The Mountain of the Stag: A Torridon Cracker
Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2014 6:27 pm
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
It was our last day in Torridon. Unfortunately, the 80mph summit winds which had raged during our 4 short days in this most stunning of places, was playing havoc with our hillwalking plans.
I’ve wanted to climb Beinn Damh for years but the fates were always against it. And so it was proving once again. The Shipping Forecast the night before didn’t suggest it would calm down any time soon either. The Mountain of the Stag - even its name thrilled me - was not to be.
But as we lay in bed enjoying a cup of tea , I noticed the wind that had howled against the windows of our cottage each day had stopped and the sky, just after first light , was crystal clear.
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
A quick tune in to the outdoor conditions forecast at 8am promised a fine day with light winds! What on earth…….even the shipping forecast was wrong! We slurped down the last of our tea, threw on the walking gear, got the flask and some food stuffed into the rucksacks and by 9am we were driving along the shore of beautiful Loch Torridon towards the start of the Beinn Damh walk.
I couldn’t quite believe we were here, as we headed up the beautiful forest track lined with ancient Scots Pines.
High on the forest track above Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We’ve been on the three major Munros a few times over the years but my eye was always drawn to Beinn Damh , a truly magnificent looking hill that anywhere else would win plaudits. I’m not really a Munro bagger as such. Some hills or walks or areas interest me and that pretty much drives what I fancy doing. This was one of them , short by 10 metres or from the magical 914m. I imagined the views would be good too into the Coulin Forest and also out to the sea, always a big draw.
Torridon in November takes on the colour of the Sossusvlei sand dunes. When the sun lights up the mountain slopes, they look on fire. I have never seen such colourful country anywhere to compare with the North West Highlands and also around Rannoch Moor. It is still seems pretty much under - sung at this time of year IMO, totally magical.
Pano from Inveralligin road by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The excellent path, almost cobbled at times, continued once we were out on the open moorland. The air was sweet and fresh, not a breeze stirred; it was hard to imagine it was mid-November. We stopped so often to take in the magnificence of it all, it was 1.5hrs later - 10.45am - before we reached the top of the saddle.
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
It was then that the views changed from superb to ..well, off the scale.
What a spot!
The main ridge of the mountain reared ahead of us, narrower than I’d thought from the book description. (my ‘wee feartie’ angst kicking in). Forgetting what might lie ahead, it was time to drink in the scene! The Trotternish Ridge on Skye, the North Harris hills, Lewis and the deep blue Sea of the Hebrides. The giants of Torridon opposite, with Beinn Eighe looking most impressive of all, with its bright snow like topping of quartzite. Wow.
Beinn Eighe from slopes of Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
To the south, Blaven and Beinn Bhan (what a great looking mountain) , Eigg, Rum and …was that Coll too? It was!
Rum, Skye and Kishorn by scotlandmac, on Flickr
View to the south and west including Eigg and south Skye by scotlandmac, on Flickr
It’s another 1.5miles from the saddle to the final summit.We chose not to take the bypass path but to carry on up the ridge to the first summit, it was just such a glorious outlook. What a beautiful mountain it is.In fact the narrow bit I was dreading a bit turned out to be nothing of the sort, plenty room. And the views, if it were possible, just got better all the time.
The final broken quartzite boulder slope to the first summit was difficult underfoot but no problem as such.
The stony slopes to the first top above the Crag of the Eagle; Creag na h Iolaire by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The rocks were pretty stable and sometimes a wee boulder hop at least lets you gain height quite quickly. The absolute calm was astonishing.That's so often the way of it - it blows a hoolie for a couple of days then a cracker of a day dawns.
We caught our breath at the summit and I can only say, the view was a jaw drop.
The Coulin Forest: Beinn Liath More and Sgurr Ruadh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Coulin Forest Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Trotternish Ridge and Rona by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Liathach and tiny Fasag village below by scotlandmac, on Flickr
South Uist was visible now beyond the jagged peaks of the Cuillin, always a joy to see. But possibly most astonishing of all was the view east. The final summit ridge of Spidean Coire an Laoigh sweeps round the impressively precipitous northern Corrie of the Warriors/or Calves - Coire an Laoigh - which lay in deep dark shadow. Beyond, Meall Chean - Dearg and the peaks of the Coulin Forest looked almost primeval, bathed in sunshine. A sea of peaks and wild country which lay before us , the clarity and light unequalled in my experience. It was already one the finest views I have seen from any summit. My better half, C , a man of few words was chattering nineteen to the dozen about future wild camps, pitching on the saddle or even up here, to catch the sunrise and sunset.It's a dead giveaway that he is seriously impressed and very, very happy.
