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Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly


Postby malky_c » Mon May 12, 2014 12:06 am

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Dun Caan (Raasay), Glas Bheinn Mhor (Skye)

Date walked: 09/05/2014

Time taken: 6 hours

Distance: 22 km

Ascent: 1200m

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Sub 2000 Marilyns: Dun Caan, Glas Bheinn Mhor.
Date: 09/05/2014.
Distance: 16km / 6km
Ascent: 600m / 600m
Time taken: 4 hours 10 minutes / 1 hour 50 minutes.
Weather: Very calm. Sunny spells mixed with heavy showers.

As usual, work throws up some interesting trips and site visits - this time to the water works on Raasay. Over 5 hours of travelling required for 90 minutes of work! Suits me, as with an early start, I get most of the day to go walking...

I started off with ambitious plans. I was due to meet someone on Raasay who would drive me to site, so I didn't need to take the car over. I thought if I could get a lift up to Arnish at the northern end of the road, I could climb Beinn na h-Iolaire, followed by a walk down the eastern coastline of the island, finally taking a detour over Dun Caan.

Things didn't quite work out like this as my host and driver had to head back rather promptly to catch the ferry. Fortunately the water works was within 10 minutes walk of the northern route up Dun Caan, so I decided to leave out the north of the island this time. Having left Inverness before 6am in order to catch the first ferry across from Sconser, I was done with work before 11am, and on my way. The weather had started poorly but it was showing signs of clearing up locally.

10.11_mi_walk_on_09_05_2014.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


Start of the Dun Caan path:
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The path was well made and signposted, and led gently up the flank of Carn Sgrabach. The cloud was still thick for the most part but Beinn Tianavaig and the Sound of Raasay were emerging into the sunshine, providing a nice backdrop. The summit suddenly appeared, looking close enough to touch. However this was an illusion, as there was a small valley to cross first. The arrangement of lochans and rock pavements around here was spectacular.

Beinn Tianavaig:
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Sound of Raasay:
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Raasay waterworks – providing me my skive:
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Beinn Tianavaig:
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Summit of Dun Caan looks deceptively close from here…
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…but you need to cross this dip first:
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After lingering for some photos, it was a short but steep descent into the valley and past the end of Loch na Meilich before picking up the final zigzags to the summit. Steep but easy walking, and I left the path higher up for some mild scrambling.

Off the map:
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Looking back towards the Red Cuillin from the final ascent:
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…and Braes and Ollach:
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Even with most of the larger hills in the clag, the views from the top were stunning. It was completely calm, fairly warm and free of flying objects so I had a long lunch break. I was aware of the sound of an engine nearby, and was surprised to spot a tractor on a remote clifftop ploughing a field.

Crowlin Islands:
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Spectacular summit, even with most of the hills in cloud:
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Looking down on Loch a’ Chada-charnaich and the Inner Sound:
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Tractor working the land:
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Eventually I felt a few spots of rain, so decided to get moving. There is another fairly obvious path back to Inverarish from the summit, but I fancied a brief visit to the east coast, so decided to look for a route down to the cleared village of Hallaig. I retraced my initial steps, then crossed heathery moorland to the top of the crags that drop down in steps to the sea. I was on a reasonable track but I felt that it was heading for a sheer drop, so I tried another route. Descending into one of the clouds I had been above made it more difficult to see where I was going. After some deep heather and a couple of false starts, I found a gully that was easy enough to slither down, and popped out at Loch a' Chada-charnaich. Typically I spotted the path I had been on earlier, which wove its way down to me in a much easier line than the one I'd taken.

Interesting descent gully (completely unnecessary):
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The geology and scenery was really interesting from here onwards - just a shame much of the walk was in the rain at this point. The entire hillside appeared to be riven with faults, so as well as the impressive large cliffs above me, there were lots of small slips and chasms. The terrain was often easy short grass, and the small chasms were full of trees. At the village, I forgot to look too hard at the map, but had spied a route out over a pass west of Beinn nan Leac. I later found that this path is not on newer maps, which would explain why it was so hard to follow. A better route may have been to stick to the coast.

Interesting looking pinnacle above Hallaig:
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…and some exciting looking slabs:
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Beinn na h-Iolaire and northern Raasay:
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Interesting rock faults:
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Hallaig:
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The path was indistinct, but a route appeared following a fault in the hillside, so the path was effectively on the top of a mini-arête. A strange formation. At the top of the pass, I didn't bother looking at the map, and ended up on the wrong side of the Allt Fearns, preventing me from cutting a small corner to the road.

Back to Dun Caan:
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Allt Fearns and Glamaig:
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Path from Hallaig:
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Beinn Dearg Mhor and Glamaig:
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Scalpay:
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Finally on the road, it had stopped raining, but I wasn't going to make the 2:30pm ferry. Not that it really mattered - I wasn't really in a rush. Rather than follow the road back to Inverarish, I picked up the Burma Road through the woods, then a couple of other woodland footpaths. These were not the most scenic as they were mostly through thick conifers, but the going was pleasant enough.

Remains of iron ore mining buildings:
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Waterfall on the Burma Road:
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Sgurr nan Gillean emerging from the clouds:
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Finally back at the ferry terminal, I had some time to kill before the next ferry, but as the sun was now out, this was most enjoyable. As was the ferry ride back, with many of the hills clearing from the clag.

Churchton Bay and the new ferry terminal:
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Statues at the terminal:
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Leaving Raasay:
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Beinn Tianavaig:
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again, looking quite menacing:
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Glamaig and Sconser:
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Back to Raasay:
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Back at the car for 4pm, and I felt like I could squeeze another short walk in on the way home. Given the Skye weather so far, my initial thought was to head for Beinn a' Mheadhoin near Dornie. However, the Red Cuillin were clearing and the mainland wasn't looking particularly great, so I decided to stop at Luib. Here I had a choice of Glas Bheinn Mhor or Beinn na Cro (or both possibly), both decent looking viewpoints that I'd somehow missed before now.

