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Had some new friends round for a meal and got talking about hills (as you do, if you're me, if the other folk show the least bit of interest!
)
Originally from South Africa, they'd been living for a few years on Skye and had often driven the road through Glen Shiel so when I asked if they'd like to join me climbing the Brothers Ridge they were interested, though protesting they were out of condition. I had a look at the map and said I thought the worst of it would be the short steep climb up from the roadside to Bealach na Lapain and after that we'd be plain sailing. So we agreed we'd give it a go the following week.
We left one car at our planned exit point and the other in the parking area below Bealach na Lapain.
Zigzag path up to bealach
The good thing is you gain height quickly!
View west from climb to bealach
Looking east along the ridge
For folks who'd not climbed a hill in a while they did very well and we were soon up on the ridge.
First view of the Five Sisters from Bealach na Lapain
Brothers Ridge from Hill of the Spaniards
Reaching the top of Saileag
View from Saileag down into Gleann Lichd with Beinn Fhada on right
Saileag summit
It was about this point that Murdina told me she doesn't have a head for heights if there's any narrowness or exposure. Mmm
I'd not done this ridge before so didn't know exactly what to expect so couldn't reassure her there would be nothing that would take her out of her comfort zone.
But she was a star and said she didn't want to turn back and would do her best to keep going.
Murdina facing her fears head on!
Hope the brothers didn't get a complex about this but I couldn't take my eyes off those shapely sisters!
Sisters from the second brother
Walking the ridge to the second brother did involve a few sections Murdina didn't much enjoy.
But she was a real trooper. I walked ahead and Chris walked behind and she concentrated on putting her feet and hands where we told her and tried not to look down. Fortunately most of the ridge was wide and easily walkable.
The ridge between Saileag and Sgurr a Bhealaich Dheirg
The dogs patiently waiting for the others to catch up
Murdina dubbed him the rock rabbit for the nimble way he hops from rock to rock!
Chris and Murdina reaching the top of Sgurr a Bhealaich Dheirg
The true summit cairn of Sgurr a Bhealaich Dheirg is out on a narrow spur which bizarrely has a stone dyke along it. Chris took a pic of me and Jack at the cairn and seconds after pic was taken Jack was violently sick off the rock on which we were perched!
This was probably due to him eating something disgusting that he shouldn't have eaten (but then he's a labrador with second name dyson
). I felt I ought to leave a note to other walkers arriving there apologising for the foul smell!
Jack about to throw up at summit cairn
View from top of Sgurr a Bhealaich Dheirg
Understandably Murdina declined to walk out to the summit cairn but stayed on the relative safety of the ridge.
Walking back from summit
Murdina was by this time quite keen to get off the ridge if there was a feasible escape route. So it was agreed she and Chris would go down via SBD's south east ridge, while Anthony and I went on to bag Aonach Meadhoin, brother number 3.
The guys studying the map while the dogs had their celebratory carrots
We walked along the ridge together until we saw them off on their descent path, then Anthony and I powered on to the final brother and were in such a hurry we didn't even stop to take the usual summit pics.
Then rather than continue over Sgurr an Fhuarail (which we figured would take longer) we followed a south easterly path down off Aonach Meadhoin which wasn't too steep to start with but got pretty steep before the end. He's much faster than me going downhill so I told him to go on ahead so he'd have time to get back along the glen for his car if Chris and Murdina hadn't made it back to theirs (which they hadn't).
I had one of those classic hill walking moments when you start to ask yourself why you do this.
I was edging along a narrow ledge with rock face above and steep grassy drop below and was out of the breeze long enough to suffer a sustained midge attack.
All I could do was carefully take off my rucksack and fish out the Avon stuff to liberally squirt it on every exposed part of me, while balanced on this narrow muddy ledge. At that point it was a comfort to have the dogs alongside who always read rucksack coming off as a food opportunity so like to cosy up!
Loch Cluanie from descent off Brothers Ridge
By the time I got down Anthony had collected his car and it wasn't too long before the other two arrived having been delayed by deer fences. It had been a fantastic day and the icing on the cake was that Murdina had freshly baked muffins in the car!
So we sat in the layby and enjoyed her wonderful homebaking along with our post climb cup of coffee and all was right with the world.
Murdina did agree to come out with me again and that time we climbed a Munro that didn't involve any ridge or exposure. So hopefully she hasn't been scarred for life!
