free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Well, so far it is, for me at least. But then I'm still in the early stages of highland nirvanitis.
Andy and I had the privilege of as near perfect conditions as you could hope for on Beinn Eighe last Thursday. The forecast the night before had promised fine weather, and we took our preparation seriously with our special fuelling regime of several beers, and lots more whisky, including the delicious Glenfarclas 105.
The eastern ridge and Black Carls looked down on us at our Kinlochewe base:
The plan was to do the standard circuit in a clockwise direction, and we parked at the little car park and set off up into Coire Dubh Mor:
Liathach on the left...
and Beinn Eighe to the right:
This has got to be one of the best walk-ins, if not the best.
The path gives new vistas every few yards, the northern face of Liathach:
across the lochans of Coire dubh Mor to Tom na Gruigach:
the remote Corbetts of Wester Ross:
and finally to the iconic Coire Mich Fearchair with it's loch and famous triple buttress of Coinneach Mhor, one of many tops on Beinn Eighe:
A wild camper (actually he was quite calm) was packing away his tent as we arrived - made a mental note to do a wild camp here myself one day. Could have stayed at the loch all day, but the siren call of the steep shattered rock and scree that led to the main ridge was too much to resist:
..but equally compelling were the views looking back:
Hauling a sweaty self out of the scree gully we were immediately greeted by the full vista of the Beinn Eighe range and the lower Munro of Spidean Coire nan Clach, looking a long way away:
Black Carls pinnacles:
But first a short rocky then grassy slope leads to the first (and highest) Munro summit of Ruadh-stac-Mor (a popular name in these parts), with views north to An Teallach and Fisherfields:
and west to Bean Dearg and Beinn Alligin behind:
Back to the bealach and then up the slope to Coinneach Mhor, with views back down to Coire Mhic Fhearchair:
back to Ruadh-stac-Mor:
and the beast appearing to the south-west, waiting to feed on us the next day...
ahead to the second Munro, Spidean Coire nan Clach:
The airy ridge walking is straightforward but lumpy, the shattered quartzite giving a lunar feel (don't know why I say that, never having been to the moon, just feels right...)
View back along the ridge circuit to Ruadh-stac-Mor:
the ridge with Liathach behind:
and in all it's dark and ominous glory:
A trig point marks the path coming up from Coire an Laiogh, the summit of Spidean Coire nan Clach lies a few yards and a short scramble further on:
Views galore, along the east ridge, Black Carls pinnacles and Fionn Bheinn in distance:
South-east to Lochs Clair and Coulin:
North across Ruadh-stac Beag to Slioch, Fisherfields and a distant An Teallach:
North-west across Ruadh-stac-Mor to Loch Maree and the sea beyond:
Tops of Liathach shimmering in afternoon sunshine:
The view down the descent into Coire an Laoigh:
The way down was frankly a bit tedious after the delights of the ridge, seriously eroded top few hundred metres were no fun at all, things got a lot easier further down, and the 2km back along the road to the car flew by. Maybe the prospect of more beers and drams helped.... more likely though the deep satisfaction of a near-perfect highland mountain day.
