Northern Odyssey 1st - 9th June

[snowdonia7]

2 blokes and a tent
8 days
26 munros
172km
12299 m
4 tired legs!!!!!!!!

Day 1 (The Far North)

Ben Hope

7km
946m
2 Hours 20

At 05.38 on Friday the 1st of June Neil and I boarded the train from Chester to Inverness to start our Northern Odyssey during which we hoped to bag all of the munros in Sutherland and Ullapool in 10 days. It was a tight schedule that would require many things to come together; not least the weather. At least the trains were on time and so we got underway in our hire car early in the afternoon to head for Ben Hope and we arrived shortly after 5pm to weather that couldn’t decide what to do.

The Start! Ben Hope

We followed the normal route passing a few people on the way down. As we gained height the temperature dropped and I slipped on my windproof gloves; together with my shirt-sleeved t-shirt, which became known as the ‘Let’s Go Outside’ look as sported by George Michael in his risqué video (incidentally I have noticed another regular WH contributor who favours this combination).

As we reached the summit a bank of cloud rolled in that hampered the views somewhat, although it was still possible to appreciate the huge expanse of wilderness in every direction.

Views from Ben Hope

There was a rucksack in the summit shelter and as we took the obligatory photos a lone walker approached from the northern side of the summit. Neil called out a greeting and the male responded in a halting voice “I am looking for somewhere to stay tonight”. My initial thought was “Well I wouldn’t be looking up here”, but then I wondered whether this was someone in distress. They joined us in the shelter and explained that they were from Italy and wanted to stay out all night to see how little darkness there was this far north at mid-summer. A few weeks early, but I could see the appeal and it sowed a seed for later on in our trip.

The weather quickly got colder and in fact it was trying to snow, so we beat a retreat and headed down.

Skies darken on Ben Hope

Where possible I started to jog, but Neil called out “Don’t do too much too soon”, which reminded me that we still had many days of hard slog to go. Nonetheless we arrived back at the car a little over 2 hours after setting off. A few cars that had been there when we started up had now left and there was a lonely walking boot sat on the grass. It was in good condition, so I’m guessing was left behind in error and we both wondered how far would be too far to turn back for anyone realising such a mistake?
But we still had some ground to cover to get in position for an early start the next day and we headed off towards Strath Vagastie for camp 1, from where we could see Ben Klibreck in the late afternoon sunshine.

Camping spot night 1 (Klibreck to the rear)

Day 2 (Heading South

Ben Klibreck

10.2k
836m
3 hours

After being woken during the night to rain beating down on the tent we emerged to clear skies and were on our way before 7am.

Early start heading for Klibreck

Our route went eastwards to the southern tip of Loch na Glas-choille. From here it follows a fence in the same direction passing the northern lip of Loch nan Uan and then heading south for about 200 metres, before turning east again and a steep climb to the bealach below A’ Chioch. This leaves a straightforward climb to the summit of Meall nan Con.

Final ascent on Klibreck

The bad weather seemed to be following us to the summits and it got cold very quickly so we headed back (plus we had a lot to fit in that day). Descending we stopped to speak to a guy from Aberdeen who said he was on munro 99 and as we spoke to him it started to snow.

Snow on Klibreck

We followed the same route back – the steep pull up to the bealach being straight-forward enough using the steps that hundreds of feet had worn into the hillside, although I imagine it would be fun in winter conditions. Back at the car we packed away the tent and I had a minor scare as I saw the effect that orange Berroca tablets have on urine (I was about to ask Neil to rush me to A&E until he confirmed it had the same effect on him).

So we left Sutherland and headed for Inchnadamph and our second objective for the day.

Conival & Ben More Assynt

16.2k
1159m
4 hours

On the drive in the skies cleared and the sun came out to treat us to fantastic views of the peaks in that area such as Suilven (I’ll have to come back to do it). We followed the normal route up to Conival, which passes through an lovely hanging valley with a nice little rock band to scramble up just before the bealeach where we spoke to a group from Darlington. After a quick bite to eat at the bealach we pushed on to the summit of Conival where we had some fantastic views in all directions.

