Huiseabhal Mor ridge with overnight camping
Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 10:38 pmWe parked the car at Huisinish around lunchtime. Originally we had been planning to have a look at the eagle observatory on the way to Huisinish but we were told that 'the eagles were on the nest today and not likely to leave any time soon' (good weather birds I presume) so we did not bother and drove on to Huisinish to start the Huiseabhal Mor ridge hike. After a brief toilet stop.
We did the hike 'the other way around' by first climbing up the slopes of Huiseabhal Beag, Oireabhal and Huiseabhal Mor. It was pouring with rain and we had gusty winds on the way up so no easy going but we had seen on the forecast that it was going to clear up later on. We hard wind blew some sand (or something) into my eye which resulted in a very irritated eye. So much so that I could effectively only see with one eye from there on. I did still manage to enjoy the beauty of the landscape luckily enough and we are also happy to spot a white mountain hare up on the slopes. The going was very boggy and not easy to stay on route because of the weather (the summits were in the mist, well everything was really..).
There was therefore much rejoicing upon reaching the summit.
Going down we scrambled along the shores of Loch a Ghlinne. The weather began to clear up but the going was still pretty tough in these boggy conditions. When we reached the sandy beach of Crabhadail the sun came out and the wind laid down. We were happy to set up camp on this amazing piece of land. With the white beach, the rocks and the green grasslands the place feels almost surreal. You almost expect a Teletubby hopping around. Oh oh. We had the beach to ourselves and even managed to scrape some driftwood from the beach to make a little campfire. Not quite enough fire to dry our very wet socks but plenty to finish the wine and whisky we brought along.
After a good night's sleep and some warm oatmeal porridge we hiked back to the Huisinish car park. This time we did come across other people, all of which were walking to Crabhadail beach and back from Huisinish. Just before coming down to the Huisinish we could spot the mystical islands of St Kilda way off in the distance. Binoculars help of course but if you know where to look you could just make it out without them as well (even with one eye).
All in all a very enjoyable hike in beautiful scenery and an amazing place for overnight camping. Heading off in foul weather probably helps in having the beach to yourself.
We did the hike 'the other way around' by first climbing up the slopes of Huiseabhal Beag, Oireabhal and Huiseabhal Mor. It was pouring with rain and we had gusty winds on the way up so no easy going but we had seen on the forecast that it was going to clear up later on. We hard wind blew some sand (or something) into my eye which resulted in a very irritated eye. So much so that I could effectively only see with one eye from there on. I did still manage to enjoy the beauty of the landscape luckily enough and we are also happy to spot a white mountain hare up on the slopes. The going was very boggy and not easy to stay on route because of the weather (the summits were in the mist, well everything was really..).
There was therefore much rejoicing upon reaching the summit.
Going down we scrambled along the shores of Loch a Ghlinne. The weather began to clear up but the going was still pretty tough in these boggy conditions. When we reached the sandy beach of Crabhadail the sun came out and the wind laid down. We were happy to set up camp on this amazing piece of land. With the white beach, the rocks and the green grasslands the place feels almost surreal. You almost expect a Teletubby hopping around. Oh oh. We had the beach to ourselves and even managed to scrape some driftwood from the beach to make a little campfire. Not quite enough fire to dry our very wet socks but plenty to finish the wine and whisky we brought along.
After a good night's sleep and some warm oatmeal porridge we hiked back to the Huisinish car park. This time we did come across other people, all of which were walking to Crabhadail beach and back from Huisinish. Just before coming down to the Huisinish we could spot the mystical islands of St Kilda way off in the distance. Binoculars help of course but if you know where to look you could just make it out without them as well (even with one eye).
All in all a very enjoyable hike in beautiful scenery and an amazing place for overnight camping. Heading off in foul weather probably helps in having the beach to yourself.
...shame the hills were misty 
...you looked like you had fun anyway!