Mystical Day on Mullach Fraoch choire

[Cairngorm creeper]

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.

The route

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.

Cloud swirling about Ciste Dubhe

11:00 heading up Coire Odhair.

Amazingly complex landscape and terrain

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.

13:00 and the ridge is still enshrined in mist

13:15 We are on the ridge but where are the pinnacles

The bird was a surprise. Maybe a dotterel I am not sure.

Staying on the crest as the path starts its bypass

A hand traverse for the most exposed section

Into the daylight

Back into the gloom

All fairly easy scrambling on very dry grippy broken schist, until we reached this.

A final pinnacle or off route outcrop?

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.

A' Chralaig peeking out

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.

An atmospheric walk along the ridge

Along the path looking up at the pinnacles

In and out of the cloud

All the way to A' Chralaig

.

17:00 and out into the sunshine

Making a little mist of our own.

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

Broken Spectres follwed us quite a way down

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

[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.

cheers,

[Cairngorm creeper]

[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.

[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 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?

[Cairngorm creeper]

[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.

[Cairngorm creeper]

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?

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?

[old danensian]

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

[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

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?

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

[Cairngorm creeper]

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

[Cairngorm creeper]

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

[litljortindan]

Spectacular!

[Cairngorm creeper]

Spectacular!

It was indeed. Thank you