
Coming quickly off of Ben Wyvis, driving towards Ullapool the sky started to clear of clouds and, as the strange jarring shapes of the mountains of this area became fully visible, it was clear we were in for a treat. Layers of atmosphere a brilliant blue above, the air was warm but for a occasionally bracing breeze, 'the little weirdo' as I have seen it called, standing above us from the car park.


The path leading off to the right below the lower side of Stac Pollaidh's ridge ascends quickly, and we were sweating and breathing heavily until, thankfully, shade was reached behind the mountain. Quite suddenly, Cul Mor, Canisp and Suilven appeared in brilliant technicolour above the myriad of small lochs so familiar to Assynt. Amazing.





Again, at once when the ridge is reached, my breath was taken away by views in all directions, to the sea in the west, Coigach to the south, and the stunning hills to the east and north. We took turns walking the (very dodgy) path and up a little cleft to the most easterly point of the ridge, getting some nice long shots with a sense of scale.









When we returned to our bags at the first cairn, we had been joined by a group of 4 people, who started in the direction of the 'true' summit, looking back suggestively at us. We had not really thought about doing the full ridge, WH had suggested it was perhaps too advanced for novices like us. Eventually, one of the group asked us if we were coming up, and helpfully said we could follow them. My decision was made, but Euan, who has been known to suffer from vertigo in his latter years, seemed unsure. We decided if there were any parts beyond our capabilities, we would turn back.
The next 30 minutes was some of the most fun I have ever had on the hills








We chatted for about 15 minutes with the family from nearby, who had climbed up here countless times, before thoughts turned to the return route and getting to Inchnadamph for dinner and a well-deserved beer. The return over the ridge was more difficult to navigate and get back to our bags, particularly reversing down the chimney, where one wrong foot could have spelled disaster. Descending then back the way we came in the shade, we then took a left round the other side to complete the circuit. Our legs would not thank us for 20K and 2000m of ascent in one day in the morning, but this was but a distant thought as darkness descended, wine flowed, and three more days of the same lay ahead



