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Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Mon Jun 06, 2016 2:53 am
Munros included on this walk: A' Chralaig, Mullach Fraoch-choire
Date walked: 26/05/2016
Time taken: 11.5 hours
Distance: 17.8 km
Ascent: 1150m
Register or Login free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).A superb spell of summer weather in the northwest and the forecasts promising still clear summits it seemed an ideal time to try the pinnacles on Mullach Fraoch-Choire. What we hadn't anticipated was the cloud inversion that made the day so magical.
The time given includes about 90 minutes of stopping to brew up and enjoy the situation as well as plenty of time spent dawdling and photo taking. We left the car in the layby near the felled forestry at 9am and planned to ascend Coire Odhair, making Mullach Fraoch -choire the first Munro, then double back to A'Chralaig and descend its south east ridge.
It was not long before we were following the footpath along An Caorrann Mor and admiring the misty mountains, summits appearing briefly through the swirling cloud. We stopped for a brew and to fill water bottles at the top of the burn before tackling steep grass and loose rock at the top of the Coire. All fairly easy scrambling on very dry grippy broken schist, until we reached this. After a few attempts we managed to get up it via a slippery chimney. Once on top we exited onto steep grass on the right, then down the slabs and the scrambling was over. The final walk to the summit took us above the clouds. Who wouldn't want to linger on a summit with views like this. Half an hour later at 15:10 we thought we ought to move as well. . In the mist some careful navigation was required to ensure we went down the right ridge and identfy the correct places to turn to avoid the steeper ground After a day on the atmospheric ridge the descent on broad grassy pathless slopes couldn't have been more different. We eventually picked up the Landrover track by the burn and then a final 2km down the road to reach the car at 20:00
The time given includes about 90 minutes of stopping to brew up and enjoy the situation as well as plenty of time spent dawdling and photo taking. We left the car in the layby near the felled forestry at 9am and planned to ascend Coire Odhair, making Mullach Fraoch -choire the first Munro, then double back to A'Chralaig and descend its south east ridge.
It was not long before we were following the footpath along An Caorrann Mor and admiring the misty mountains, summits appearing briefly through the swirling cloud. We stopped for a brew and to fill water bottles at the top of the burn before tackling steep grass and loose rock at the top of the Coire. All fairly easy scrambling on very dry grippy broken schist, until we reached this. After a few attempts we managed to get up it via a slippery chimney. Once on top we exited onto steep grass on the right, then down the slabs and the scrambling was over. The final walk to the summit took us above the clouds. Who wouldn't want to linger on a summit with views like this. Half an hour later at 15:10 we thought we ought to move as well. . In the mist some careful navigation was required to ensure we went down the right ridge and identfy the correct places to turn to avoid the steeper ground After a day on the atmospheric ridge the descent on broad grassy pathless slopes couldn't have been more different. We eventually picked up the Landrover track by the burn and then a final 2km down the road to reach the car at 20:00
Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Dunblane Bagger » Mon Jun 13, 2016 5:00 pm
Hey CC,
Looks like a magical day. Thanks for sharing your day.
These are next on my to do list so was interesting to see what I'll be letting myself in for.
Your report has certainly whetted the appetite to get some decent scrambling in.
cheers,
Looks like a magical day. Thanks for sharing your day.
These are next on my to do list so was interesting to see what I'll be letting myself in for.
Your report has certainly whetted the appetite to get some decent scrambling in.
cheers,
Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:50 am
[quote="Dunblane Bagger"]Hey CC,
Looks like a magical day. Thanks for sharing your day.
These are next on my to do list so was interesting to see what I'll be letting myself in for.
Your report has certainly whetted the appetite to get some decent scrambling in.
Glad you liked it, It was magical, I hope you have as good a day as we did.
Looks like a magical day. Thanks for sharing your day.
These are next on my to do list so was interesting to see what I'll be letting myself in for.
Your report has certainly whetted the appetite to get some decent scrambling in.
Glad you liked it, It was magical, I hope you have as good a day as we did.
Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by basscadet » Tue Jun 14, 2016 9:52 am
Wow, what a wonderful day you had - the best ridge in Kintail by my standards
I can't believe how fearsome you have made the pinnacles look
makes me feel a little better that I was a bit scaredy going over them in the snow
We also got an inversion the first time we went up - amazing place
makes me wonder if there are some hills more liable to inversions than others?




Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:14 pm
[quote="basscadet"]Wow, what a wonderful day you had - the best ridge in Kintail by my standards
I can't believe how fearsome you have made the pinnacles look
makes me feel a little better that I was a bit scaredy going over them in the snow
The mist gave the pinnacles a wonderful eerie look, and although easy in the dry, they were exposed in places, I don't think I would be brave enough to try them in the snow.



The mist gave the pinnacles a wonderful eerie look, and although easy in the dry, they were exposed in places, I don't think I would be brave enough to try them in the snow.
Last edited by Cairngorm creeper on Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Tue Jun 14, 2016 6:18 pm
basscadet wrote:Wow, what a wonderful day you had - the best ridge in Kintail by my standardsI can't believe how fearsome you have made the pinnacles look
makes me feel a little better that I was a bit scaredy going over them in the snow
![]()
We also got an inversion the first time we went up - amazing placemakes me wonder if there are some hills more liable to inversions than others?
This got me thinking so I googled it and came up with this article.
http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7888
But would an inversion be so good if you had predicted it?

Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by old danensian » Tue Jun 14, 2016 7:38 pm
Cracking photographs - great experience
MFC rates as one of my finest tops - that ridge is invigorating and the views down into Affric superb
And a broken spectre thrown in as a bonus
OD
MFC rates as one of my finest tops - that ridge is invigorating and the views down into Affric superb
And a broken spectre thrown in as a bonus
OD
Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by basscadet » Wed Jun 15, 2016 9:40 am
Cairngorm creeper wrote:basscadet wrote:Wow, what a wonderful day you had - the best ridge in Kintail by my standardsI can't believe how fearsome you have made the pinnacles look
makes me feel a little better that I was a bit scaredy going over them in the snow
![]()
We also got an inversion the first time we went up - amazing placemakes me wonder if there are some hills more liable to inversions than others?
This got me thinking so I googled it and came up with this article.
http://www.ukhillwalking.com/articles/page.php?id=7888
But would an inversion be so good if you had predicted it?
Its an interesting article, but surley everyone hopes for an inversion when setting out in mist? Of course sometimes you know you are kidding yourself for a little motivation

Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Wed Jun 15, 2016 5:36 pm
old danensian wrote:Cracking photographs - great experience
MFC rates as one of my finest tops - that ridge is invigorating and the views down into Affric superb
OD
Thank you OD I sure can appreciate why this ridge is such a favorite

Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Wed Jun 15, 2016 5:42 pm
basscadet wrote:
but surley everyone hopes for an inversion when setting out in mist? Of course sometimes you know you are kidding yourself for a little motivation
Very true

Re: Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire
by Cairngorm creeper » Fri Jun 17, 2016 5:55 pm
It was indeed.litljortindan wrote:Spectacular!

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