The Fannichs in August a game of two halves
Posted: Sun Aug 25, 2013 9:43 pmDihaoine 23 An Lunasdal .
The First Half
We arrived at Braigh Mhor around 8.45am on Friday morning, it only took me 2hr 15min from the ferry at Nether Lochaber ,due to a quiet A82, which between 9am-5pm at this time of year, is an absolute circus with cyclists ,No13 plates , Camper Wagons , Caravans all doing their best to kill themselves and the locals with some of the most desperate driving / cycling your ever likely to see
We were intended climbing the five Western Fannaich today and a promising start with clear weather
Tha a 'Mhadainn bragha gu dearbh ...... looking promising
Bha mi a mach air Beinn More agus Stob Binnein an t seachdainn sa chaidh agus bha an t side droch , bha robh sealltainn againnsa .
We were on Ben More Crianlarich last week on a windy viewless day ,prior to that ben Bhorlach and Stuc a Chroin both days were wet ,windy and viewless so hoping for better today.
I came across these strange pillars before the bridge
leading to this
The noveau rich carpet baggers / landowners may cash rich but they have no taste at all !
Followed the rough trail up the an t sron of the Druim Reidh with a good view back to An Teallach and the North West
A fairly straightforward haul up to bealach ,we took the side of Tom an Coinich which a wee bit rough in places would be worth dodging in heavy rain and snow by going over the top.
I dumped the rucksack on the Bealach and made the route up onto the mullach of A'Chailleach ,fine sealladh from here all round
Then back to down and over to Sgurr Breac
On the summit there was a fair wind so i had a look over to the next targets and they looked a fair distance off then we headed into the lea of the ridge for a break.
You lose a fair bit of height on the steep route down the ridge it is a bit of a thought making the climb back up !.
We soon landed on the bealach with a fine looking pair of hills either side of us we set up Sgurr nan Each
As we made our way up the well defined ridge I spotted two large herds of deer, so the lariat was slipped on to "an cu" before he took off on the chase and stayed on until we hit the Cárn
Probably my favourite peak of the five Sgurr nan Each and looking back she is a grand ridge would be a cracker in the Winter
Co dhui bha sgoth a tighinn .......... well by now some cloud was beginning to roll in from the West as promised and as I made my way up Sgurr nan Clach Geala the "céoach" arrived just as we hit the Cárn !
So there was nothing to see at all but no complaints it was fairly short lived and as we made our way over to Meall a 'Chreasgaidh it started to lift again
Another nice summit and with the Greine starting to shine on her way down in the West it was a grand end to the evening
During An Giorta Mor the year 1846 was particularly bad and became known as "Am bhliadhna a gais am buntata" or the year the potato was short .The British state sponsored ethnic cleansing was still under way and many thousands had been evicted from fertile Straths and Glens to the margins of existence and were in a state of famine . In return for subsistence meal which also meant abandoning the little they had left ,thousands of starving Gaidheal ,men women and children toiled in the making of roads that served a country now devoid of people.
The routes they laid with their bare hands are today overlaid by tarmac but are still there and known as "destitution roads".
Cuimhnich / we will never forget
Day Two
We moved round to Drochaid Torran for the night , even considered putting up the tent until the midges put paid for that ,they were fearful bad so the car it was . In the morning we set off at 5.30am for the Eastern lot ,it was wet ,with the viz down to about 50 m . I made Beinn Laith Mhor ,thought about bailing instead changed top layers and pushed on to Sgurr Mor where it began to show sign of clearing ... it did nt
but at least the rain went off leaving just a low ,thick mist, so we went for the other two as well . I saw nothing all day and relied on a bearing for the tricky bits but once past Sgurr Mor it was a fairly straight forward excepting the long walk back out to Torran 
.
