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I was up in Scotland from late August this year and I saw a very favourable weather forecast starting on Wednesday 18 Sep, with exceptional weather for several days ahead. Originally I was heading for Skye, but I decided that I needed to take advantage of the forecast and use the time for a longer trip.
I had researched the Mullardoch Round of 12 and seen the advantage of getting all of them done in one go, but it is a long arduous trip and I am only just over a month away from my 70th birthday now. Another issue is the time of year. I normally come to Scotland in May and September, and in May you get around 17 hours of daylight, but only just over 12 hours now in September. Should I wait until next May? No, this forecast is too good - I’m going now!
On Wednesday 18th I set off early after sleeping in my car near the dam. I headed for the south end of the dam, as I wanted to do it clockwise. The road is padlocked shut at the bridge so no parking up by the dam, instead a 50mtr climb up the road on foot to get to the dam.
I knew the first uphill section was going to be tough, especially with a full pack. I had packed too much food, as I didn’t know how long it was going to take me, but at least the weather was forecast good for several days. Up a short track past a building then head off track in the general direction of the first summit. I saw a deer fence gate so went through that and 20 minutes later through another gate. All the while it was very boggy, heathery and spongy ground. This was some of the worst ground I had been on. When you emerged from the trees I made sure I kept to the east of the All Fraoche-choire, but the ground was still very heathery and boggy. Three times one of my legs suddenly went into a deep hole, very alarming but no damage just wetness.
I just headed for the bealach to the east of the first Munro Toll Creagach, where the ground firmed up and no more heather, then west to the summit. It was a relief to get that ascent behind me.
After a short rest I headed over on much more amenable ground to Tom a Choinnich.
![Tom a Choinich 18 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Summit of Tom a Choinich
Through the afternoon I kept going towards Carn Eighe, and that seemed to go on for a long time with several ups and downs. I knew there was a water spring on the west side of the mountain, but after feasting on the great views, I dropped down the north ridge of Carn Eighe and dumped my rucksack at the bealach before ascending Beinn Fhionnlaidh. That was the easiest ascent on the trip, but what a view of most of Loch Mullerdoch from the top.
![Beinn Fhionnlaidh 18 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Loch Mullardoch from Beinn Fhionnlaidh
After regaining my rucksack I quickly found the spring on the bypass path that skirts round the west side of Carn Eighe.
![Carn Eighe 18 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Carn Eighe with Mam Sodhail behind
My 2 litre water supply from the start was gone, so I drank a litre straight down and refilled 2 litres for later. It was time for me to find a spot to put my tent up near Mam Sodhail. I headed towards the summit and stopped about 100 mtrs short and pitched my tent on a sloping site, as the light was fading after 7pm. There was a wonderful red glow all along the horizon at sundown with the Cuilins showing very clear, but after that I didn’t have a great night as I kept sliding downhill.
![Cuilin Ridge 18 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Sunset over the distant Cuillin Ridge
Next day I set off around 7.00am and did the short 100 mtrs to the summit of Mam Sodhail and got some photos of the sunrise by the huge summit cairn. The light just hitting the hill summits was superb.
![Ben Nevis 19 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Ben Nevis in a sea of mountains at dawn
I wanted to top up more water soon and I had read of a source SW of Mam Sodhail. I dropped down off the path to some minor springs just N of Point 1108. It was only a trickle but I got another litre and then contoured round W to rejoin the path. The route to An Socach was fine, with a stop required to photograph a ptarmigan close to the path.
![Ptarmigan 19 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Female ptarmigan
Now you faced the tall imposing mountain Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan. I seemed to lose a bit of time in this section, although I did stop once more for water at the bealach between Stob Coire na Cloiche and Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan, dropping down a bit to the south of the bealach.
After the slog up Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan I took a rest and tried to stay in any available wind as deer flies were becoming a real pest. They kept landing on the back of my neck and feasting on my sweat. I met a retired teacher up there and he warned me that the next section was slow going until after Carn na Con Dhu, due to its rocky nature.
