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This is the continuation of my week or so away on my own with the aim of finishing off my second round of Grahams. I've now whittled it down to one remaining, Beinn Ghobhlaich. I've chosen probably my favourite Clash single to be this report's soundtrack - I remember buying the single the Saturday it came out in September 1977. Almost a century ago - who'd have thought it
Anyway, it's lunchtime, Wednesday July 12th and I've just walked back in from a circuit in the Letterewe Forest. Back at the car I get rid of my big pack and drive off to fill up at the garage. As I'm pumping diesel I look at th cafe menu - I'm tempted by vegan sausages on a roll, but I can't really be bothered with the hassle of ordering and waiting, so I pay for my fuel and drive along the road to Bridge of Grudie where I park up and have lunch - exciting instant noodles - yum
I'm here for Beinn a'Chearcaill and it looks like I won't be getting much of a view from the tremendous observatory today as the clouds are down on the mountaintops - Slioch is only half visible and I think that the German tourist who's stopped next to me to take a photo doesn't know what she's missing.
1. Beinn a'Chearcaill. 12.5km 700m asc 4 hours 15
Just the standard route up this hill today. I'm sure you could join it up with Meall a'Ghuithais but it wouldn't be worth the hassle. I manage to find the start of the path this time rather than wallowing about in the undergrowth, and make swift progress along the track, interrupted every so often by gushing streams. At the large cairn marker I turn up to the right, into Coire Briste, and arrive at the cairn-marked little lochan. From here you essentially follow the path of the stream up towards the summit. there is sometimes a bit of a path, sometimes only deer tracks. I stand on a wobbly rock crossing a stream and slip into the water - now I have one wet foot. I continue up into the clag, round several small craggy sections and eventually end up on the sandstone pavement of the summit. The views are meh because of the clag, but I've seen them on a better day so I don't care too much. Nuts and fruit crammed into my mouth, I set off back down the way I've come up, returning to the car at around 4pm. Now for the final one...
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Al, on Flickr
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I'd decided that I might as well stay at Badralloch Campsite - it would be after 5pm when I got there and I couldn't be bothered setting off to try and find a spot on the hill itself. e'd stayed there a couple of times - first on Midsummer 2014 when we completed our Munros and then again the last time we did Ghobhlaich, probably 2016. I recall it being up for sale at that time.
When I got there the gate was locked with a heavy duty chain and there was a notice saying to phone the campsite number. Fortunately there's good phone signal and I spoke to the chap who gave me the price (£13 for the night) and the code to get through the gate. A couple of other tents and vans onsite, I quickly pitched and decided I'd just go up Ghobhlaich now as rain was forecast later this evening and tomorrow. I grabbed a handful of ginger nuts and started off walking from the campsite.
2. Beinn Ghobhlaich 11k 690m asc 3 hours
I had decided I would just go up the hill the quickest route and hoped this would give me a chance of getting a clear and dry summit for my completion. Some hope! There are some new buildings going up at the end of the public road, one in particular seems to have imported an enormous amount of concrete and stone. Can't have been much fun getting the supply lorry up here. There is a parking area at the end of the road, so I could have shortened my walk, but why bother...The track along the coast is a good one and I was able to move rapidly. I got to the cairn marker and started up the steep flank, then onto the grassy channel which has some evidence of path on it, but also runs the same direction as an underground stream which has many "holes" that it would be easy to step into hidden in the heather. Care is required! The runnel levels out at 300m and reveals the mountain top - and the large lochans that sit at its feet. There was just a wisp of cloud sitting on the summit, and as I worked my way anticlockwise around the lochan even that lifted. Was I actually going to be lucky tonight?
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Al, on Flickr
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I pressed on quickly, not stopping to fill up my water bottle, not stopping to snack. I made a bee line for the steep grassy slope that heads to the summit ridge and powered my way up. Onto the last section, over sandstone layers. I'm all of three minutes away from the summit when the clag comes down and the rain starts
Initially I'm furious, but then I laugh to myself and think that all my completions are going to be in clag and rain, so why not just go with the flow. It is the first time I've completed any round on my own, and I don't stand on ceremony - just a quick photo at the summit shelter and I turn round and begin the descent. Of course the rain stops almost immediately, although the clag seemed to sit there more tenaciously. As I walk down the slope I can see shafts of sunlight penetrate the clouds over Loch Broom, and the sun itself peer through the clouds over to the west. Might even be a nice sunset tonight.