Conival

The trip to Ben More Assynt looks shorter than it was (or maybe it was just that my legs were starting to feel the workload) and there are a few up and downs before arriving at our 3rd summit of the day. As we headed back I suggested that we could miss visiting Conival again (and the climb required to do so) if we dropped down from the bealach between the two peaks to the lochan at 740 m then it would only be a very short climb back to bealach where we had stopped for lunch. Neil thought we could go one better by not dropping all the way to the lochan and instead contouring round at about 790m; however this transpired to be a nightmare of boulder balancing with constant fear of twisted ankles, so my advice would be to head for the lochan. From the bealach we followed the same route back to the start before driving to Inverlael via Ullapool. Looking for a potential camping site we left the main road and headed up a forestry track and found a nice little cutting where we could put the tent and shelter it with the car (Neil said that he hoped it wasn’t a dogging location).

Camp spot night 2

Day 3 (Beinn Dearg 5)

Beinn Dearg, Cona’ Mheall, Meal nan Ceapraichean, Eididh nan Clach Geala, Seana Bhraigh

36.5k
2086m
10 hours 50

This was the day I was least looking forward to given the distance on top of legs that I knew would already be feeling fatigue from the first few climbs. We decided that today was the day to break out the shorts as the sun was shining brightly when we left the tent. We were to follow the normal route for the Beinn Dearg group and then just tag Seana Bhraigh on the end!

The walk through the forestry and along the stalkers path is a nice way to warm up tired legs, although the pull up to the lochans gets steeper and served to underline that today was going to be a long one.

The walk in for the Beinn Dearg group

Still at least we were able to look forward to being able to climb the first two weeks of the day without having to carry our packs. We stashed our rucksacks in a gap between some boulders and set off for the top of Beinn Dearg following the dry stone wall (who builds a wall at that elevation). There were still some big patches of snow near the top and once again we were treated to some fantastic views in all directions.

Beinn Dearg

On arriving back at the spot where we thought we had started the ascent from we couldn’t find our bags and unsurprisingly all the boulders looked very similar (lesson learnt – mark the spot where you leave your bags if you hide them). After some minutes we located our bags and set off for Cona’ Mheall, which requires a short descent from the bealach before a steady climb to the rather bland summit.

Cona' Mheall

Once again we only stayed for a couple of moments before heading back and on the way we noticed a fell runner heading our direction, who happened to be someone we both knew from North Wales out for a training run whilst on holiday in the area.
Next the quick climb to Meal nan Ceapraichean of which there is little interesting to say (apart from my camera ran out of battery so no summit photo). After lunch we headed for Eididh nan Clach Geala, which again was a journey of little to write home about, although possibly this was down to the fact that we were continually looking at the journey we still had to make to Seana Bhraigh.

This last munro of the day turned out to be a real drag, by now the 2 litres of water I had started with was all but depleted and my legs were really feeling it. Also because the weather wasn’t too bad we were just following our noses without recourse to navigation and we ended up taking a poor line, which at one point required some back-tracking to by-pass some steep crags. As we started the last climb the weather deteriorated and we lost the feint path which resulted in a long boggy traverse to reach the final push for the summit. At the top we had little in the way of views and I felt dead-beat, but at least we were now on the way back to the start.

Tired on Seana Bhraigh

However, those who have done this route will appreciate that it is still a long way back along a stalkers path that initially follows the Allt an Lochan Sgeirich, with a fairly steep descent back to the forestry . We eventually arrived, exhausted, back at Inverlael 10 hours and 50 minutes after we left. We decided that camp food wasn’t going to suffice after that effort and so drove into Ullapool for fish and chips. Then we returned to our forestry camping area from the night before and were treated to a fine sunset over the loch (if only the midges would allow us to enjoy it).

Day 4 (rest day)

Am Faochagach

13.3k
722m
3 hours

With only one munro planned this was to be a rest day, we drove to the start point at the car park off the A835 just west of Loch Glascarnoch. We followed the WH route towards the river crossing, taking flip-flops to aid the crossing, but these proved unnecessary as the level was quite low. However, that still didn’t prevent a “You’ve been framed” moment – as I followed Neil the last boulder he stepped on rocked and almost tipped him into the river; I laughed and said “Watch out for that one it’s a bit wobbly” then stood on it at which it lurched to one side and pitched me into the drink. Between his tears of laughter Neil was saying “Let me get my camera”, but strangely I didn’t feel like holding the pose!

