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This gem of a hill was a bonus for me.
On holiday in Gairloch to celebrate younger daughter's birthday along with her hubby and 3 month old baby we were planning baby-friendly outings. Added to that my Pete has done something to his knee causing pain and broken nights so I wasn't expecting anything more strenuous than walks on the beach with the dogs. But he suggested we do a hill one of the days and after that I didn't need too much persuading.
The Corbett Beinn Airigh Charr got my attention. The approach on vehicle tracks and stalker's paths meant Pete could join me for as long as he wanted. If we made it to the top the views would be magnificent and compensate for being clouded out on Slioch a few weeks earlier.
We started at the car park beside the bridge over the River Ewe (shortest river in Britain) and walked past the school just as the children were going in for the daily grind (well it was when I was at school but think things are more fun nowadays). In a week of grey skies, heavy showers and hail stones this was by far the best weather day with blue skies and sun.
On the private road into Inveran Lodge there was a sign asking for dogs to be kept on lead.
Dogs by River Ewe, Tess looking longingly at the river and Jack saying "Please let me off the lead"
At the entrance to the Lodge you take the left hand fork which passes behind the lodge and past a building which looks to be in danger of falling down and has a sign saying so. There are two stile crossings on this road but it's possible to open and close the gates if using a bike or accompanied by dogs who're not keen on stiles. There's a bridge over the River Inveran and then Loch an Doire Ghairbh comes into view.
Loch an Doire Ghairbh and Creag Mhor Thollaidh
Once past the loch and as the track curves left a small cairn on the right marks the start of a rough path over the moor to rejoin the track 1 km to the south. WH warns that the last section of this path is boggy but after recent rain we found the whole path water-logged to the extent that Pete thought it would have been better to have walked the extra distance by road and he definitely wasn't going to return that way.
Once back on the vehicle track we made better time and had the added encouragement of views opening up along Loch Maree.
Loch Maree and the Torridons
At the point the last pic was taken two carefully placed rocks on the left indicate the position of a shieling a few metres off the track. The Gaelic for shieling is airigh so it's appropriate that a shieling points the way to this hill. There's another sense in which it was fitting to pass a sheepfold on the way up but more of that later.
Jack waiting while I faffed with camera. Remains of shieling can be seen beyond the grass.
The sheepfold is the start of an established stalker's path heading north east to follow the course of the Allt Aconair into Coire nan Dearcag. Why the excellent path starts at the shieling and not at the vehicle track may have a logical explanation. Maybe it's to discourage bikers from taking bikes further than the track because of erosion. There was an earlier sign to the effect that bikes should only be used on roads.
Bikes may be discouraged but deposits of dung suggest horses were recently along this way. It made me think of my thrifty granny out with her shovel to pick up after the milkman's horse as his deposits were good for the garden. The horse that had been along this path had been on the All Bran and would have made my granny happy.
Another feature of this path was a trail of leg bones - presumably deer legs cut off by stalkers to make for easier transporting on back of All Bran pony. It was one thing discouraging black lab Tess (who has some strange acquired tastes) from taking too close an interest in fresh poo but persuading yellow lab Jack to ignore leg bones was a challenge too far. So for that part of the walk they were back on the lead again.
The excellent level path (but don't tell bikers) changes into a more typical mountain path after the stepping stones at the gorge.
Gorge stepping stones and path continuing at other side
Path climbs steadily following Allt Aconair into Coire nan Dearcag
I had it in my head I had to watch out for a cairn before the final steep section at which point we were to cross over the Allt Aconair and find another stalker's path which would continue up on the left side of the burn. In this I was ahead of myself and when the path steepened and swung to the right I thought I must have missed the cairn. So I turned and headed back down to find a suitable crossing place. Seeing me go off piste and the steepening gradient Pete decided he'd had enough. There followed a shouted conversation over the rushing sound of the waterfall near which I'd crossed. He said he was going back and I said I'd go on a bit and see what I could see. Nice and vague.
