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In the New Statistical Account, Reverend Donald Maclean, Minister of the Small Isles, stated that 'in 1826 all the inhabitants of the Island of Rum, amounting at least to 400 souls, found it necessary to leave their native land, and to seek for new abodes in the distant winds of our colonies in America.'
The bold Reverend is buried yet in Eigg and was a relation of the evictor Dr Lachlan MacLean. He bent the truth there being no "neccessity" but a forced clearance which left Harris,Guirdil ,Kilmory and Kinloch in Rum devoid of its native population.
Today those peoples mark on the land is still very much in evidence and the island has a strong Gaelic "dualchas" in its landscape although its mountains are largely named in Norse.
Tha e air a bhith greis ga dhèanamh..... Tuesday morning at 5 am found me at the foot of the Rum Cuillin with a beautiful sunrise creeping up on the mainland. Èirigh na Grèine in the old tongue ....
- Èirigh na Grèine
After a decade of not doing Corbetts
i had somehow managed to climb them all other than Askival and Ainshival in the midst of the Rum. An island outline i am very ,familiar with having viewed them from just across the water for many decades.
- Dachaigh
On previous visits to Rum i had not venture further than the Ceilidh hall and only for an overnight dance and dram.
At first i intend doing the round in reverse having fancied finishing on Askival but in the end i followed the traditional round with a wee bit alternative exit as you will see ...
- An Cuilthionn Rum
Hallival and then Askival were quickly summitted with no problems on this fine ,dry ,warm day and after a spell of two dry weeks. First class scrambling and walking
- Hallival agus Eige
- Muilear
AIr a mhullach Askival agus abair sealltainn ...On the summit of Askival and what views very spectacular and perfect weather that would be hard to equal.
- Mullach
- An t Eilean Sgiathanaich
- Rum
After some refelction on Askival i then set off on the route over to Trallaval before a finale on Ainshval ..she is quite a peak this summit and on a par with her higher neighbours
- Trallaval
I was keen now to reach the last Corbett and set of down the steep slopes and into the bealach with the top off and some anticipation of reaching the end of a long trail. It was always my purpose to finish on these mountains and ridges given they gave me a view across home and after decades of looking across i was about to look back.
- A' mheadhan
Sin e bha mi deiseil agus abair latha ach dè a -nis ....what next ? .Well i wanted to walk on the only Gaelic named peak on the these summits Sgurr na Gillean and it could be argued it is a match for its more rugged neighbours in this range
- An druim
- Sgurr na Gillean
I had planned to exit via Dibidil however having had a cràic with a couple of runners on the ridge Paul and Diane (mòran taing) i decided to exit West as a good Gàidheal should and follow the route back on its self and down to Harris via Leac a Chaisteal and Runeval . The reasoning was to take the track back to Kinloch which although lengthy was flatish !.
A good choice and i would advise this as a consideration should you undertake to these Corbetts the run off the Leac is easy but a wee bit care exiting Runeval down the steep gullies if wet.
- Runeval
The route on the flat bog and stoney machair of Harris is simple and argo tracks lead to the bridge over the abhainn rangail thereafter the long , winding track back to Kinloch past the Rum ponies and Highland cattle.
- Bagh Hearadh
- Balla
- An rathad
Tha mi air deireadh na sgeòil seo a ruighinn ...Of course many of these Corbetts were undertaken with my companion an cù or Murphy. He completed 260 Munros and was with me on my Munro completion in 2015 and managed 181 Corbetts before he left this life 18 months past.
I dedicate this wee blog to him and his shadow spirit which accompanies me in the hills and to our lost Gaelic people whose tongue remains in this island landscape and in the mountains of this country.
- Murphy