There is a fairly steep climb up to the bealach at Drochaid a’ Ghlas Tuil followed by a walk along the broad ridge northwards before the final climb to the summit. The top was freezing and there is no shelter, but rather than rush off I struck up conversation with a bloke who arrived just after us. Now I’m not particularly garrulous and as we left Neil sarcastically asked why I decided to break my unsociable traditions when we were stood in a freezing wind without any shelter.

Am Faochagach

On the journey back we stopped for a wash in the river (I had brought a small bottle of shampoo with me) thankfully there was no-one around to witness our skinny dipping. We then filled the two five-litre plastic bottles we had brought to the river on the way out as we wanted some water for the next few days. However, on arriving back at the car park, where we intended to camp for the next couple of nights we realised there was a river at that location so we had carried the water for nothing. Still it was only early afternoon and the sun was shining, so we were able to lie around and relax for a few hours.

After Am Faochagach

Day 5 (Eastern Fannaichs and my 100!)

Bienn Liath Mor Fannaich, Sgurr Mor, Meall Gorm, An Coileachan

23.6k
1238m
7 hours

We decided to complete the loop in an anti-clockwise direction as this would mean we could climb the last peak of the day without our packs and would then have a long walk back where we could take our time. So we headed off following the river until it forks then we headed up Creag Dhubh Fannaich and then continued to Bienn Liath Mor Fannaich. This was my 100th munro, on the day when her Majesty was celebrating a significant anniversary of her own.

Beinn Liath Mor Fannaich (My 100)

We picked the wrong line from the summit – heading west down steep boulders (later noticing that the path heads north for a short distance before turning west). There is a steep climb to Sgurr Mor (Neil’s 100th)

Neil's 100 on Sgurr Mor

There is a much more impressive cairn at this summit, where we paused to eat some cold noodles (yummy!).

Sgurr Mor

The route was now quite straight-forward along the ridge, first visiting Meall Gorm with great views south over Loch Fannaich.

Meall Gorm

A short descent allowed us to drop our packs for the last climb of the day to the quite impressive rocky formation at the summit of An Coileachan.

Sun on A' Coileachan

The descent to Loch Gorm is steep and grassy, which I imagine would be difficult in the wet. Not sure if there is a good path after this, but we didn’t find it and ended up trudging over tussock grass for a few kilometres before we dropped down to the riverside where we eventually met a good path which we followed back to the tent.

Day 6 (Western Fannaichs)

A’ Chailleach, Sgurr Breac, Sgurr nan Each, Sgurr nan Clach Geala, Meall a’ Chrasgaidh

22k
1746m
8 hours

Starting from the car park on the A832 near Loch a’ Bhraoin we skirted the south side of the loch before heading up to Loch Toll an Lochain, from where we completed a short climb to the bealach at 815m. This allowed us to drop our packs for the climb to A’ Chailleach in poor visibility.

A' Chailleach

Returning to the bealach we then passed Toman Coinnich and on to Sgurr Breac and a spot of lunch.

Sgurr Breac

Fortunately the clag prevented a clear view of the loss of height we would have to suffer to continue the round and the steep climb that followed this to the bealach at Cadha na Guite. In fact this little climb was a real tester, passing through a little rocky band just before the bealach, although once again we were able to balance this with the benefit of being able to leave our packs behind for the final climb to the summit of Sgurr nan Each.

Sgurr nan Each

The climb to Sgurr nan Clach Geala is about 300m, but felt like more and I arrived at the top quite weary, but the weather precluded a lengthy stay to recover.

Fatigue on Sgurr nan Clach Geala

We pressed on down the steep descent to the plateau at Am Burach. From here it is a straight-forward climb to the summit of the final summit of the day Meall a’ Chrasgaidh. I think we descended too far to the north and ended up having to negotiate some crags and very steep grassy slopes. However, once we did reach the bottom the walk back to the car was much shorter that the day before and we arrived back after 8 hours.