One of my top 3 favourite hills – Beinn Alligin – looked like an enormous but beautiful volcano from the Jurassic era.
Beinn Alligin by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Coulin Forest mountains by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We dropped down on less bouldery slopes though still quite rough and picked up the bypass path for the final ridge walk to the main summit. A couple came up behind us who had clearly decided to miss out the first top, a mistake I thought given the views.
Rum visible and the Cuillin beyond Beinn Bhan by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Damh in all its majesty.Skye and Harris beyond. by scotlandmac, on Flickr
What a view as you make your way round the corrie headwall! There was a small ascent again and I scrambled a little to the right to avoid the gravelly path which teetered a bit too close to the chasm at one point. Then it was a short stroll to the final summit. We’d made it! Oh that feeling when you know you’ve done it and that you are surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. We both agreed that compared to some albeit minor hiking we’d done last year in the Rockies, this was even more beautiful. I think it’s the ancient quality of our mountains, with some of the oldest rock in the world exposed. And the sea and loch interplay, plus the incredible colour and light. A killer combo.
It was now 12.15, so 3 hours of minor slog, oohing and aching to reach this spot.
Looking back round the final ridge to Spidean Coire an Laoigh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Rum visible and the Cuillin beyond Beinn Bhan by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Shieldaig, Rona and Skye by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Coulin Forest: Beinn Liath More and Sgurr Ruadh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Trotternish Ridge and Rona by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Eighe by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The couple behind us arrived and we chatted briefly about what a brilliant day it was. Everyone is always so happy on a hill….well, in good weather anyway!
With the wonders of phones nowadays I sent off a photo to my two sons back in civilization and to my ‘wee’ brother, a one time Munro Bagger who hung up his boots when the family arrived and has proven very difficult to entice back. I always hope a pic or text might do the trick. I used to call my Dad if possible from each summit and knew I’d get the same response of ‘what the heck are you doing up there? Get down immediately!’ It was a wee joke between us; he loved these missives from the mountains. That mild scold is, three years after he died, still a big miss.
Knorr’s chicken noodle soup and a cold lamb sandwich to fuel us up a bit ,though I'm never very hungry on a hill walk. Nerves maybe? Adrenalin? I've always felt an odd bod for that.
It’s always hard to leave the heights especially on such a day but descend we had to.
View to Beinn Alligin, Skye, Harris from Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
View over Beinn Damh down Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
As we headed down the steepish initial section of the track below the saddle, the mountain lived up to its name as a large red deer stag was etched in silhouette on the edge of the mid slope. Below, a herd of stags grazed unperturbed by our movements.
Stag etched on the skyline, Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Stags on the mid slopes by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The sun had now swung round to the south west and Beinn Alligin and Liathach were lit up as if by fire. The colours were almost unreal.
Above the saddle, Loch Damh and B.Shieldaig by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We reached the car at 3.15…six hours in total. The drama wasn’t quite over because the Loch itself was at its best now.
We drove up the Inveralligin road to catch the last hour or so of good light.
Liathach from the Diabaig road late afternoon sun by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
....... before fitting in an obligatory visit to the excellent Torridon Stores and Café.Now the appetite kicked in big style and it was some Iced Ginger Flapjack for me (500 calories worth - ouch) , wine and a cheese scone for C . At last, a tea room (my choice) which serves alcohol (C's choice).Both happy.
We watched a spectacular sunset from the café as darkness fell around 4.45pm.
Sunset over the loch from the village by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Sunset pano across Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Sunset over Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Perhaps Fate was saving Beinn Damh for just such an unforgettable little window of early winter weather.I certainly hope that it is not the last time I climb the Mountain of the Stag. I agree with W H Murray that the view from Beinn Alligin is unrivalled by its greater neighbours. But that leaves out its smaller neighbour, Beinn Damh. I think this less - highly sung mountain may well offer the views to at least equal it.
