Blaven
Posted: Sat Oct 26, 2013 12:59 pmAllegedly the easiest Munro on Skye ! Set off with family, 11year old son, six year old daughter (who conquered Slioch at age 5) and dogs on a lovely mild Sunday ...
The other walk reports are all fine so I will devote this to the little "misunderstanding" that we had - there were about half a dozen other walkers around including one group with a dog, so we basically followed them and the amin path that is fine until about 500m up. After that the path is easy to follow but a steep scree scramble so this is not great for young kids - as ever Mr Cadbury provided a good incentive for my daughter, amazing what an altimeter on a watch can do by providing target chocolate break every 100m of vertical !
So, up we got, felt like no time at all, took my backpack off to feed everyone then noticed another top about 200m away which looked a wee but higher. Indeed, upon checking with other walkers, we were on the ever so slightly (2m) lower top ! Jogged off with my son to bash the top only to find a very tricky up and down to be negotiated ! Managed that by descending then guiding my son's feet into good footholds. Coming back was a bugger though and he was right on the edge or even past his comfort zone. All the other walkers headed over to the other top and went down from there and we met them on the way back. The big problem here is that the path up the official Munro is not at all easy to see or find. Basically you have to kick right, cross country for a while at about 400m keeping to the right on a ridge with the main top in front of you. If you follow the path you end up on the wrong side and then have to negotiate the wee up and down - fine if you have a decent sense of balance and courage, it's is either a tough scramble or a moderate rock climb though.
Best of all is that this is a great intro to the Cuillins - dinner in Kinloch Lodge that night was well deserved
The other walk reports are all fine so I will devote this to the little "misunderstanding" that we had - there were about half a dozen other walkers around including one group with a dog, so we basically followed them and the amin path that is fine until about 500m up. After that the path is easy to follow but a steep scree scramble so this is not great for young kids - as ever Mr Cadbury provided a good incentive for my daughter, amazing what an altimeter on a watch can do by providing target chocolate break every 100m of vertical !
So, up we got, felt like no time at all, took my backpack off to feed everyone then noticed another top about 200m away which looked a wee but higher. Indeed, upon checking with other walkers, we were on the ever so slightly (2m) lower top ! Jogged off with my son to bash the top only to find a very tricky up and down to be negotiated ! Managed that by descending then guiding my son's feet into good footholds. Coming back was a bugger though and he was right on the edge or even past his comfort zone. All the other walkers headed over to the other top and went down from there and we met them on the way back. The big problem here is that the path up the official Munro is not at all easy to see or find. Basically you have to kick right, cross country for a while at about 400m keeping to the right on a ridge with the main top in front of you. If you follow the path you end up on the wrong side and then have to negotiate the wee up and down - fine if you have a decent sense of balance and courage, it's is either a tough scramble or a moderate rock climb though.
Best of all is that this is a great intro to the Cuillins - dinner in Kinloch Lodge that night was well deserved