
MrsR was away with her sister for the weekend, so I had the opportunity for a two day hill walking/camping adventure. The plan was Saturday in the Deargs and Sunday tackling Sgorr Ruadh and Beinn Liath Mhor, with a night at the Broomfields campsite in Ullapool on the Saturday




5 a.m. Saturday morning and I’m in the car ready to head Norf




Almost at Aviemore when a realisation popped into my head – my waterproof over trousers were sitting in the house, not in my day sac




A few hours driving and I’m parked up at Inverleal. Weather on the way up hadn’t looked promising, but toward Ullapool and things had certainly brightened up. Sun was shining and there was a warmth in the air


At the fork in the path I met a family out doing the same route as me. We had a quick chat and I headed off toward Eididh nan Clach Geala (I was planning a clockwise, if ultimately not clockwork route for the walk). By now the cloud was beginning to lower and the tops of the hills becoming intermittently shrouded.
I noticed the family heading up behind me, which was to turn out quite good in the end as we ended up walking together for some of the route.
All good going so far as I headed up the side of Eididh nan Clach Geala just before arriving at lochan a’Chnapaich. Some nice views at this point, even with the cloud.
Cloud was showing signs of lowering still further and as we all arrived eventually on the summit any chance of views on this, or any other of the summits, seemed a forlorn hope

No point hanging about, so we were all soon off. I’m not sure if it was us, but the paths on these hills seemed less than distinct in places and we probably came off Eididh nan Clach Geala in slightly the wrong position, ending up at a small lochan a bit lower down than we should have been. No worries though, as we cut across and picked up the path onto Meall nan Ceapraichean.
It was now drizzling as we made our way up. By the time we arrived at the first cairn the drizzle was becoming persistent. At the true summit I’d say it was definitely persisting down, so we were not there for long before heading down to Lochan Uaine and the routes up Cona’ Mheall and Beinn Dearg.
At the lochan the drizzle had turned to rain and was defintely persisting. Cloud was now very low and the wind was picking up too. My companions for the day decided they would shelve Cona’ Meall and just do the Dearg instead, so we said our farewells as I headed off to do the third hill in my planned route.
At the Lochan Uaine I had referenced the map and taken a bearing in the clag. Unfortunately my map was starting to suffer from water damage at it set about disintegrating in front of me in the persisting rain, so was becoming a bit useless. In retrospect I think I should have headed toward the dry stone wall that marks the route up Beinn Dearg and taken my bearing from there. It didn’t take me too long to realise that in the cloud, persisiting rain and continually strengthening wind any attempt on Cona’ Meall, however easy the hill might usually be, was folly, so I retraced my steps and headed for Beinn Dearg instead. It was here I saw what looked like a path headed toward Cona’ Meall from the famine wall, but by then my mind was set on doing the three, not the four.
The wind had really picked up at that point and was getting pretty strong. And my troosers were soaked. And to add to that joy my boots, which I know are pretty much done anyway, were.....well........done






Arriving at the bend in the wall and it was a case of straight up toward the summit, wind blowing, raining persisting down

It was at this point in the walk that the seeds were sown for my Bear Grylls impersonation later on

I can well imagine on a sunny summer’s day that this would be a cracking alternative descent, with views out toward Loch Broom and Ullapool. I didn’t have that type of weather though, so I didn’t enjoy it like I might have hoped. I was wet, my boots were flooded and I was maybe starting to feel a bit sorry for myself as the wind gave me a bit of a “doing” on the walk down. Add to that the fact I could barely see a thing. There were though traces of path developing lower down, which I always take as a hopeful sign





Eventually though (and it did seem to take ages) as I dropped off Meall Breac I dropped below the cloud





And this was where I had my lapse in judgement leading to my Bear Grylls moment


What I should have done was aim for a drop off to my right just before Cnoc na Moine and descend, probably quite steeply but safely, into Gleann na Squaib and the forest track back. Actually, what I should have done was take the standard route down off Beinn Dearg in the first place and enjoy the walk back from Lochan Uaine like what normal people do






What I actually did was wander across the boggy, undulating expanse of Mointeach a’Bhraighe and descend directly off the hill down to the road. From the perspective of the map (when I had looked at it before setting off on the weekend




It’s hard to know how to explain what position I eventually got myself in to



I was confronted by an expanse of bracken and large shrubs/come saplings with, as I was to discover a healthy helping of brambles - a veritable ocean of the stuff













Eventually I fell out of the trees and bracken and arrived at an old track. What a sight for sore eyes (and arms and legs) that was







Driving into Ullapool and it was clear there was no chance of a B&B, so camping it would be. To be fair the weather was much milder in the town as I pulled into the Broomfield campsite and pitched the tent. I know some people (pigeon





It was a shame about the weather overall on the day and the fact it was only three out of the four hills completed. But my judgement on the descent was the main downer for me. I got it completely wrong. That was most definitely not a route down I would recommend to anyone






Anyhoo (as MrsR would say), I have an excuse to return on a bright sunny day to right the wrongs and do all four



