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Kath and I met through this site and found we had a number of things (apart from our names) in common - not least both owning 'rescue' labradors. My Jack and Kath's Charlie are both great natured dogs but they came with issues which have taken some working on. Kath suspects when Charlie was young he wasn't socialised with other dogs with the result that meeting a dog for the first time can make him very agitated. It's what the dog people call fear aggression. The first time we attempted a joint walk with the dogs we introduced Charlie to Tess (thinking a female would be less of a threat to him) but possibly because Charlie was on the lead he barked furiously and Tess was terrified. So we didn't attempt any joint dog walks after that until last Thursday when we were heading off to climb Slioch and Kath had no option but to bring Charlie.
We took separate cars to Incheril and as I drove I was thinking about the best way to handle the dog situation. Jack is not one to start a fight but if he or Tess is threatened he wouldn't hold back.
Fur flying wasn't going to be the best accompaniment to the day so I was thinking if things got tense Kath and I would have to keep a good distance between us to keep the warring canines apart! We parked at opposite sides of the car park so they didn't see each other through glass which could get them worked up. I let my two out of the car and they were doing the usual checking out of a new place that dogs like to do. Then Kath let Charlie loose. He ran over to Jack who was more interested in his sniffing routine than bothering too much about a new dog. There was a bit of mutual sniffing and marking of territory but no raised hackles and no barking or growling. Tess jumped into the car with tail down but when she saw Jack wasn't bothered she became more confident. For the rest of the day there was peace in the camp, Tess pretty much ignoring Charlie but Jack and Charlie behaving like long lost brothers!
Slioch is probably the hill I've most looked at and admired over the years (with An Teallach a close second). Going on holiday to Gairloch when the kids were young it looked such an unassailable fortress on the far side of Loch Maree and in those days I thought climbing it would have to involve camping. But then as distances covered increased I realised there was nothing to stop me walking in and climbing it. But I waited a long time because I wanted perfect weather to enjoy the views at their best - views of the Torridons, the Fisherfields and down the length of the loch towards the coast.
Last Thursday MWIS was giving 90% for the north west and we decided this was the day. So I was slightly disappointed with the solid layer of cloud shrouding the tops as we drove over and as we set off there was cloud playing about on the top of Beinn Eighe and the overall impression was of greyness - not quite the weather I'd waited all this time for!
Beinn Eighe from Incheril
There were sheep about so I kept Jack on lead as we followed the path towards Loch Maree. Some parts of the path were through high bracken and one or two places were water-logged but on the whole it was easy walking.
Walking through a section of native woodland we got our first sighting of Slioch.
For a while we followed the river until it flowed into Loch Maree.
Dark and brooding Loch Maree
What concerned me was that cloud sitting up there on our hill! Was Slioch to be the 10% in cloud?
We crossed the bridge over the Abhainn an Fhasaigh and took a right turn to begin the climb towards Gleann Brannasdail. We detoured slightly to see some of the waterfalls which were full and powerful after recent rain.
Waterfall on Abhainn an Fhasaigh
The path steepened as we climbed towards the col west of Meall Each. We met a man with his grandson and border terrier who asked if we'd lost our car keys as he'd found a set. They weren't ours so he left them on top of a small cairn and after that we asked everyone we met if they'd lost their keys. By the time we came back down the keys had gone so hopefully the right people got them.
View back to Loch Maree from lip of corrie
Dog whisperer
Grassy bowl of Coire na Sleaghaich
We stopped for food before following the path up to the ridge where the dogs had a swim in the first of the two lochans.
The path climbs steeply in rocky zig zags from the first lochan
The two lochans and to the south the Torridons in cloud
We climbed steeply and found ourselves at the top of the 933 minor top with its tiny cairn, which for a moment struck as an insignificant cairn for a magnicent hill like Slioch.
In our defence it was raining and visibility was reduced! We then walked down to a level grassy area which contained another small lochan.
Summit lochan and the northern top Sgurr an Tuill Bhain
While looking over towards Sgurr an Tuill Bhain I noticed 5 goats standing in a row watching us
We walked up to the trig point at 980 metres and didn't realise the true summit at 981 metres was another 5 minutes further on.
It was raining at this point and there was cloud to the west so the summit cairn was possibly not visible to us. Kath did read out the bit in the WH guide about being blown away by the views to the north (
) but she didn't see the bit about the trig point not being the summit so we just assumed we were there. We had talked about completing the round over Sgurr an Tuill Bhain but in the cloud and rain we weren't going to get the superb views of the Fisherfields so we decided to return by the way we came.
Kath and Charlie at trig point
Loch Maree from trig point - not quite the picture perfect view but at least we could see it!
The Torridon peaks were in cloud and the Fishefields were invisible so we didn't hang about and dropped down to bypass the minor top we went over on the way up.
Then the cloud cleared enough to get a pic of the north ridge.
The north ridge and Sgurr an Tuill Bhain
Turtle frog rock
The descent
What a difference a little sun makes!
On the steep descent to the lochans the dogs walked in line behind Kath and whenever she stopped they waited patiently as if they knew this was no place to be fooling about.
Torridons now clear
The walk back to Incheril from the bridge seemed longer on the return. We didn't get the views we'd so long waited for and were a metre short of the highest point.... but it was still a good day. The dogs sheathed any potential spear and are now good buddies - what more could we ask?