So that was the second half he came ,conquered and he saw feck all but he completed the round in 7.5 hrs which I reckon is no bad going
The Fannich ? ...... A great wee range reckon a Winter visit would be worth while
The First Half
We arrived at Braigh Mhor around 8.45am on Friday morning, it only took me 2hr 15min from the ferry at Nether Lochaber ,due to a quiet A82, which between 9am-5pm at this time of year, is an absolute circus with cyclists ,No13 plates , Camper Wagons , Caravans all doing their best to kill themselves and the locals with some of the most desperate driving / cycling your ever likely to see
We were intended climbing the five Western Fannaich today and a promising start with clear weather
Tha a 'Mhadainn bragha gu dearbh ...... looking promising
- Am Fhannaich
- An rathad
Bha mi a mach air Beinn More agus Stob Binnein an t seachdainn sa chaidh agus bha an t side droch , bha robh sealltainn againnsa .
We were on Ben More Crianlarich last week on a windy viewless day ,prior to that ben Bhorlach and Stuc a Chroin both days were wet ,windy and viewless so hoping for better today.
I came across these strange pillars before the bridge
- Geata
leading to this
The noveau rich carpet baggers / landowners may cash rich but they have no taste at all !
Followed the rough trail up the an t sron of the Druim Reidh with a good view back to An Teallach and the North West
- An teallach
A fairly straightforward haul up to bealach ,we took the side of Tom an Coinich which a wee bit rough in places would be worth dodging in heavy rain and snow by going over the top.
I dumped the rucksack on the Bealach and made the route up onto the mullach of A'Chailleach ,fine sealladh from here all round
Then back to down and over to Sgurr Breac
- Carn Sgurr Breac
On the summit there was a fair wind so i had a look over to the next targets and they looked a fair distance off then we headed into the lea of the ridge for a break.
You lose a fair bit of height on the steep route down the ridge it is a bit of a thought making the climb back up !.
We soon landed on the bealach with a fine looking pair of hills either side of us we set up Sgurr nan Each
- Sgurr nan Each
As we made our way up the well defined ridge I spotted two large herds of deer, so the lariat was slipped on to "an cu" before he took off on the chase and stayed on until we hit the Cárn
Probably my favourite peak of the five Sgurr nan Each and looking back she is a grand ridge would be a cracker in the Winter
Co dhui bha sgoth a tighinn .......... well by now some cloud was beginning to roll in from the West as promised and as I made my way up Sgurr nan Clach Geala the "céoach" arrived just as we hit the Cárn !
So there was nothing to see at all but no complaints it was fairly short lived and as we made our way over to Meall a 'Chreasgaidh it started to lift again
Another nice summit and with the Greine starting to shine on her way down in the West it was a grand end to the evening
During An Giorta Mor the year 1846 was particularly bad and became known as "Am bhliadhna a gais am buntata" or the year the potato was short .The British state sponsored ethnic cleansing was still under way and many thousands had been evicted from fertile Straths and Glens to the margins of existence and were in a state of famine . In return for subsistence meal which also meant abandoning the little they had left ,thousands of starving Gaidheal ,men women and children toiled in the making of roads that served a country now devoid of people.
The routes they laid with their bare hands are today overlaid by tarmac but are still there and known as "destitution roads".
Cuimhnich / we will never forget
Day Two
We moved round to Drochaid Torran for the night , even considered putting up the tent until the midges put paid for that ,they were fearful bad so the car it was . In the morning we set off at 5.30am for the Eastern lot ,it was wet ,with the viz down to about 50 m . I made Beinn Laith Mhor ,thought about bailing instead changed top layers and pushed on to Sgurr Mor where it began to show sign of clearing ... it did nt
but at least the rain went off leaving just a low ,thick mist, so we went for the other two as well . I saw nothing all day and relied on a bearing for the tricky bits but once past Sgurr Mor it was a fairly straight forward excepting the long walk back out to Torran .So that was the second half he came ,conquered and he saw feck all but he completed the round in 7.5 hrs which I reckon is no bad going
- Ceoach
The Fannich ? ...... A great wee range reckon a Winter visit would be worth while
