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Decided to shelve my epic Loch Mullardoch circuit for the time being and do a family walk, as my parents and sister were staying in a caravan in Cannich for a week. Cycled down to Drumnadrochit and was picked up and taken over to Cannich. A friend had mentioned that he had recently climbed Carn a'Chaochain and found it to be very straightforward and short. Therefore I was able to persuade my family it would be a nice walk, and easy to be down in time for a meal in Drumnadrochit later.
The drive up to Cougie was rather slow, and despite being shown as a tarmac road on the latest OS map, the last 4 miles were unsurfaced. A couple of clunks of the exhaust pipe and we were eating lunch just outside Cougie. Fortunately nothing actually fell off the car.
From the carpark, we followed a newish track then cut off onto the stalker's path through the forest. Most of the surrounding woodland had been felled, but there was a small ribbon of birch following the line of a burn up the hill. The path went up through this and was very pleasant. A gate in the deer fence, and we were out on the moorland. There were a couple of short boggy patches, but on the whole the path was much better than I expected.
- Horses at Cougie
- Across Loch Affric to Carn Eighe/Mam Sodhail
At the high point, we cut onto a heathery ridge, studded with the occasional outcrop or boulder. The ground was exceptionally dry, something I think was particular to the recent weather. A recent trip to the Grahams immediately east of this hill had been fairly boggy. Views opened up to the Glen Affric Munros and back down Strathglass. We stopped at an intermetiate cairn at about 620m, then onward to the summit, the pace leisurely.
- On the summit with Strathglass to the left
- Clouds gathering over the Affric Munros
- Across Glen Moriston to the Monadliath
- Sgurr na Lapaich
The actual summit is slightly south of the trig point and a couple of m higher. Laura (my sister) and I went across to this, then we all retraced our steps the same way back, as it was the best route by far. My mum was tiring towards the end, as she still hadn't fully recovered from doing the West Highland Way the previous week.
- Descending the path through the woods
- Sgurr na Lapaich from above Cougie
All in all, despite being an unexciting hill to look at, this walk was really enjoyable. Looking back to the family walks of my youth, this was much more relaxing. I have memories of racing against the darkness while trying to get down various Munros, with my mum not liking to go downhill particuarly fast. This was much better.