I can confirm that it was a bit tortuous, but it did improve as you approached Mullach na Dheiragain. The deer flies were terrible along here as the wind had dried up, so I renamed the mountain Mullach na Deerfliesagain. I had to decide where to camp as it was around 6pm on that summit. I wanted to stay high as I expected an inversion in the morning. I didn’t want to continue to the loch end and camp there, as I would be in the inversion rather than above it, so I camped by a couple of little lochans just NE of Mullach Sithidh on nice level ground.
![Beinn Alligin 19 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Beinn Alligin (in distance) from Mullach nan Dheiragain
It was another night of not great sleep as I could feel deer flies crawling on my back under my clothing. Next morning I removed ten of them from there, so by now I was hating them badly.
On the third morning I quickly saw the inversion on Loch Mullardoch as I descended next to the Allt Cam.
![Inversion Loch Mullardoch 20 Sep 24a.jpg]()
- Inversion over Loch Mullardoch
![Inversion Loch Mullardoch 20 Sep 24b.jpg]()
- More inversion
I had another water refill there and continued down mostly off path until I reached the top of the inversion. By looking at the slope opposite I estimated that the clouds were around 300 meters thick above the loch. I saw a lovely fog bow as I entered the clouds.
![Fog Bow Loch Mullardoch 20 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Fog bow on was down from Mullach nan Dheiragain
Suddenly I was in a different world, which was cold, wet and the ground was littered with dew-soaked spider webs. I wished the spiders luck in catching loads of deer flies, no other insects just deer flies.
![Spiders Web Loch Mullardoch 20 Sep 24.jpg]()
- One of thousands of spiders' webs under the inversion
The river crossing was easy enough. I mostly went rock to rock and ran through a short section where the rocks were just under the surface. Then I started the slog up to An Socach. I never found a path in the lower section (there may not be one), so it was another squelchy yomp uphill, but at least no heather. My ageing legs were struggling somewhat on this ascent after all I had done so far and I definitely lost time here. It was a great relief to get to the top of An Socach. I got more water on the way up at 800mtrs altitude from some streams just south of the path in Coire Lungard.
I now knew that I definitely was not going to get all the way round by the end of the third day, so I settled on camping on the rounded ridge up near the summit of An Riabhachan, and then maybe see another inversion next morning!
The section between An Socach and An Riabhachan was tremendous, with its airy ridges and rocky steps. This then led to a very broad ridge and the summit of An Riabhachan. I easily found a nice flat area and pitched up for a third night, no longer bothered by the flies as the wind was stronger. I used my earplugs this night as the tent was flapping a bit and I had my best night’s sleep on the trip.
![An Riabhachan 20 Sep 24.jpg]()
- Torridon mountains from An Riabhachan at sunset
Next morning I was rewarded with a sensational inversion again, and this time I could see it over Glen Cannich and also over Glen Strathfarrar, as well as even further afield. I was surrounded by it. Walking off along the ridge was a sheer joy as I could watch the inversion show and I knew I was close to the finish line.
![Inversion Strathfarrar 21 Sep 24a.jpg]()
- Inversion over Glen Strathfarrar looking west
![Inversion Strathfarrar 21 Sep 24b.jpg]()
- Inversion over Glen Strathfarrar looking east
The last two Munro’s were fine, although the descent off Sgurr na Lapaich was tricky in places, requiring some boulder hopping on very big boulders. I had one last water fill in Bealach Toll an Lochan from the big stream downhill SE of the bealach. As I climbed the W side of Sgurr na Lapaich there were springs very close to the N of the path around an altitude of 950mtrs, so I could have saved a bit of time just using these springs instead.
The last Munro was straightforward and seemed to be a shorter ascent. Then the long drop down back to the dam, which I reached around 2.30pm. Wow, that was the hardest route I had done, with very little easy ground and the relentless climbs. The two big climbs are on soft ground until high up and it all just keeps on coming.
I met some lovely people around the circuit, either doing the round of 12 (mostly the other way around) as well as several hikers doing the shorter Walkhighlands combinations. I was impressed with a Scots guy who came in from Kintail and was doing several Munro’s then back to Kintail all in a fast time. Seeing the second inversion in two separate valleys was wonderful and I will always remember this trip.
