Rainbows and sunshine on Spidean Mialach and Gleouraich

[mrssanta]

So this is the day after our five day backpack around Loch Quoich and we woke in the Kinlochhourn B&B and enjoyed an enormous breakfast of the usual - sausage, bacon, egg, black pudding, beans, toast, lashings of tea (or coffee if you are funny like Rudolph) honey and marmalade.
We were pleased to have nice clean clothes to wear and to chuck the camping gear in the back of the car. The packs felt so light!
We had a bit of a late start, as we had met up again with the backpacking family from yesterday who had camped overnight and were walking to Clunie. Rudolph gave them a head start by dropping them by the bridge over the northern finger of Loch Quoich and then coming back for me. That gave me the chance to do a bit of knitting. I made a mistake and had to pull it all out again. Never mind!
We drove up the road out of Kinlochhourn meeting some Highland Coos on the way, driving to the start of the WH route up Spidean Mialach and Gleouraich.

cow

The start of the path is fairly unobtrusive, marked by a grey post and a tiny cairn, and initially between dense rhododendrons (or rosie-dumdums as they are called in this family). Now I know the rhododendrons are a terrible weed, but they do look very lovely on the lower slopes of this hill.

the start looks like this.

The path soon leaves the trees and continues on a rising traverse into the corrie where it manages to avoid all the peat hags quite effectively.
There is a burn crossing at 045034 with a little waterfall and some firm ground which would make a great camping spot if you were so inclined, but we had no need of it today!!

this would be a nice camp place

From this point the path continues to the confluence of three burns coming out of Coire Dubh. From here there are traces of path up to the saddle between pt 614 and Spidean Mialach itself, and then it peters out, but the going is nice in an ascending traverse up the sleep slope, crossing lots of wee burns and springs, and we met the ridge a little south of the summit.

head up to the saddle just to the right

BIG peat hags nicely negotiated by the path

a nice rising traverse up here will see you right

That View, with Loch Fearna on the left, from this angle it doesn't look 300m higher than Loch Quoich!

looking down into Coire an Daimh Bhain from the ridge

Peering across the ridge we could see some wee orange beetles crossing the burn Allt Coire nan Leac on the southern slopes of Creag a' Mhaim and identified them as the family we had dropped off earlier. we waved, but they didn't wave back! and they were too far away to see on a picture.
It was a short stroll to the top where we were greeted by a rainbow and we stopped in a sheltered spot below the summit for a brew and a bite to eat.

me on the top

Stopping for a brew, trying to get the last iota of gas out of the cylinder. Note to the unwary, please don't turn your gas cylinder upside down unless your stove has a preheat tube, and light it the right way up first!

Continuing on to Gleouraich, it was quite windy and the rain clouds blew in and out a bit, revealing lovely rainbows again and again in Easter Glen Quoich.
"That View" across loch Quoich was ever changing and always beautiful. I took far too many pictures of it.
The ridge between the two Munros is good going and we were treated to rainbows coming and going below us to the North as thin clouds wafted in and out.
It was much colder than the past few days have been with a good breeze.

Where we are going

northern corrie

one of many rainbows

Gairich across the water

Dark shiny slabs in the aptly named Coire Dubh

looking back from Craig Coire na Fiar Bhealaich - it was a bit of a steep bit requiring a photography stop for the sake of my lungs.

"That View" again - how could you tire of it?

me on the top of Gleouraich - looking North

Coming down off Gleouraich (what a gorgeous word that is) there is another of these smashing stalkers paths (blessings on the unknown heroes who built them) which finds an efficient route down the hill right back to near the start point. It was windy on the top, but sheltered as soon as we came down a bit. But then suddenly as we came round a wee corner onto the Druim Seileach we were nearly blown off our feet! It's not a place you would want to fall.

looking down to the bridge over the loch

is this a new micro-hydro scheme in Glen Quoich?

fascinating folded rock

We were safely down off the hill and found a camp spot under a tree just big enough for our wee two man tent. There was a breeze which kept the midges away for the most part, and we sat under the tree eating our grub and enjoying "That View" as the light changed and the sun came and went throught the clouds.

There it is again - from near our camping spot. We camped under the wee tree near the middle of the picture.

Evening light from under our tree

Rudolph told me a bird was roosting in the tree all night singing its heart out but I have to say I was too sound asleep to notice.

spidean mialach and gleouraich 20150708.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

[gammy leg walker]

Loved these two hills,the stalkers path on the way down is amazing

[mrssanta]

Loved these two hills,the stalkers path on the way down is amazing

agreed, these are definitely ones to do again.

[AnnieMacD]

Great report - these two are high on my list and it looks like anti-clockwise is the way to go. Thanks for posting the photo of the start - it will be much easier to find now!