I went for Glas Bheinn Mhor, as it was slightly closer to me, and I only wanted to be gone for a couple of hours. I'd intended to include this with a round of Garbh-bheinn and Belig a few years ago, but mediocre weather and a cold had kept me to the shorter round.

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I went through the gate with signs to Torrin and Strollamus, and followed the first section of the Strath Mor path, striking up towards the north ridge as soon as possible. Turned out I left the path too early, and had to climb a couple of fences that could have been avoided.

Sgurr nan Gillean and Loch Ainort:
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I was soon on the ridge, which was short heather and easy walking. Higher up it became drier and grassier, and the old fence posts on the crest gave way to a stone wall. The Red Cuillin can look a bit steep and desperate from the road below at times, but on this occasion, the walking is really pleasant and easy, with great views to the lochs and the rest of the range at all times.

Beinn Dearg Mhor, Glamaig and Loch Ainort:
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Beinn Tianavaig:
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Luib and Scalpay:
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Raasay from the ridge:
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Broadford:
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The ridge soon leveled out and there were great views down to Loch Slapin and across to Beinn na Cro. In fact it was turning out to be a lovely evening, and after 50 minutes I was on top. I carried on towards Belig to find a place to sit, and stopped for another decent break. The descent towards Belig looked lovely and grassy, but from the col down to Strath Mor looked less fun. I decided to head back the same way in the end to enjoy the views in reverse and save a walk back down the glen. First I had endless photos to take. I still haven't replaced my knackered camera, so I was glad I had one from work with me, as it picked up the colours so much better than the one on my phone.

Beinn na Cro and Loch Slapin:
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Strath Mor:
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Beinn na Callaich and Lochan Sratha Mor:
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Belig and Garbh-bheinn with Blaven behind:
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Belig:
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Skye bridge and poor weather on the mainland:
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Belig and Garbh-bheinn again:
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Then it was a slight ascent back to the summit, and back down the north ridge again, this time avoiding the fence climbing.

Bidein Druim nan Ramh and Sgurr nan Gillean:
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Raasay and Dun Caan:
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N ridge of Glas Bheinn Mhor:
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Across Portree to Harris. Clisham just visible poking up on right distant skyline:
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Glamaig:
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Beinn na Cro from Luib:
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...then the drive home, glad that I'd stayed on Skye for the afternoon rather than heading back to walk on the mainland.
Last edited by malky_c on Wed Nov 05, 2014 11:21 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby BlackPanther » Mon May 12, 2014 10:22 am

Lucky you - 90 min working, then wandering about for the rest of the day... :wink:
Every year when we go to Skye I keep saying - we should visit Raasay, but we always end up somewhere else on the island. Looks like Dun Caan is worth the effort. Interesting two lochs on different levels, a bit like those around An Ruadh Stac in Torridon.

I was actually thinking about combining Glas Bheinn Mhor with Belig (for some silly reason we climbed Garbhein, but not Belig). But the final ascent from GBM side looks very steep in your photos, maybe I should keep the two hills separate. I'm running out of easy hills on Skye anyway :lol:
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby AnnieMacD » Mon May 12, 2014 2:33 pm

Great report and photos. Good idea to do a circular walk on Raasay back to the ferry. I loved Dun Caan too - there's something a bit magical about it and its inaccessibility (only because the whole island is fairly inaccessible). I think a misty day suits it!

Glas Bheinn Mhor is also very high on my list and, BlackPanther, believe it or not, I too planned to combine it with Belig. I took pictures of the bealach between them when I was on Skye a couple of weeks ago and was pretty sure it would be doable. Malky, what do you think would be the best way to go up Belig from GBM? I was contemplating the corrie ending up on the ridge between the summit and the 637 top. If you don't think that's possible I suppose one would have to go around to the north ridge - or is there a break in it too????

I have other plans for Garbh-bheinn which I've been hatching for a while :wink:
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby malky_c » Mon May 12, 2014 4:17 pm

>>
Last edited by malky_c on Mon May 12, 2014 4:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby malky_c » Mon May 12, 2014 4:18 pm

AnnieMacD wrote: Malky, what do you think would be the best way to go up Belig from GBM? I was contemplating the corrie ending up on the ridge between the summit and the 637 top. If you don't think that's possible I suppose one would have to go around to the north ridge - or is there a break in it too????

I have other plans for Garbh-bheinn which I've been hatching for a while :wink:


I think either ridge would work - it doesn't look that bad. One of these routes? They both look about the same length. There may be a short run of scree to cover and a couple of outcrops:
Image

Are you going to do the Clach Glas traverse to Garbh-bheinn?
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby Collaciotach » Mon May 12, 2014 8:35 pm

And when the sun goes down behind Dun Caan
A vehement bullet will come from the gun of love
And strike the deer that goes dizzily sniffing
amongst the grass strewn ruined homes
His eye will freeze in the wood
His blood will not be traced while I live .......

Aite boidheachd Halliag ... cord ruim

Enjoyed that :clap: :clap:
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Tue May 13, 2014 10:08 am

Some superb photos Malky from a couple of great view points. Always fancied Dun Caan but have never quite got round to it.
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Re: Raasay and the Red Cuillin...briefly

Postby AnnieMacD » Tue May 13, 2014 3:59 pm

That's a fantastic photo of Belig, Malky, thanks so much for posting it. Very helpful.

Are you going to do the Clach Glas traverse to Garbh-bheinn?


Ha ha, I don't have a death wish :lol: :lol: But you are warm!
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