Walkhighlands

Easter and a week off work Many options but fancied getting back up to Affric and started the week from Loch Affric car park,full backpack on and a hike into Affric to Alltbeithe on a smashing Easter Sunday.Can't remember exact times but i think i left the car park about 4 for the 8 and a bit mile walk in and found a spot to camp near the hostel about 3 hours later.The weather had been perfect
River Affric;
Easter week 2014 001 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Affric lodge and Sgurr na Lapaich;
Easter week 2014 002 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 003 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 004 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 005 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Nearing Athnamulloch;
Easter week 2014 013 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Home for the next couple of nights;
Easter week 2014 022 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Got the tent up and made some coffee and noodles and got a good kip in readiness for the next day.
Easter Monday came and when i peered out the tent the sun had gone Had a boil in the bag brekkie and waited till about half eight to set out up the path behind the Hostel ,the route up the coire still pretty much clagged in.
Monday morning and nearby Ciste Dubh is clear;
Easter week 2014 023 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
The remote Alltbeithe hostel;
Easter week 2014 024 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
The good path up behindthe hostel,nothing to see here though
Easter week 2014 030 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Near the top of the Coire na Clioch the path fades a bit becoming a bit boggier ,the clouds lifted for a brief spell giving me some hope of good weather to the first Munro An Socach;
Brief moment of clarity near the top of the Coire;
Easter week 2014 034 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
The break in the clouds didn't last though and the walk up to An Socach was un-eventful and view less;
An Socach cairn;
Easter week 2014 037 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Returned to the Bealach,my intention now was to tackle the remote Mullach nan Dheiragain,to do this you climb a bit up the ridge to Stob Coire na Clioch,i had read somewhere that a few red stones mark a descent point into the coire na Dearcan,managed to find these which was handy cos' the visibility was still limited and it looked a steep drop but i found my way down ok ,skirting some snow patches on the way.
Once down the going was not as bad as i expected ,not too boggy and only a few snowfields to cross,managed to get really close to a pair of Ptarmigans;
Easter week 2014 040 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 042 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 047 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 049 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
By the time i got across to Bealach nan Daoine the weather was looking better ,got a look up to Carn na Con Dhu;
Carn Nan Con Dhu;
Easter week 2014 053 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
And the long ridge out to Dheiragain;
Easter week 2014 060 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Easter week 2014 065 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
It's quite a way out to this remote hill with a few up and downs which have to be repeated on the way back but it's on good ground and i was in no rush;
Summit cairn of Mullach nan Dheiragain;
Easter week 2014 063 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Back to the Bealach again and now time for the daunting looking ridge up to Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan;
Ridge to Snc;
Easter week 2014 071 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
The ridge was narrow in places but the path was clear of snow in all but one wee bit which i got over ok and i got to the top of Ceathreamhnan to meet the Kintail peaks sticking out of the clouds ;
View to West top of Ceathreamhnan;
Easter week 2014 074 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Kintail in clouds;
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Easter week 2014 077 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
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SnC looking back to MnD;
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Happy now;
Easter week 2014 084 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Thought about taking in the West top ,looked a bit bit narrow though with a lot of snow so descended the East ridge back to the Bealach;
Descent route;
Easter week 2014 085 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
A few tops to tackle here as well
A'Chrailaig,Am Bathach and Ciste Dubh sticking out;
Easter week 2014 088 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Tops;
Easter week 2014 089 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
A clearer look into Coire nan Dearcan;
Easter week 2014 094 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Back to SnC;
Easter week 2014 095 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Ciste again;
Easter week 2014 096 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Stones marking the descent from Coire na Clioche;
Easter week 2014 098 by pigeon812711, on Flickr
Eventually though i reached the top of Coire nan Clioch again and descended the track to the hostel,8 and a half hours tent to tent,good to get these hills done and one's i may well visit again,Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan is a stoater.Another good nights kip was had and my big plan was to get up early Tuesday and zip up Mullach Fraoch-choire,weather wasn't great though so put the head back inside tent and dozed off again The Mullach can wait

Enjoyed that. Great looking start but pity about the early clag.....bet the inversion views more than made up for it though It's a special place right enough and would agree one to return to ! Looked a good camping area as well - cheers

Another good expedition pidg looking forward to get into this area Good one

Good clear imagine quality, what's your camera? Particularly like the inversions, crystal clear.

Nice report Pigeon,some great photo's,especially like the ones of the Kintail peaks & the inversion shots. Good to see the Vango getting an outing too!

That looked great, still a fair amount of snow about.

A nice expedition, pidgeon. I like the contrast between the early photos from around Affric, and the much wilder scenes when you got onto the Ceathreamhnan range.

Glen Affric looks very idyllic, I shall look forward to walking there in a few years time.
Very nice pictures! You’re getting closer to compleation too Pidgeon, good luck!

Grand report and great inversion photos

Hoping to do the Mullach round next weekend did u need ice ax n crampoons ?

Nice report Pigeon

The weather that weekend was cracking you got the views in the end nice picture's. i canny wait to get up there myself.

Got these to do, cracking pics, especially makes the day when the start isn't looking too good. Which Vango is that ?

Great report. Looks grand.

rockhopper wrote:Enjoyed that. Great looking start but pity about the early clag.....bet the inversion views more than made up for it though It's a special place right enough and would agree one to return to ! Looked a good camping area as well - cheers

Cheers RH,no sure if i'll ever be able to humpff the full kit over the hills like yourself though,that walk in was enoughfor me

BigT wrote:Good clear imagine quality, what's your camera? Particularly like the inversions, crystal clear.

Just a pretty basic Lumix TZ35 Big T,

Morecambe Monkey wrote:Nice report Pigeon,some great photo's,especially like the ones of the Kintail peaks & the inversion shots. Good to see the Vango getting an outing too!

Aye,to miserable to pay for the Hostel Pat

Frigate wrote:That looked great, still a fair amount of snow about.

Ian Bayne wrote:Another good expedition pidg looking forward to get into this area Good one

You 2 could share a tent

simon-b wrote:A nice expedition, pidgeon. I like the contrast between the early photos from around Affric, and the much wilder scenes when you got onto the Ceathreamhnan range.

Silverhill wrote:Glen Affric looks very idyllic, I shall look forward to walking there in a few years time.
Very nice pictures! You’re getting closer to compleation too Pidgeon, good luck!

Cheers Silverhill and simon,a great area ,hopefully revisit sometime.

Collaciotach wrote:Grand report and great inversion photos

Hoping to do the Mullach round next weekend did u need ice ax n crampoons ?

No need for crampons or axe Colla,a few snowfields to cross in the low point between Socach and Dheirgain,one wee section on the ridge up to Ceathreamhnan needed a bit of care but assuming there's been no more snow you'll be fine,enjoy

quoman wrote:Nice report Pigeon



The weather that weekend was cracking you got the views in the end nice picture's. i canny wait to get up there myself.

jonny616 wrote:Great report. Looks grand.

Cheers fellas

spiderwebb wrote:Got these to do, cracking pics, especially makes the day when the start isn't looking too good. Which Vango is that ?

It's a tempest 200 spiderwebb,probably no the lightest but reasonably cheap and roomy enough for the taller gentleman

That's the way to spend Easter

Glen Affric beautiful as always. The walk-in from the east is the most scenic option... Definitely better than the boggy path from Cluanie. Though I'm tempted to do SC and MD from Morvich

Those clouds make for some great pics.