering the rocks meant each step was a bit of an unknown. First we'd climb to a subsidiary top, before making our way towards the final summit slopes. I took the lead, pleased that, after the previous year's trip had been spent mostly with a painful knee, my joints and fitness were allowing me to break trail. The climb to the first shoulder was mostly straightforward, as long as we watched out for awkward rocks and icy patches under the ankle-deep powder. At times, we were following the distinctive trail of an arctic hare, though why he'd been up to the summit, which has very little vegetation, is anybody's guess. The views as we climbed just got better and better.
Westwards, the magnificent corries of Applecross were now visible, and the saw tooth ridge of the Cuillin soon started to peep over Beinn Bhan.
South, the mountains of Kintail looked far closer than they are.
We reached the shoulder after a steep bit where we thought about getting out the ice axes, but the powder was so soft, covering a million rocks, that you couldn't slide if you tried, and poles were much more useful. The slopes levelled off, and we could see the final summit dome ahead, quite obviously a pile of shattered rocks covered in more powder. Once more, we took in the astonishing vistas of the snow-clad north-west Highlands.
Close by, Fuar Tholl looked superb and Beinn Eighe was a snow-clad ridge of shapely tops. Further away to the west, Bla Bheinn stood proud on Skye. Rum lay afloat on a shimmering golden sea.
After a brief respite from climbing, just as the slopes steepened, the snow deepened. Still of the lightest powder, the climb to the summit was tough, both awkward with feet pushing through the snow onto awkward angled boulders, and strenuous with much energy wasted with each step, trying to find the best footing. Still, it didn't feel like ice axes would help, and there was little risk of needing them to stop a slip. Poles though, were invaluable in just getting me to the top! Steve took the lead, though at times we all chose independent routes.
Finally, the boulder field gave way to better snow, and the summit cairn came into view.
What a contrast from our last visit. A supreme perch in the sky, surrounded on all sides by some of the most spectacular mountains in Britain, whilst to the west the isles lay across shimmering waters. The magnificent fortresses of Torridon dominated the newly opened up views ahead. Here we spent a fair while, just taking it in. And having Second Lunch, of course.
Liathach
Beinn Damh
I don't think it gets much better than this.
Baos Bheinn, Beinn Dearg
Beinn Alligin
The Cuillin
Beinn Damh
Torridon, unsurpassed
Kishorn and Lochcarron
South over Fuar Tholl to the hills above Glenuaig.
Rarely can I remember a better winter summit. Yet the shadows were already longer, and our climb had been much slower than expected due to the softness of the powder, so it was time to retrace our steps. Great care was required on those awkward boulderfields, but at least going down was less energetic than going up, and we made good progress back to the bealach. At times, the snow would fall away in little balls, making lovely little wiggling trails.
The drop off the shoulder to the bealach was awkward for me, the angle enough to exacerbate my dodgy knees, but as long as I took it slowly it was fine, much better than a year ago.
Dropping away from the bealach, we entered the shadows. Without the sun, the cold was noticeable, but it took little time to get down to the glen below. On the way down we met a chap climbing up after work, very fit and fast with the right gear and a tripod, heading up to get sunset photos. They must have been magnificent. Later that night, he passed us on his way down, as we washed up outside the bothy. I reckon he did MCG in about 6 hours from the road; we took 46
The last weary steps brought our temporary home into sight. A truly fabulous day, up there with any we've had over the past 3 decades.
Another great bothy night was had, warmer than the previous one, though the outside temperatures weren't really any different. I think we'd just got more warmth into the building and the stove.
Its always a bit of a wrench to leave a bothy, and we lingered for a morning "set" on the guitar and banjo. Just before midday, we finally loaded up and headed out. Though this trip lacked the wilderness feel of some of our other winter bothies, the sight of the mountains of the Coulin, Torridon, Skye, Kintail and the Fannaichs clad in both snow and sunshine is one that will last forever.
Thanks for reading. Just a couple more and I'm up to date!