It was our last day in Torridon. Unfortunately, the 80mph summit winds which had raged during our 4 short days in this most stunning of places, was playing havoc with our hillwalking plans.
I’ve wanted to climb Beinn Damh for years but the fates were always against it. And so it was proving once again. The Shipping Forecast the night before didn’t suggest it would calm down any time soon either. The Mountain of the Stag - even its name thrilled me - was not to be.
But as we lay in bed enjoying a cup of tea , I noticed the wind that had howled against the windows of our cottage each day had stopped and the sky, just after first light , was crystal clear.
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
A quick tune in to the outdoor conditions forecast at 8am promised a fine day with light winds! What on earth…….even the shipping forecast was wrong! We slurped down the last of our tea, threw on the walking gear, got the flask and some food stuffed into the rucksacks and by 9am we were driving along the shore of beautiful Loch Torridon towards the start of the Beinn Damh walk.
I couldn’t quite believe we were here, as we headed up the beautiful forest track lined with ancient Scots Pines.
High on the forest track above Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We’ve been on the three major Munros a few times over the years but my eye was always drawn to Beinn Damh , a truly magnificent looking hill that anywhere else would win plaudits. I’m not really a Munro bagger as such. Some hills or walks or areas interest me and that pretty much drives what I fancy doing. This was one of them , short by 10 metres or from the magical 914m. I imagined the views would be good too into the Coulin Forest and also out to the sea, always a big draw.
Torridon in November takes on the colour of the Sossusvlei sand dunes. When the sun lights up the mountain slopes, they look on fire. I have never seen such colourful country anywhere to compare with the North West Highlands and also around Rannoch Moor. It is still seems pretty much under - sung at this time of year IMO, totally magical.
Pano from Inveralligin road by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The excellent path, almost cobbled at times, continued once we were out on the open moorland. The air was sweet and fresh, not a breeze stirred; it was hard to imagine it was mid-November. We stopped so often to take in the magnificence of it all, it was 1.5hrs later - 10.45am - before we reached the top of the saddle.
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
It was then that the views changed from superb to ..well, off the scale.
What a spot!
The main ridge of the mountain reared ahead of us, narrower than I’d thought from the book description. (my ‘wee feartie’ angst kicking in). Forgetting what might lie ahead, it was time to drink in the scene! The Trotternish Ridge on Skye, the North Harris hills, Lewis and the deep blue Sea of the Hebrides. The giants of Torridon opposite, with Beinn Eighe looking most impressive of all, with its bright snow like topping of quartzite. Wow.
Beinn Eighe from slopes of Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
To the south, Blaven and Beinn Bhan (what a great looking mountain) , Eigg, Rum and …was that Coll too? It was!
Rum, Skye and Kishorn by scotlandmac, on Flickr
View to the south and west including Eigg and south Skye by scotlandmac, on Flickr
It’s another 1.5miles from the saddle to the final summit.We chose not to take the bypass path but to carry on up the ridge to the first summit, it was just such a glorious outlook. What a beautiful mountain it is.In fact the narrow bit I was dreading a bit turned out to be nothing of the sort, plenty room. And the views, if it were possible, just got better all the time.
The final broken quartzite boulder slope to the first summit was difficult underfoot but no problem as such.
The stony slopes to the first top above the Crag of the Eagle; Creag na h Iolaire by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The rocks were pretty stable and sometimes a wee boulder hop at least lets you gain height quite quickly. The absolute calm was astonishing.That's so often the way of it - it blows a hoolie for a couple of days then a cracker of a day dawns.
We caught our breath at the summit and I can only say, the view was a jaw drop.
The Coulin Forest: Beinn Liath More and Sgurr Ruadh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Coulin Forest Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Trotternish Ridge and Rona by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Liathach and tiny Fasag village below by scotlandmac, on Flickr
South Uist was visible now beyond the jagged peaks of the Cuillin, always a joy to see. But possibly most astonishing of all was the view east. The final summit ridge of Spidean Coire an Laoigh sweeps round the impressively precipitous northern Corrie of the Warriors/or Calves - Coire an Laoigh - which lay in deep dark shadow. Beyond, Meall Chean - Dearg and the peaks of the Coulin Forest looked almost primeval, bathed in sunshine. A sea of peaks and wild country which lay before us , the clarity and light unequalled in my experience. It was already one the finest views I have seen from any summit. My better half, C , a man of few words was chattering nineteen to the dozen about future wild camps, pitching on the saddle or even up here, to catch the sunrise and sunset.It's a dead giveaway that he is seriously impressed and very, very happy.