We paid a quick visit into Ullapool to stock up on provisions for the next few days then drove to Dundonnell to walk into Shenavall bothy. With only a 35 litre rucksack I struggled to get everything packed and ended up carrying a large bag (a very large bag) of food resting on top of the rucksack so that I looked like a Sherpa . Consequently the walk in took over 2 hours and was a real hard slog after the walk earlier that day, however it was quickly forgotten when we arrived at Shenavall.

What a fantastic place and the first night we had it all to ourselves. Someone had left an inflatable mattress that I decided to use as I hoped it might provide some relief for my aching legs, however it was quite noisy and Neil grumpily stated that all night it sounded as if I was ‘wrestling’ with a blow-up doll (not sure how he knows what that sounds like? ).

(Continued in next post as I have reached photo upload limit)

[snowdonia7]

Continued;

Day 7 (An Teallach)

Sgurr Fiona , Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill

10.8k
1372m
4.5 hours

Throughout the trip I had been keeping my fingers crossed for good weather on our An Teallach day, and it looked as though we were to be disappointed when we listened to the weather forecast on the Wednesday night that predicted storm-force winds moving in from the south. However, we woke to glorious sunshine and so set off in high spirits, meeting a guy from Lancashire who was off to do Beinn Dearg Mor (I hope I didn't offend him too much by asking if he was from Yorkshire )

It was probably a bit too hot and the climb to Sail Liath had me sweating profusely, but thoughts of this evaporated once we got topped out and saw the views in all directions.

Fisherfield from Sail Liath

In particular the scramble across the pinnacles looked awesome.

Looking forward to the pinnacles

With the weather on our side we agreed that we wouldn’t need the by-pass routes and would scramble over the top all the way. This proved easier said than done as by this stage my quads felt like they had been beaten with a rubber hose and the high knee lifts required to climb each pinnacle really made me feel the burn.

Neil starts the pinnacles

Consequently I decided I couldn’t be bothered with the last outcrop, only later to discover that this was the infamous Lord Berkeley’s Seat – had I known I would certainly have made the effort to climb it. Still there’s always another day and by now the last week had convinced me that even though I had done all the munros in the far north I would be coming back.

Loch na Sealga

We scampered up Sgurr Fiona (well dragged ourselves up would be more accurate) then descended to the bealach for some lunch.

Sgurr Fiona

Neil Sgurr Fiona

The summit of Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill was one of the busiest we had visited all week and we spend a few minutes there chatting and taking in the views out across to the islands and even as far as the Cuillin range.

Bidean a' Ghlas Thuill (Cuillin in far distance)

We decided to try a variation on the route back and as we climbed towards Sgurr Fiona we cut away west towards Sgurr Creag an Each. At the bealach we descended towards Loch na Sealga, initially over boulders and scree and then steep grass. It was along old descent that really put pressure on the knees and was a real sun trap so the temperature was scorching.

Reaching the lochside we then had a nice and easy walk back to Shenavall. It was a bit busier this night with a couple of guys from Canada and a small group from Northern Ireland.

Day 8 (The Fisherfield 6)

Ruadh Stac Mor, A’ Mhaihgdean, Beinn Tarsuinn, Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, Sgurr Ban, Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh

24.7k
2230m
10 hours

Finally our luck with the weather ran out and we started the day in wind and rain, although at least the river level was low so we could cross it without getting our feet wet. We followed the river south before heading up the valley behind Beinn Dearg Mor (what a mountain - I've got to come back for that one) towards Loch Beinn Dearg. The route then skirts rond the rear of Ruadh Stac Beag passing between two lochans and then onto the northern shoulder of Ruadh Stac Mor. By now the wind was howling and we had to hide in the small summit shelter.

Ruadh Stac Mor

From here descend steeply to the south through boulders to a bealach above Fuar Loch Mor and then begin the ascent of A’ Mhaihgdean with the weather deteriorating all the time. On reaching the summit we were being thrown about by the wind and had to descent quickly hoping for some respite.

A' Mhaighdean

In fact this is a fairly long descent that leads to a stiff climb up the western flank of Beinn Tarsuinn and I wasn’t looking forward to taking this on in a gale. However, as we crossed the bealach at the head of the valley the wind stopped and the sun came up, which meant we had some great view along the ridge to the summit (particularly south over Loch Fada).

