Coire Mhic Fhearchair

[OpenC]

First report, revisiting a walk that I'd always promised myself that I'd do again on a nice day. I woke up in Aviemore to find the Cairngorms covered in thick fog other than the very tops, and having seen promise of sunshine on the West coast, I thought I'd use the opportunity to have another look over to Torridon, my favourite place on planet Earth.

Beinn Eighe from Kinlochewe


Beinn Eighe looked inviting from Kinlochewe, and my motivation for the high tops had gone, so I determined that this would be the day I'd see Coire Mhic Fhearchair in good conditions. Getting out of the car at the Ling Hut, it felt bitterly cold (at least, after the summer we've had) - I'd forgotten the sensation of having to put a coat on as soon as you're out of the car. The gentle incline up to Coire Dubh Mor improved matters, though, and as the sun came out the classic winter combination of hot sun + cold wind started to make things feel very pleasant indeed.

Back toward Sgurr Dubh


Beinn Eighe


Liathach East End


Fossil Sea Monster


Further round the back of Liathach, the views of the back of the mountain started to open up. I haven't seen this side of Liathach properly for a long time, and I'd forgotten how striking it looks. I'd also forgotten that, being North facing, it's virtually impossible to get a decent picture of as you're always shooting into the sun. Still, I had a go.

Liathach


Ridge Detail


At the cairn that marks the path around Sail Mhor (which is always much, much further away than I expect it to be), the sheltering effect of Beinn Eighe suddenly cut the wind almost completely and it started to feel very warm indeed. I also started to notice the bellowing of the stags, something I've never heard before and an amazing sound. I didn't see any, but it sounded like there must have been six or seven million of them just out of sight.

The path around Sail Mhor is one of my favourite places in the area - always quiet, fairly well flat and with amazing views of the emptiness over toward Flowerdale.

Flowerdale


The waterfalls on the way up to the coire were as delightful as ever, and getting up to the loch was amazing. No wind - just the quiet sound of water, the croaking of the ravens and the occasional bellow of the stags. I don't know anywhere quite like Coire Mhic Fhearchair; all the superlatives that are written about it are entirely justified. Like a natural cathedral, the place has an atmosphere all its own and when you're the only person there, as I was, it feels very special indeed. It's one of the few places that I've ever been that I genuinely believe cannot be done justice through pictures (not least because it also is North facing and the sun is always trying to ruin things for you).

Triple Buttress


Sail Mhor


I toyed with the idea of heading up the scree run to the munros, but the combination of wind, dusting of snow and contentment with what I'd already done set me straight back down the way I'd come up. One more shot of Liathach on the way back; I'd been hoping the sun would have magically moved to the other hemisphere as I was waiting under the buttresses, but alas it was still hanging around behind the mountain and making a nuisance of itself.

Liathach, again


Back into the wind at the bealach between Liathach and Beinn Eighe, I was convinced that I'd done the right thing in staying low and the trip back down was incident free. Unfortunately, the trip back to Northumberland was not so smooth - A9 closed south of Inverness (no sign until the bridge into Inverness or I'd have gone down the West coast) and then A82 closed at Glencoe (no sign until after I was already on the A82). I wondered to myself about how worthwhile it was to drive 600 miles and not add to my list of munros, but any day spent in the sunshine in Torridon isn't a wasted one.. a fraught and convoluted drive back home is a fairly small price to pay (and cheery Scott at Kinross services always brightens my day).

[OpenC]

One more of the Triple Buttress, after much work in Lightroom..

[pigeon]

You're could be right OpenC,pictures never do this area justice but you've took some crackers there Was up there recently in similar conditions(though not as cold by the looks of it)and only had my rubbish mobile phone camera so good to see these pics.A good excuse to go back now and do the Munro's

[spiderwebb]

The pics are still good, one of my fav places, and its not always about ticking off the Munros, the most important thing is to enjoy the day, and with the weather like this, who couldn't.

[OpenC]

Aye, my desire to get up all the munros is only a very faint one, and it pales in comparison to my desire to just get out there and have a good day Although it'd have been an additional tick, I don't suppose that my original plan of Sgor Gaoith would have been so enjoyable in thick clag.

Thanks chaps

[Border Reiver]

Thanks. It's great to see fresh photos of one of my favourite places. I've been there 5 times already and spent a couple of hours one day just wandering around the foot of the triple buttresses looking at the aircraft wreckage.

[BlackPanther]

My fav mountain, my fav corrie, there are no bad photos of Coire Mhic Fhearchair!
This was my very first walk in Scottish mountains and it was enough to infect me with the infamous Munro bug. Six years and over 100 M's later it is still just as enjoyable.
One year in late March, we climbed up to CMF and we didn't really plan going any higher, but the mountain looked so tempting that we ended up walking a large chunk of the ridge

And the fossil sea monster can be dangerous