At that point I didn't know how much further I'd go but I was keen to see the acclaimed view of Loch Fionn and since that's first seen from the col between Spidean nan Clach and Beinn Airigh Charr it was likely I'd end up going the whole way.
The way ahead from left side of burn
Looking back to Poolewe
After a while and not finding the other stalker's path I recrossed the burn to the original path and followed it up a gully which came out on the rocky side of Meall Chnaimhean.
Beinn Eighe and Liathach from side of Meall Chnaimhean
Across the grassy col I could see Airigh Charr and concluded I was now too close not to get myself up there.
I hoped that Pete would go for a coffee in Poolewe and not start to worry something had happened to me. Since my phone had no network coverage in the area I hadn't brought it with me so there was no way I could communicate with him - or anyone else for that matter. Now know this was daft since emergency calls should go through whatever provider you're with.
I didn't meet another soul all day which in some ways was good but in other ways felt a bit eerie. This would not be a good place to break an ankle and this was on my mind whenever the terrain was steep or lumpy. From the col I could hear stags roaring but the only living things I saw apart from my own two mutts were two ravens near the summit.
Watering hole for the dogs in the col below Airigh Charr
Looking back to Meall Chnaimhean, Loch Maree and Skye beyond
From the col there's a final steep push up to the summit of Airigh Charr. It's easy enough to choose a line avoiding the scree and crags and on the grass slope immediately to the left of the scree feet have worn a stairway up. The reward on reaching the ridge is a sudden stunning view of Slioch which I climbed with Kath a few weeks ago.
Slioch from just below summit
From here it was a short walk to the cairn and the views were fabulous.
Fisherfield wilderness from summit
Zoomed to east end of Fionn Loch
Jack's the only dog I know who seems to enjoy a good view!
I was glad to have the dogs with me. I don't tend to walk solo in the hills and on this occasion I felt a mixture of elation at the views and gratitude I could be there. But there was also something I couldn't define about being there, a sense of something which despite the stunning beauty made me only stay the 5 minutes it took me to take some photos. I didn't even stop for a bite to eat which is not like me at all. It was a long way back to the car and I didn't want Pete to be anxious so needed to get moving from this awesome place - and awesome it was in the truest sense of that word.
View north towards Gruinard Bay
View south east towards Slioch
Martha's Tower is a rock face on the north east side of Airigh Charr. It was so named in memory of a shepherdess Martha who fell 1000 feet to her death while looking after her flock. With lush pasture so high I could understand why sheep would be up there and I thought about the life it must have been tending the flock in such a remote place. She must have been hardy to be up there in all weather and sure-footed on this terrain. So what made her fall? Was it one of her sheep stuck on a ledge she tried to rescue? I remembered the powerful words "The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep". How poignant to be in such a beautiful, awesome place where a brave woman lost her life looking after her sheep the same week two brave policewomen tragically lost their lives responding to a supposed call for help from the public.
View south towards the Torridons
View north west to Spidean nan Clach and back to Poolewe
Final summit shot to my faithful companions
At the col another waterhole - and north end of Skye beyond
Took a steep but direct line down to the path
Ascended the gully on the right but descended well to the left
The descent was straightforward. In Coire nan Dearcag I headed straight over the burn to the stalker's path and stayed on it all the way down, refilling my bottle from the burn high up where it tasted like pure spring water. Once on the vehicle track I varied walking with jogging and for the sake of speed took the boggy path back over the moor sloshing through it with a cavalier disregard for wet feet. By this stage I just wanted to get back to stop Pete calling out Mountain Rescue!
Beinn Airigh Charr from track just beyond the bridge over the River Inveran
When I reached the gate out of the estate it was lovely to see the car tucked on to the grass verge at the side of the road. Pete had driven up to meet me - saving about 20 minutes of walking.
Beinn Airigh Charr zoomed from the A832 just south of Poolewe
This Corbett gives the most stunning views I have seen from any hill and I'm glad to have climbed it and to know about Martha the shepherdess.
All of us will die but not many of us will have part of a mountain named in our memory.