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I've got a bit used to seeing eagles every time I set foot on a hill in Assynt and around, so I had half an eye out for one on Canisp at the beginning of May. As it turned out, we did indeed see one, but this time it was far in the distance and only just discernible through the binoculars.
Canisp hadn't been particularly on my immediate list, but E suggested it and I was happy to go along with his suggestion. It's not so long since we'd walked in from Glenmore Lodge to climb Suilven, and I'd walked between the hills from Ledmore some years ago, so yeah, why not go up Canisp?
From Ledmore, Canisp had given me the impression of a sleeping lion, or a sphinx, viewed from behind, its back curved and its lowered head out of sight. From the A837, it wasn't really reminiscent of anything except a big, friendly lump.
001 Canisp and Quinag from the A837 I have a kind of fondness for Canisp, as though it has some kind of grace or modesty that lets Suilven steal the stage. Walking Canisp was to experience it another way - as the best seat in the house, but also as a calm, quiet hill with its own surprises, the quartzy slabs that I hadn't anticipated (and clearly hadn't read about - though I have now!)
But I'm getting ahead of myself. First of all was the walk down to the footbridge over Loch Awe's outflow. I could hear a greenshank calling, and the edge of the loch was animated now and then with a flurry of wing as we approached. The footbridge is too far away though to really get a good view, so any waders there were going to be left in peace by us.
002 Loch Awe with greenshank calling On we went, not really sticking to any path, as it seemed to come and go, but tripping over loads of lousewort all in bright and cheerful flower.
004 Lots of lousewort today 006 Cladonia coccifera or madame's cup lichen007 Butterwort underway Soon we came to the distinctive quartz pavement, which was bone dry today, and picked up some summer visitor company in the form of a wheatear.
008 Slabby quartz with BMA beyond 009 Wheatear Until the cloud burnt off and while it was still hanging in the valleys, only the tops of Assynt's nearby hills were on view for a change. Fantastic to watch Cul Mor gradually reveal itself and dwarf Stac Polleidh in the process!
011 Good morning for Cul Mor inversion 012 Cul Mor and Stac Polleidh 014 Cul Mor and Stac Polleidh - less cloud Other neighbouring hills started to come into view as we rose, but until we got to the bealach, the star of the show was still hidden behind Canisp's rounded flank.
015 An Teallach through the haze Under foot it was lovely. We'll probably be back bashing through the tussocks of Galloway this weekend, so we were fair wallowing in the pleasure of just taking it easy on this dry, grassy, stony ground today!
017 Easy grassy bouldery ascentAnd then - ta-daah - here was Suilven in all its extraordinary glory. The view stopped us in our tracks. It really does make a superb sudden and grandiose appearance, so we stopped for a little while to drink it in.
018 Suilven star of the show Beyond the bealach, the ground steepened, and the views to the north opened up again. It took me a while to realise we were looking at Ben Stack, because I suppose I'm used to seeing it as a pointy pap rather than from this angle. But it was a good clear morning for views all around. The forecast was for it to much cloudier than this, and for it to get even more so and start raining in an hour or so. We were being lucky.
019 Ben Stack - Arkle - Foinaven to north 021 Canisp - Quinag - Arkle - Glas Bheinn 022 Canisp to Glas Bheinn pano 024 E with Suilven and Coigach We were also being lucky to have the hill pretty much to ourselves. There was one other walker, who'd stopped near to us for a cuppa at the first main cairn, but he seemed quite happy after that to follow behind us at an out-of-earshot distance. Most folk overtake us, so that was a bit of a surprise. He was also stopping to take photos, and so I took advantage of 'person-for-scale' myself.
029 Cam Loch and Ullapool hills behind030 From Canisp lumpy back to Cul Mor Ben Wyvis came into view to the south, and after a short stretch of rockier ground, the summit cairns appeared.
031 SE to Ben Wyvis 032 Summit shelter cairn to Quinag and FoinavenI'd happily have spent a fair while up here with lunch and views, but we were expecting it to start pouring with rain, and didn't fancy sliding our way down on steep wet grass. So it was a quick indulge at the top, a peer down to the Glencanisp path to Lochinver, and then a descent to the Suilven-view bealach before the sandwiches came out.
033 Suilven and Loch na Gainimh from cairn 034 E on top of Canisp 036 Looking back NE to BMA 037 NW track towards Lochinver 038 Suilven bothy 039 Quinag 040 Arkle and Foinaven ridge On the way down, there was a sudden whirring commotion, and this handsome fellow landed, for a bit of a strut about.
041 Proud ptarmigan Apart from him, and a wary stag far below us...
044 Young stag down below ..., I thought that was about it for the day. People had started heading up as we were coming down, and as I looked back up the hill to watch them on their ascents, there it was, a soaring golden eagle. Not the closer encounter we've been treated too so often lately, so I hoped that whoever was underneath it this time was looking up too.
045 Looking up at walker for scale 046 Walker and golden eagle aboveWhat was a bit frustrating though was the weather. No rain, no need to rush off. It was just gorgeous!
047 Weather still good on descent A good walk, unless Lochinver or Ledmore approaches are on the cards. For me, it was a nice surprise to walk Canisp from this angle. Not a route I'd have particularly gone for, but a good short one that I enjoyed.
048 Canisp - the white hill