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Al, on Flickr
Round Two done
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Al, on Flickr
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I return to the campsite, where a few more campers have arrived and make my Huel dinner. It's nice enough to sit outside to eat it and I have a whole tent wafer biscuit to myself after the Huel. Well that's Round Two done - now I can say that I'm on my third round without having to add a caveat about having some of round two left as well. After my meal I head off for a lovely hot shower and feel clean for the first time in a week - hopefully also wash some of the ticks off
More rain overnight, but I sleep quite well.
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Al, on Flickr
Now that I've achieved my target of getting R2 done I have freedom to do whatever. Still thinking "efficiency" I think I'll head up to Beinn an Eoin and Stac Pollaidh tomorrow, via Tesco to stock up with a couple of lunches. Then? Ideally I'd go up to Laxford Bridge and do Ben Stack and the three further east, but it doesn't look like the weather will be obliging enough for that. We'll see. I get away at 8am and drive round to the A835, stopping off in Ullapool Tesco as planned. There's not a great choice for vegan lunches but I get something. Then along to the Achiltibuie road. It's been raining quite a lot and I think I should leave Pollaidh until the rocks have had a chance to dry off. I'm I two minds about this as I know I might struggle to get parked there later in the day, but safety is safety. So Beinn an Eoin first it is.
3. Beinn an Eoin 10k, 680m asc 3 hours
No problems parking for this one - I walk down the road to the gorse guarded path to the gate in the deer fence. Very wet underfoot. I know there's a river crossing to get onto the saddle of Eoin and hope that will be ok - I haven't brought my water shoes. The path leads clearly to the spot to cross - there's a tiny island wit a birch tree on it to use as a halfway crossing point and I manage over with dry feet despite the surging river.
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Al, on Flickr
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Then I make for the saddle - using a small group of trees as a waypoint. Deerpaths abound but don't always go the way you want. Onto the back of the hill and its an easy lope up to the summit - only 619m this one It was only a few weeks ago we sat up here in the evening looking at the surrounding peaks, particularly Fhidhleir and here I am again. I dig my belay jacket out of my pack and sit for a leisurely lunch, just looking. I make my way back - you've guessed it - the same way I came up. Seems to be a bit of a recurring theme this week. I meet a chap with a map case just after I've re-crossed the river and tell him about the options to cross. Then back to the car and a few miles further along the road to the Stac P car park. I manage to get the only remaining space, beside an ancient Belgian Volvo and prepare to set off.
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Al, on Flickr
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4. Stac Pollaidh. 4k 525m asc 2 hours
The hill is busy - is it ever anything else - families, tourists, a very aged couple coming down the steps. Most folk are doing an anticlockwise circuit. The ground is much wetter than it was a few weeks ago when we came up at the end of our holiday, me quaking with fearful anticipation at how I was going to maybe fail to get up to the summit. Today there's none of that - I convinced myself it was easy enough and that I can do it. t doesn't even occur to me that today's the 13th, whereas last time I was invoking all manner of unlucky numerology. I get to the north side of the mountain and see the gully I need to head up. No-one else around this section and - of course - the clag comes down just for me. Welcome it! I haul myself up the steep sandstone ledges and arrive at the block. Removing my pack and poles I step down to my left where the "squeeze" route is and begin to climb up. It's alright, the rock is dry and grippy and the hand holds are good. I make my way along to the summit - this is my 100th Third Round Graham. I suspect no-one else has finished their second round one day and celebrated 100 on their third the next, but that's the wonderful world of weasel for you
I take a couple of claggy pictures from the cairn and make my way back down. That wasn't quite as easy or elegant as I did it last time - I got into a bit of a ankle trying to turn around to face the rock midway through the descent, something I'd managed easily the last time, and gracelessly lowered myself down facing outwards. But at least I was down. I headed gingerly down the wet stone of the cleft and more easily down the track back to the car
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Al, on Flickr
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Number 100
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By this time it's only about 3.30pm Having rechecked the forecast it doesn't look good enough to warrant going further north so I take up plan B, which is to do Meall Dubh, across from Beinn Dearg and the two Amhaichean Grahams at Inchbae. Trouble is that they're too long to do all in one day. Could I do Meall Dubh tonight? I certainly don't feel like doing another 14k route after my earlier exertions, but then again it is a nice late afternoon, a dry evening is promised and the route's mostly track. Let's just go for it - efficiency, remember...
