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Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:30 pm
by sneaks
Three days in Torridon


After a few weeks of unsettled weather, we decided upon a trip to an area we had not visited since last Summer – Torridon.

On Tuesday morning we set the alarms for 4am, and made the early morning commute northwards. As soon as Beinn Eighe came into view from the road, its overwhelming superiority over the entire valley looked too appealing to drive past. So plan A of Beinn Alligin was left for another day.

We folded our maps, packed our bags and set off up the good well maintained path to reach the snow line at 450m. We headed on up through Coire an Laoigh, and stopped for a bite to eat and put our crampons on before the snow slope steepened infront of us. There were a few pockets of windslab dotted about the coire, so we stuck to the rockier wind scoured sections for safe progress. Soon we reached the ridge line and were surrounded by fantastic panoramic views in all directions.

ImageCoire an Laoigh

ImageLooking South towards Lochcarron

We plodded on up admiring the landscapes and reached the trig point on Spidean Coire nan Clach. The true summit was a short scramble away and offered amazing views over the eastern summits of Beinn Eighe ridge.

ImageSpidean Coire nan Clach summit

It was a rare winter day where we didn’t mind hanging around and constantly found ourselves stopping to take yet another photo! The wind was practically non existent and the ridge remained cloud free all day – the map and compass never left our rucksacks.

Ruadh-stac Mor was the second Munro, and had equally fantastic views to those from Spidean Coire nan Clach.
ImageThe Triple Buttress (left) and Sail Mhor (right) from Ruadh-stac Mor summit

We descended into Coire Mhic Fhearchair from the col between Ruadh-stac Mor and Coinneach Mhor and were presented with inspiring views of the triple buttress. The amphitheatre looked remarkably atmospheric, and the camera was out again!

ImageKeith looking across Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair towards the triple buttress

Next came the long slog out back to the car. The scenery was still pleasant, although much more summery down in the valley. We put our headtorches on as it reached 5pm, and got back to the car for 6pm.

The day took us 8.5 hours in total, with a lot of faffing around enjoying the views. It could certainly be done at least an hour quicker!

We then headed down towards Torridon village itself and pitched the tent at the free campsite for a well deserved meal and sleep :-)

More pictures of Beinn Eighe can be found in our facebook album. (I cant post links yet so feel free to look at the Get Out Adventures Ltd page on Facebook where our photo albums are kept.)


Wednesday

Wednesday, we woke up to the sound of heavy rain lashing down onto the tent. The thought of getting all of our kit soaked with still another two days to go put us off and we decided to chill out and wait for the better weather on Thursday.

Thursday

We initially planned to do the Beinn Alligin traverse on Thursday, taking in the horns at a mere winter grade 1, but the thaw on Wednesday had stripped a lot of the snow. We decided to leave the route until it was in its prime winter condition and headed over to Fionn Bheinn.

Fionn Bheinn is a fairly short day, but the summit has some amazing views of all the giant Torridonian Munros and the other significant peaks in the area. It’s certainly a fantastic view point!


Once again we had blue skies and minimal wind, giving us yet another awesome winter day out.

ImageA stunning cloud inversion covering the valley
ImageNoticeable cornice slumps due to temperature fluctuations
ImageFionn Bheinn summit
More pictures of Fionn Bheinn can also be found on our facebook page.

:)

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:19 pm
by rockhopper
:thumbup: good in spring/summer, great in autumn......but stunning in winter (when it's not raining :roll: ) - cracking set of photos - cheers :)

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:19 pm
by pigeon
Great stuff,Beinn Eighe looks superb :wink:

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 10:15 pm
by clivegrif
Fantastic pictures - can't wait to get back up there.

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:38 pm
by Collaciotach
Grand stuff :clap: :clap:

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Wed Jan 22, 2014 11:41 pm
by Alteknacker
Great report, great pics. Thanks.

Hope to get up there late spring.

Re: Three days in Torridon (14/1-16/1/14)

PostPosted: Thu Jan 23, 2014 11:09 pm
by sneaks
Thanks for your comments guys.

It was a great wee trip.

:)