Walkhighlands

Looking at sharp north ridge of Sgorr Ruadh on a map we felt, in winter conditions, it would take us too far out of our comfort zone, but there was no thaw in sight and we were in danger of ending up in a purgatory of rounded boggy hill sides. Inspired by all the recent walk reports from The Torridons we decided to at least go and take a look at the northern approach route.
There was snow lying on the ground as we left home, but by the time we reached Inverness it had turned to rain and as we pulled into the Beinn Eighe carpark at 9:15, the sun was shining. With Liathach looming magnificently behind us we set out on a good path that goes past the Ling hut and then follows the Allt Frainach.
As we were studying the snow peaks ahead we struggled to identfy exactly which one our quarry was. They were all looking inviting. I was rather taken by this one.
As is the way of paths it petered out into marshy ground a couple of kilometres earlier than the map led us to believe it should and shortly after this the snow line started so I can't say if it ever reappears. We blundered forward for a while, following the line of the path, but not sure quite how far along it we were, (although in retrospect it should have been obvious from the lie of the land), and then decided it may be a good idea to start pacing the distance. Our skills in navigation are usually much improved by a lack of paths and appalling visability
The ascent to Coire Grannda is by a series of steep tussocky slopes between plateaus. At the head of Coire Grannda, sitting in the middle of the bealch between Sgor Ruadh and Beinn Liath Mhor, is a magnificent rich brown sandstone rock buttress, and the Corrie walls comprise of impressive crags. The soft snow and time spent on navigation has put us well behind schedule and our hopes of reaching the summit are fading but fuelled by noodles we decide to keep going until 14:30 or the terrain defeats us. The soft snow makes the ice axe more of a security blanket than useful safety tool, but I hang on to mine all the way just the same. The weather on top was still remarkable still and although the route crossed a number of tops they were nowhere near as steep or narrow as they appeared from below..
It's cut off time and the weather is becoming very blustery, it looks like some scrambling, on snow covered rocks may be required to get past the steep top in front of us, but we can see the summit and it is very close. But before I can say I want to wimp he's off It must have been a bit exciting because I remember swearing about being left behind but the steep section was short lived and then a quick easy stroll. .
So glad we made it and I wasn't given the chance to wimp out.
We didn't hang about at the top but what goes up must come down. and we are onto easier ground admiring the views.
We took a less steep route back to the Bealach but I'm glad we didn't try and come up this way . Another refuelling stop and taking a little care more care with our route finding at 17:00 we headed back through Coire Grannda and onto the path. With the Torridon Giants ahead all the way it would be hard not to find the way back but finding the best route and identifying the start of the path was very time consuming.
19:45 and back at the car after superb day in the hills and a little bit of bottle gained.

Amazing how much snow there still was two weeks ago! That is a great route to this hill . I have planned an approach from the south. Maybe I need to reconsider!

Silverhill wrote:Amazing how much snow there still was two weeks ago! That is a great route to this hill . I have planned an approach from the south. Maybe I need to reconsider!

If you do try this route I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Great photos - weather has moved on quite a bit since then . One of my favourite areas this, and Sgorr Ruadh and Beinn Liath Mhor are two of my most climbed. Although I've done a longer circuit from the north, I've never used this approach. Another possibility for the future perhaps

malky_c wrote:Great photos - weather has moved on quite a bit since then . One of my favourite areas this, and Sgorr Ruadh and Beinn Liath Mhor are two of my most climbed. Although I've done a longer circuit from the north, I've never used this approach. Another possibility for the future perhaps

Thank you. I can totally understand why it's your favorite area Although this report does look well out of season now . We are looking forward to exploring it further.