Slioch slog

[mark mcc]

I have mixed feelings about this mountain. Have passed it many a time enroute to Gairloch and sat and stared up at it from Loch Maree. It is spectacular, foreboding, almost threatening depending on the weather. It's iconic and frames the lovely Loch Maree perfectly. So eventually, the stars aligned, the forecast perfect, I had no excuses left.

The approach is beautiful, a stroll through oak forests to the lochside up to the bridge. Part of me wished I'd turned back there!
To qualify the rest of this review:
I'm an occasional walker, lucky enough to live in the Highlands but so busy I rarely get a chance to get up the hills. Last few years I'd done the Mullardoch Munroes, Mam Sodhail, interspersed with Ben Wyvis as its so close. Done some rock climbing, Tower Ridge, Weeping Wall in Glencoe, Buachaille Etive Mòr. So I'm not completely green but could be a lot fitter for my 54 yrs.

After the bridge, in fact even before the bridge, the path is rough which should have been a warning of what to expect. As I climbed up by the river, the path grew steadily worse. Indistinct and encouraging people to spread out and widen the erosion, as it got steeper, it got worse. When I made it to the coire it flattened out a little but the beautiful mosses and lichens were at the mercy of the lack of a determined route. Up past the lochans on the exposed shoulder, the path was so eroded, it was like climbing up a sand castle, with little holds and plenty of loose scree and sand, it wasn't fun.
On reaching the summit, my negativity fell away, like the views around me. A wonderful feeling to be on the summit of this gorgeous mountain. After drinking in the views, and a quick lunch, I continued round the ridge and started the long descent. Once again, from the ridge, there is a sort of path but it takes you down over terrible terrain. It would be better to stay left on the lesser gradient and walk back round than take this route. Eventually I reached the head of the coire and retraced my steps only to step on a large rock that turned under my foot and sent me flying. I was lucky just to graze my knee, taking most of the impact on my hands. Being so dry, the rock was loose in its bed of peat and would have happened anywhere but it darkened my mood for this terrible path on such a beautiful, popular, iconic mountain. Trailing gingerly back down, dodging frogs and delicate butterflies, watching a Golden Eagle hunt on the ridge above Kinlochewe near the car park, I was delighted I'd conquered Slioch but I wont return. Some of the Mullardoch Munroes have very little in the way of paths, you expect that and you make your own way up the streams or ridges but this is Slioch for goodness sake, the car park was full and there were probably 40- 50 people climbing it that day. If there was ever a mountain that needed a proper path.