It's a miracle I still have the use of my knees and ankles!

[Graeme D]

It was Day 3 of my week away with Luna. Day 3 of what was meant to be a 4 day Munro fest topped off with a few lesser hills at the weekend WH meet near Roybridge. After Tuesday and yesterday, the Munro total stood at a solitary single Munro. Yesterday was supposed to have been The Saddle and Sgurr na Sgine but after the 12 hour exertions of Tuesday, I figured we could both do with a day off and so spent it doing the Corbett Sgurr Mhic Bharraich over a mere 4 and a bit hours. My last two Kintail Munros could wait until Thursday as I had already decided that a big route into upper Glen Affric to bag the Alltbeithe Three was off the agenda for this week. But Thursday dawned in a haze of midgies over the Shiel Bridge campsite and Luna seemed to be limping a bit. It was a recurrence of a regular injury she seems to pick up to her right rear pad after a big hill day. It didn't look torn as it sometimes does but it seemed quite red and tender and she seemed to be holding it up on and off when walking. I pondered my options as I fought off the midge onslaught and got packed up before sitting in the car for about 20 minutes with the blowers going full tilt!

There weren't too many acceptable options within easy driving distance and I was drawn to the two Kylerhea Grahams that had been in my line of sight on the ascent up the east ridge of Beinn a'Chapuill 48 hours previously. My initial plan for this week had centred entirely on Skye so at least this way I was getting to Skye, even if it was just two modest hills tucked away on the southern fringes of the island barely a stone's throw from the bridge rather than some of the squeeky bum routes of the Black Cuillin.

I negotiated the steady stream of camper vans past Eilean Donan Castle and through Kyle of Lochalsh, trying not to think to much about the tortuous drive I had endured along the A87 between Kyleakin and Broadford on my last visit to the island. This time, the road from the bridge as far as the turn off into Glenn Arroch was surprisingly empty and one or two major potholes on the Glen Arroch minor road aside, I made straightforward progress to the parking area at Bealach Udal, the high point of the road before it drops back down through Kylerhea Glen to meet the Glenelg ferry.

Start point at Bealach Udal below the craggy southern features of Sgurr na Coinnich

I was still unsure about Luna's state of fitness but when I opened up the boot and unbolted her crate, she bounded out and on up the tarmac road without a second thought. I was also undecided about whether to go for the two Grahams to my right or the former Graham, Ben Aslak, to my left. I got as far as the start of the track off towards the communications mast that would be the access point for Ben Aslak and headed that way. Luna was showing no signs of her previously sore pad bothering her and so after about ten paces along the track towards Aslak, I turned around, crossed the road and took to the extremely rough, pathless slopes on the other side.

Ben Aslak from Bealach Udal

It was a warm day again and the appearance after about 15 minutes of toiling up the slopes of a little lochan that does not seem to appear on any maps was a pleasant surprise which Luna took full advantage of, as is her style.

It doesn't appear on the map but Luna doesn't care about that!

Ben Aslak from the secretive lochan

Refreshed (Luna from her swim, me from a wee breather while I watched her try to figure out where the stones I lobbed in had gone), we carried on up the rough, reasonably angled slopes as the views east across to the mainland opened up.

Across Glenelg Bay to Kintail and whence I came

Sgurr na Coinnich

Glenelg Bay beyond Kylerhea Glen and Beinn Buidhe

At least this lochan was shown on my map!

Across the not so secretive lochan to Ben Aslak and the Sleat Peninsula beyond

It was now the views in the other direction, north up the Inner Sound and across the various scattered satellite islands of Skye that took centre stage.

Broadford Bay, Scalpay, Pabay and Longay

The Crowlin Islands and the Inner Sound between Raasay and the Applecross Peninsula

The Bridge

A final pull soon brought me to the cylindrical trig point that marked the summit of Sgurr na Coinnich, the eye drawn immediately to the scree strewn form of Beinn na Caillich to the north across a not insignificant drop.

Luna once again beats me to a summit!

North to the next objective

Luna, the Old Woman and Loch Alsh

The August winds were fair whipping across the summit so we didn't waste too much time in making tracks down to the surprisingly low looking bealach below Beinn na Caillich. The Peak of the Old Woman, it is apparently named after a Norse Princess who, according to legend, barred the Kyleakin Narrows with a chain to collect taxes from passing seafarers.

It's a fair drop down to the bealach

No tourist routes around here!

Still dropping height

I couldn't perceive any sign of an obvious path up the scree slopes of Caillich so just took to what I thought looked like a manageable line. Looks can be deceiving though and it wasn't long before I was scrabbling about and grabbing handfuls of heather to pull myself up the rough slopes.

Back to Sgurr na Coinnich from the not so easy ascent of Beinn na Caillich

Past the worst of it

I eventually did pick up a path of sorts when the gradient eased a bit and was soon atop the Old Woman and enjoying her views the length of Loch Alsh and beyond.

Glenelg Bay

Loch Alsh, Kyle, Plockton, Loch Carron, Loch Kishorn and the Applecross Peninsula

Luna done good - taking a well earned summit breather

Sgurr na Coinnich and Ben Aslak from the sprawling summit cairn

Standard thinking seems to suggest that to return to the Bealach Udal from here, it's a case of retrace steps back over Sgurr na Coinnich. I decided that was definitely not going to happen. Instead I dropped due south, finding an actual path in the process, to the broad, flat saddle between Beinn Buidhe and Sgurr na Coinnich, where any trace of a path vanished. From there, I dropped into the coire south of Sgurr na Coinnich from where I could descend south west towards the road.

Across Beinn Buidhe and Glenelg Bay to a cloud shrouded Beinn a'Chapuill

That plan sounded perfectly straightforward in theory and initially this seemed to be the case. The descent through the coire though turned out to be utterly hellish, very possibly one of the most unpleasant experiences of my entire existence. The photos don't begin to do justice to just how horrific it was!

This looks OK but it was hillwalking hell!

I went over a few times, actually not too often considering how awful the terrain was. It felt like I could go over at any time, and that any time could result in a broken ankle or twisted knee. How I didn't end up hospitalised before getting anywhere near the road is nothing short of a miracle.

Kylerhea Glen and the Glenelg Ferry mid-crossing - what I wouldn't give to be on that ferry right now!

The final hundred metres or so down to the road was probably the worst section of the whole descent and at one point I did go over quite badly and injured my dodgy left knee which has been giving me trouble ever since an ill judged sliding tackle attempt in the rain at football training back in May. I was concerned I had done some major damage to it but once I was on the tarmac the discomfort vanished and I thanked my lucky starts that I had escaped hell unscathed.

I have never been so glad to see a stretch of tarmac at the end of a hill day!

[zatapathique]

Wow, that descent sounds nightmarish! Good to hear that your knees, legs, ankles and other body parts are fine. Then knees in particular are my biggest fear. I have a friend who has had problems with the cartilege in his knees since his twenties. His approaching 50 now and has even trouble cycling now, which still used to be ok until recently...

[aaquater]

Sure enough, that final descent to the road may look simple on a map, but can be quite tricky lower down. It was April when I did that, and I remember being glad the foliage hadn't really grown yet, so I could see where I was stepping. Still one of the most memorable places I've been to, though - and not in the negative sense.