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It would have been criminal to visit Harris for a week without bagging one of the higher hills. Having climbed An Cliseam five years ago and having doubts about the exposure on sections of the horseshoe we decided to have a go at the most westerly Graham, Tiorga Mor.
Thursday was a far better day for walking than we’d had so far as the air felt a lot fresher and there was fairly extensive cloud cover. Much of the walking on Harris is over rough ground with very few paths actually on the hills. Tiorga Mor however has a very easy start up a road to a hydroelectric power station. It is possible to park a fair way up this road but we parked just off the B887 and set off.
Tiorga Mor from the track by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
The road becomes a track that takes you up to the dam on Loch Chliostair. Often reservoirs lack that certain something when compared to natural bodies of water but here in these wild dramatic surroundings it makes a fine sight.
Loch Chliostair by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Dam at Loch Chliostair by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Once the Dam has been reached the real walk can begin. And by real I mean real hill walking, none of this trudging up a treadmill with dozens of even hundreds of others, just you and a hill, all yours for the day.
That said there are traces of a boggy trod across the rough ground between the dam and the slabby South East ridge. This soon runs out however and by the time the hidden Loch Maolaig comes into view the ground is a really quite difficult mix of heather and boulders.
Leaving the dam behind by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
A gneiss seat by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Orieabhal Mono by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
South East Ridge by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
It comes as a relief when the slabs on the ridge can be started upon and you can rely on the ground beneath your feet once again. This is a fine way up the hill but it is awfully steep. The slabs of Gneiss are very grippy and provide a quick if tiring way to gain height. A few simple scrambles add to the fun but all too soon the ridge becomes an easy grassy slope up to the dramatic summit.
Loch Maolaig by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Views opening up by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Mountain Light by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Top of the slabs by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Final Pull up to the summit by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
To even come close to doing the view from this hill justice in words you’d have to be very talented so I won’t bother trying, I’ll let the pictures do the talking for me. To make things even better the sun came out as we had a well-deserved lunch and we spend quite a while taking in the astonishing panorama on offer.
Tiorga Mor Summit by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Close up towards Scarp by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Mossy trig point by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Looking North East by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Looking South by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Looking North West by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Pals on the summit by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Family summit shot by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Perhaps the only disappointment so far was the lack of a clear view of Sron Uladail so we set off down towards the minor top that overlooks this natural wonder to rectify this. As opposed to the rigours of ascent this section is truly delightful easy walking.
Easy going by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Sron Uladail by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Just as the crag came into view with its all too obvious wow factor I spotted a young stag, he decided he didn’t want shooting by anything so quickly moved off joining another stag before disappearing out of sight. To complete a bewildering few seconds a mountain hare broke cover and darted off after them. Following all this excitement we sat and admired Sron Uladail while enjoying a slice of cake and considered our route options. We had noticed the ridge the other side of Loch Maolaig looked reasonable decided upon this descent. We descended a bit too soon however so had to contour around the top of Lag Glas, spotting another mountain hare before making out way along the rough poorly defined ridge.
Loch Maolaig and the South East Ridge by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
We dropped down to the shores of Loch Maolaig after a while and surprisingly found traces of a path around the Loch. This is a wonderful location that probably receives very few visitors, it felt like a real privilege to be here, just us in this wild place.
Loch Moalaig Mono by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
It became obvious once we had reached the rough heather and boulders that we were going to get wet as a “shower” was obviously heading up the glen. At first I thought it was going to be just a light one but quite soon the air was filled with those huge heavy summer droplets. In a decision that we would regret our water proof trousers and gaiters had been left out of the packs
so it turned out to be a very squelchy walk back to the car.
Rain on the way by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Soaking aside it had been a fantastic walk up to a stunning summit that will live long in the memory. We saw only one other walker all day and he was at a distance. The North Harris hills are an amazing place; so raw and ancient that their relatively modest heights are rendered irrelevant.
On the Friday we finished off a great week on Harris by visiting the beautiful church at Rodel before another few hours on the beach.
Buying a better seat? by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Window by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Church at Rodel by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Sand sea and mountains by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr
Traigh Sheileboist by
johnkaysleftleg, on Flickr