free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Have you ever had a day on a hill when you could have received a phone call to inform you that you won the lottery and your reply would have been ...great I will get back to you once I returned from the mountains...in 3 days.
It was a beautiful warm day when I arrived in Arnisdale. Quite the opposite of waking up to -1C and a frozen tent!
Now 2 hours later I was in my T-shirt and stared up Beinn Sgritheall in awe. What a lovely gulp steep mountain! Looking around I decided once more that Arnisdale was the most peaceful place I have ever been to. A few houses, a cute post office and lovely views towards Knoydart...what else do you need!?
A small sign indicated the way up the mountain and shouldering my pack I set off. Looking down I saw some foot prints which made me wonder if I would meet some people on the way up, as everything around me seemed deserted. The initial climb towards the bealach Arnasdail can only be described as steep, but satisfying. A few straigh'ish sections gave my burning thigh muscles a rest, but my main reason to stop often were the views towards Ladhar Bheinn and Loch Hourn...simply beautiful!
A herd of deer eyed me suspiciously when I reached the bealach, looking around it was a pretty small bealach but the point not to miss was the steep lump of no name. 'Och that doesn't look too bad I thought' and followed the fence line. Looking back I saw another walker who seemed to have appeared out of the blue. Moving on I expected to be overtaken in the next 5 min and was surprised when it did not happen. My fitness was maybe better that I had expected? I continued to climb and reached the scree. Oh how much I hate loose scree. Moving on taking a few steps and sliding back a few steps I cursed and made a mental note not to return the same way, it would be even worse down I reckoned!
On the way up, cracking views
Did I mentioned that it was steep?
I was so glad when I finally reached the point 906, or lump of hellish scree as I called it myself (does anyone has the
Gaelic translation for that ?
. But the pain was soon forgotten when I saw the views towards the Knoydart peninsula, western Skye and the Atlantic ...simply some of the best views I have had and I wasn't even on top of the Munro.
Amazing views to walk towards
Loch Hourne and Ladhar Bein
I walked on and looked across Loch Hourne towards Ladhar Beinn which I will keep as my final Munro. I gave it a wave
and continued the climb towards the summit cairn. Oh how easy the last part was and once I touched the cairn the views around me could not have been more perfect. In the far distance I spotted the Hebrides, the Cuillin Ridge, Rum the wild Atlantic which was currently a perfect blue and the glistening Loch Hourne.
Approaching the summit
Across Loch Hourne
Looking back
The road below
Mountains of Glen Shiel
The lenght of Beinn Sgritheall
The Cullins and Skye
Myself
Endless mountains
Panorama
Looking back there was a sea of mountain tops and most amazingly it was so warm that I did not needed a fleece. Beaming with happiness I walked around until I found a spot to have my lunch. The other hill walker I had seen a while ago had also reached the top and chatting away we compared the hills we had climbed in the past. Since we had decided to walk back the same way, we continued together, which again made the downhill walk pleasant. It also seemed much easier and I was relived that another scree part wasn't on the agenda. The forest which followed however was mental. Impossible steep but rather magical as well. Clinging to trees we had our way down and were glad once we had reached the road which led us back to the cars. Looking back it was one of the best walks I have had and fingers crossed we will all be blessed with weather like that again.
Through the crazy forest
What a lovely place
