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Back in March 2023 I thought my hill climbing days were over, I developed a serious back condition that meant I could barely walk. However, thanks to Mr Hassan and his team at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Birmingham I was given a second chance and I was not going to waste it.
Roll on to May 2024, and after surgery; months of physio; and strengthening exercises, I was nervous but ready. I piled all my kit into the car and headed a very long way north. I had to stop off on the way for a few scenic breaks such as the iconic view along the Destitution Road towards the mighty An Teallach, before finally reaching my destination at Gruinard Bay.
Destitution Road by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
Out came the bike, and on went the big rucksack that was as light as I could make it (well, you have to take at least a couple of beers with you on trips like this...). I set off down the rough track heading into the wilderness of Fisherfield.
An adventure begins... by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
Home for the night was my backpacking tent on the southern end of Loch Sealga, and I had the place all to myself – and what a place! The view towards my intended targets was something else, the only sounds I could here were birdsong and the wind, and there were hardly any midges!
A view from a tent by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
The following morning I was up as soon as there was enough light to see, and after a quick breakfast I set off along the western shore of the loch. The sky was cloudless and there was a touch of mist over the water. The path was faint but discernible, sometimes close to the shoreline, other times higher up the hillside. To my left the bulk of An Teallach reared up, ahead was Beinn a Chlaidheimh, and getting closer on my right were the twin Corbetts Beinn Dearg Mor and Bheag.
First light at Loch na Sealga by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
I had seen Beinn Dearg Mor and Bheag many times but had somehow never managed to climb them. I had climbed An Teallach four times, and had bypassed them twice to climb the Fisherfield Six. Each time I had looked across or up at the sharply pointed Beinn Dearg Mor, with its’ sheer sandstone cliffs and towers, thinking to myself ‘One day...’, and finally that day had come.
At a point where a burn meets the loch I turned up hill, climbing rough pathless grass past huge boulders heading for the corrie. As is often the case the going got steeper until I reached the lip of the corrie, and then it flattened out to provide a brief respite as I passed the small lochan and headed for the back wall. The climb out was on steep grass but thankfully was also reasonably short up to the col where it was a relief to have a welcome shelf of Sandstone to walk on.
Beinn Dearg Beag by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
It had been so long since I was last on a hill I was still unsure of my stamina and capabilities, so just in case the main prize had to be climbed first. From the col it is a steady but steep ascent on good ground, and as I was to discover the summit of Beinn Dearg Mor is plainly visible from a long way off at the top of a tower at the western end of a sheer-sided ridge.
The view is a genuinely awe-inspiring place, sheer cliffs that fall almost straight down the whole way to the valley floor almost 3000 feet below; sandstone towers and pinnacles; and of course, the view across to An Teallach on the other side of Loch na Sealga. This was a summit to be savoured as it was so spectacular, and because this climb could very easily have never happened – it was quite an emotional experience to be here.
View from Beinn Dearg Mor by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
A long way down... by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
Eventually it was time to go, back down to the col. On reaching it I was feeling good, so straight up the other side onto Beinn Dearg Bheag. This was an easier climb, steadily rising on gentler slopes but once again the views were very special.
On Beinn Dearg Beag by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
Beinn Dearg Beag Panorama by
Clive Griffiths, on Flickr
The sun had fully risen by now and it became apparent that this was going to be hot work walking out again, but fortunately the way back was interspersed with a number of streams where I could dunk my head in the cold water to cool off a bit.
When I eventually reached my campsite at the end of the loch, I was in for a nasty surprise. In what must have been the last few yards of my cycle in, the side wall of my back tyre was ripped open and the inner tube was torn. I then discovered that my pump had also broken somehow, so even if I replaced the inner-tube I had no way to inflate it. Nothing for it, a long trudge out pushing a knackered bike – but it had been so worth it!
The moral of the story - I suppose there are three. 1. Never take your health for granted, it could be gone in an instant. 2. If you are given an opportunity, grab it with both hands as you may not get another chance. 3. One life, live it!