One of my top 3 favourite hills – Beinn Alligin – looked like an enormous but beautiful volcano from the Jurassic era.
Beinn Alligin by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Coulin Forest mountains by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We dropped down on less bouldery slopes though still quite rough and picked up the bypass path for the final ridge walk to the main summit. A couple came up behind us who had clearly decided to miss out the first top, a mistake I thought given the views.
Rum visible and the Cuillin beyond Beinn Bhan by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Damh in all its majesty.Skye and Harris beyond. by scotlandmac, on Flickr
What a view as you make your way round the corrie headwall! There was a small ascent again and I scrambled a little to the right to avoid the gravelly path which teetered a bit too close to the chasm at one point. Then it was a short stroll to the final summit. We’d made it! Oh that feeling when you know you’ve done it and that you are surrounded by some of the most spectacular scenery in the world. We both agreed that compared to some albeit minor hiking we’d done last year in the Rockies, this was even more beautiful. I think it’s the ancient quality of our mountains, with some of the oldest rock in the world exposed. And the sea and loch interplay, plus the incredible colour and light. A killer combo.
It was now 12.15, so 3 hours of minor slog, oohing and aching to reach this spot.
Looking back round the final ridge to Spidean Coire an Laoigh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Rum visible and the Cuillin beyond Beinn Bhan by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Shieldaig, Rona and Skye by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Coulin Forest: Beinn Liath More and Sgurr Ruadh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The Trotternish Ridge and Rona by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Eighe by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The couple behind us arrived and we chatted briefly about what a brilliant day it was. Everyone is always so happy on a hill….well, in good weather anyway!
With the wonders of phones nowadays I sent off a photo to my two sons back in civilization and to my ‘wee’ brother, a one time Munro Bagger who hung up his boots when the family arrived and has proven very difficult to entice back. I always hope a pic or text might do the trick. I used to call my Dad if possible from each summit and knew I’d get the same response of ‘what the heck are you doing up there? Get down immediately!’ It was a wee joke between us; he loved these missives from the mountains. That mild scold is, three years after he died, still a big miss.
Knorr’s chicken noodle soup and a cold lamb sandwich to fuel us up a bit ,though I'm never very hungry on a hill walk. Nerves maybe? Adrenalin? I've always felt an odd bod for that.
It’s always hard to leave the heights especially on such a day but descend we had to.
View to Beinn Alligin, Skye, Harris from Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
View over Beinn Damh down Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
As we headed down the steepish initial section of the track below the saddle, the mountain lived up to its name as a large red deer stag was etched in silhouette on the edge of the mid slope. Below, a herd of stags grazed unperturbed by our movements.
Stag etched on the skyline, Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Stags on the mid slopes by scotlandmac, on Flickr
The sun had now swung round to the south west and Beinn Alligin and Liathach were lit up as if by fire. The colours were almost unreal.
Above the saddle, Loch Damh and B.Shieldaig by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Untitled by scotlandmac, on Flickr
We reached the car at 3.15…six hours in total. The drama wasn’t quite over because the Loch itself was at its best now.
We drove up the Inveralligin road to catch the last hour or so of good light.
Liathach from the Diabaig road late afternoon sun by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Beinn Damh by scotlandmac, on Flickr
....... before fitting in an obligatory visit to the excellent Torridon Stores and Café.Now the appetite kicked in big style and it was some Iced Ginger Flapjack for me (500 calories worth - ouch) , wine and a cheese scone for C . At last, a tea room (my choice) which serves alcohol (C's choice).Both happy.
We watched a spectacular sunset from the café as darkness fell around 4.45pm.
Sunset over the loch from the village by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Sunset pano across Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Sunset over Loch Torridon by scotlandmac, on Flickr
Perhaps Fate was saving Beinn Damh for just such an unforgettable little window of early winter weather.I certainly hope that it is not the last time I climb the Mountain of the Stag. I agree with W H Murray that the view from Beinn Alligin is unrivalled by its greater neighbours. But that leaves out its smaller neighbour, Beinn Damh. I think this less - highly sung mountain may well offer the views to at least equal it.