5. Meall Dubh 16km 700m asc Longer than it should have been!
I drive down the road to Inverlael where there are still a few cars in the walkers car park. In other circumstances I might have taken the tent and high camped tonight but the would still leave me too many kms tomorrow. So on with the day pack again and off into the forest. The last time I'd been here we'd been on the Cape Wrath Trail, had found a dodgy spot ridden with ticks to camp by the river and taken in Meall Dubh the next day before continuing to the lovely Glen Douchary. Across the bridge and into the forestry tracks. When you are tired mistakes get made and somehow I missed the turn for the track I wanted to be on. I passed some giant concrete pipes which I didn't remember from my last visit...because I'm on the wrong path... I look at the route and almost resign myself to walk the kilometre back to the turning I should have taken - the forestry around here looks dense and impenetrable. However I see what once might have been a firebreak and plunge into the undergrowth. It's about 50m of ascent through hell to reach the higher path - the trees hold so much water from the earlier rain that within no time I'm soaked to the skin. Some of the tree branches are so close together that it requires enormous strength to force my way through but eventually I burst out of the undergrowth and stand panting on the track. Being soaked is actually quite refreshing and I know my clothes will dry quickly.
if you see these, you're going wrong
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Al, on Flickr
wet and refreshed!
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Al, on Flickr
I continue on the proper track and take the cairn marked turn up towards the gate at the edge of the forest. Not that many muddy bootprints on the wet clay of the track - since this is supposedly the main CWT route I'm surprised - maybe everyone heads to Ullapool and joins the track from there - which is really breaking the trail. And they miss out on Glen Douchary too. Anyway, I'm grateful for the track and make reasonable progress up towards the base of the hill. There's an ATV and a fuel tank just before a river crossing that I don't remember - water level must be higher today than it was back then. Anyway the hillside is soaking and it takes ages to gain any height but I keep plugging away and in the end I get to the summit plateau with the lochan and make my way over to the cairn.
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Al, on Flickr
Meall Dubh
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It's a beautiful evening now, the play of light and cloud on the surrounding mountains is entrancing. I have a choc bar and could sit for hours just watching the chiaroscura on so many of my favourite hills, but it's quarter past 7 and I've still got to get down then find somewhere to pitch the tent. Another later dinner is in store! I aim for the ATV and am back at the track more quickly than on the way up. As I return to the forest track I make another error - thinking I just need to keep going straight along the track til I reach the turn at the end I miss the turn I should have taken once again and find myself having to add on another kilometre at least to the evening's walk. At least I'm going downhill
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Al, on Flickr
I get back to the car somewhat later than I'd hoped and decide to use one of the spots we often take when up this way - it's just a few miles south. No-one else around - apart from some inquisitive midges - and I get the tent up quickly and die inside to have my meal in peace from the insect pests. There's a fiery sunset behind me - it's almost 10pm and still beautifully light.
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Al, on Flickr
In the morning I'm up quite early and drive down to Inchbae for what I've decided will be the last hills of this trip. It's Friday but the forecast for Saturday isn't good and I've run out of dry socks...
6 & 7. Carn Loch nan Amhaichean & Beinn nan Eun 26km 930m asc 7 hours 30
We did these hills first time from this starting point, then did a bigger circuit last year from Glen Glass which included Meall Mor and some of Wyvis. I probably preferred the route from the east, but that would be too long for one day. There's parking immediately to the north of the bridge by the beginning of the track. It's a good surface - some mobile forest operations are going on at present but nothing to prevent access. Cloud was down, making views to the Strath Vaich hills patchy. The track enters farmland with sheep dotted around and continues on to Strathrannoch farm where one leaves the good track and takes a footpath into Coire Rhainich, following then crossing the Allt onto the grassy flank of Amhaichean. There's about 300m of soggy ground to climb until the cairn is reached. The wind was suddenly has a nip to it, the drizzle and clag don't help the joy of the day. I can't even see the next hill from up here but I know it's quite a way off. Grumpily I descend the northern shoulder of Amhaichean and see the eponymous loch below, which I'll be walking round to the north. I want to keep a bit of height though, as there's a river crossing between teh two hills that's better taken higher up. I note a rocky outcrop at the far end of the loch and make for this - it's at just the right elevation to get me across the river without any trouble.
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Al, on Flickr
Amhaichean
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Al, on Flickr
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Navigational rocks and Beinn nan Eun
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Al, on Flickr
this part of the walk is a slog - tussocks, peat hags, wet stuff...teh conditions don't help. I stop for lunch hoping that will perk me up and then head up Beinn nan Eun, which I can now make out most of through the clag. The summit is reached, the views are nil and I follow my footsteps back the way I've come, again using the rocky outcrop for navigation. This time I continue past the shoulder of Amhaichean and descend into Coire Rhainich where I pick up a sort of path taking me back to the river and then to the good track past the farm. As I tramp the last few miles my feet are a little sore and I know it's the right decision to head home today.
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Al, on Flickr
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Weather on the journey down deteriorates after I pass Perth, with heavy rain and lots of surface water, but the traffic is fairly light and I'm home in the 4 hours 4 minutes my travel app predicted.