Beinn Tarsuinn

Loch Fada from Beinn Tarsuinn

We were now on the run for home and contoured round Meall Garbh before the climb up Mullach Coire Mhic Fhearchair, en route we stopped to speak to a couple who were camping near Loch Fada. The summit approach is quite rocky, but also lots of sand between the rocks, which is actually quite awkward on the descent as it can make the top of the rocks quite slippy.

Mullach Choir Mhic Fhearchair

Some lunch at the bealach (by now the wind had picked up again) and then we were off for the penultimate peak; Sgurr Ban, which also has a rocky quartzite summit. On leaving we followed a compas bearing and after losing some height a body of water came into view (as we were expecting), however, the surroundings didn't look right. It was difficult to get a good visual fix on our location as the clag kept closing in, but eventually we were able to determine that we had dropped too far east meaning we had a rough traverse back to the proper line aiming for the lochans at Am Briseadh. About this time I realised that Neil's compas was the one he had posted an earlier TR about as it appeared to be faulty

Sgurr Ban

By now I was out of water and my legs were really tired, but this didn’t stop Neil having a race to the summit of Beinn a’ Chlaidheimh. Although neither of us challenged the other to a race we both picked a different line and then started powering for the top – mouths gaping as we gasped for oxygen – if anyone had seen it I’m sure they would have wondered what we were running from. Neil beat me to the top (narrowly – although I chose a line too far left and had to cover more distance than him- ha ha). On the summit we both walked around casually, trying not to appear out of breath, although neither of us were able to talk for a moment or two.

Is it or isn't it? Beinn a' Chlaidheimh

Our descent was again a bad line, too far north that saw us having to negotiate crags and very steep grass- falling on my backside a number of times, before reaching level ground and the final walk in back to the bothy- arriving back 10 hours after we had left.

Next day we walked back out to the car and then drove back to Inverness to recuperate before the train journey home. We were able to look back on a great 8 days walking during which we met all our objectives (with some good fortune with the weather) and despite the throbbing legs and calloused feet we were able to start planning our next trip .

[robertphillips]

Well done guys awsome.

[mrssanta]

what an amazing trip!! I think you had better weather than the rest of Britain by the looks of it

[gammy leg walker]

Must admit did not think you would manage this many munros on your trip,so well done on your haul,looking forward to your next visit.

[BobMcBob]

Phew! That's epic! You guys must be seriously fit, this is not something I could even contemplate doing. I loved the sentence "With only one munro planned this was to be a rest day". Er, no, you've got that wrong. The rest days come in between the days with only one munro planned Or am I doing it wrong?

[soulminer]

An epic trip and report. A very fine effort round some big mountains - ahhh bagging, I remember the days.................
Cheers for posting.

[snowdonia7]

An epic trip and report. A very fine effort round some big mountains - ahhh bagging, I remember the days................. .

I do feel as though I'm missing out by taking the munro bagging approach to the hills - maybe it's a mid-life thing and I'm trying to prove I can still do what i could at 20 (30, 40)?

I think if I lived nearer I would take a more leisurely approach, but with only a few opportunities to get up to Scotland each year I try to fit in as much as possible on each trip.

[Clach Liath]

Well I was one of those you spoke to at the summit of Bidean a'Ghlas Thuill, including as to the location of Lord Berkeley's Seat and the weather forecast for your Fisherfield jaunt the next day! Glad it cleared up for you a bit later on that day. I was with my daughter and my brother. Good to meet you and hello again

You guys do have some stamina. I enjoyed the report.

[snowdonia7]

I was one of those you spoke to at the summit of Bidean a'Ghlas Thuill, including as to the location of Lord Berkeley's Seat and the weather forecast for your Fisherfield jaunt the next day! Glad it cleared up for you a bit later on that day. I was with my daughter and my brother. Good to meet you and hello again

You guys do have some stamina. I enjoyed the report.

Hello again - I was very impressed by your knowledge of the surrounding hills

[dooterbang]

Thats pretty epic stuff, well done.

Congrats on both reaching 100.

Day 8 doing the FF6....

Glad you got views for An Teallach as a great mountain.

[soulminer]

snowdonia7 wrote:
I try to fit in as much as possible on each trip.

Really ? You don't say

A trip like that would kill some people I know ( can you please take them with you on the next one? )