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I have been away from WH for a couple of weeks, patiently bagging hills all over Scotland. Weather was, of course, c***p for most days, but we had a few rays of sunshine and a few glimpses of good views, too. But mostly, it was cloud, rain, wind and cold in different combinations...
Why am I surprised? While the south of UK enjoyed record-breaking heatwave under the blue sky, we "enjoyed" a typical Scottish summer. Which means, no summer at all
Plus Kevin had a sore knee (old injuries sometimes come back in the worst possible moments!). In given circumstances, i shall be happy that we managed 12 hills altogether plus some low level adventures. Our stats for the 2 weeks of bagging:
Km walked: 258.9
Meters climbed: 9118
Munros: 6, Corbetts: 3, Grahams: 2, Subs: 1
Plane crash sites: 2 (more about that later)
Midges: millions
Ticks: 0 (lucky us!)
Trip reports to write: 10
Of course, we didn't climb hills we planned, but visited a few not planned at all
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Our first trip was on Monday the 12th. After a very wet weekend, the beginning of the new week didn't look any better at all, but we were eager to start our bagging crusade even if it meant walking in the rain. With weather foul all over Scotland, there was no point driving 100 miles somewhere to enjoy cloud and showers, so we decided to kick the week off with a local Graham, Carn Loch nan Amhaichean. It is often climbed with its more remote brother, Beinn nan Eun. Originally, we hoped to do both hills together but in current weather it seemed unlikely. Carn Loch nan Amhaichean alone, when done from the south (Inchbae Hotel), gives a 20km walk, adding another 7 km if the second Graham is included. On a good, sunny day, this would be a perfectly doable distance for us, but now we agreed even reaching just the top of Carn Loch nan Amhaichean would be an achievement!
The route starts from A835 opposite Inchbae Lodge, where there is just about enough space for a car on the verge by the gate. As soon as we opened the door, we were attacked by swarms of midges! So after a quick spray of repellent and even quicker preparations, we set off on a pleasant track through the forest. It was a drizzly morning with cloud passing low above our heads, more rain predicted for later in the day. Surprised I was still smiling at that point!
After a couple of km on the track, we noticed a heavier shower following us from the south-west, so we stopped to put on waterproof layers. The river was in full spate and I was concerned about a crossing we had to make higher up...
Shower chasing us:
The walk on the track, in good weather, would be a very pleasant experience (a good cycle for bike enthusiasts) as Strath Rannoch is a very seldom visited area, very quiet, frequented only by sheep
It's just under 6km of straight walking on the track to Strathrannoch Farm, past a couple of gates. The rain was getting worse and we could now see "our" hill, summit in cloud, not looking very inviting. Ahh the joys of Scottish outdoors
Past the farm, we turned right over the bridge and along a track following Allt a'Choire-rainnich (almost empty at this point as water has been "hijacked" by a hydro scheme). A short moment of brightness between passing showers saw us stopping for a few snaps - I was still in a happy mood, no amount of rain and cloud could break me!
Carn Loch nan Amhaichean behind me, cleared for a time being:
The Graham guide suggests following the left (north) side of the stream up for a short distance before crossing, but as soon as we saw how full the river was higher up, we knew we should cross on the metal footbridge over the small hydro scheme and follow the right-hand side of the stream.
The hydro construction (photo taken on the way back):
Having crossed the river, we found a faint path among the wet vegetation, but after a few hundred meters we got fed up with it and headed straight for the summit ridge, jumping over puddles, water canals and drowning in bog
The ground was waterlogged after 3 days of heavy rain and we were accompanied by our favourite sounds: Squelsh! Blooop! Glump! Welcome to the kingdom of quagmire!
The summit ridge was still clear but I knew it wasn't going to last. The rain eased for maybe 15 minutes and higher up, where the slopes steepened, it was actually easy going on grass and heather.
The rain woman:
The next heavy shower (seen here on the right) was charging upon us from the direction of Beinn a'Chaisteil, leaving us with little hope for a clear summit:
We pushed on. The rain arrived quickly and we were embraced by thick cloud, strong wind brought the drops of rain almost vertically... Brrrr! What an unpleasant change!
We stumbled onto the summit in pouring rain and gusty winds, hid behind the cairn and waited for a few minutes. Thankfully, the rain eased off and the cloud thinned, but it was still very windy, cold, and to be honest, we were both fed up with such weather!
On the summit of Carn Loch nan Amhaichean - Graham no. 78. Behind me, the clag clearing for a short time:
Not much of a view, but this hill on the horizon is Beinn nan Eun, the second possible Graham:
In good conditions we would likely be tempted to pop in to the second hill, but as Kevin noticed, we would have to cross a wet jungle of peat hags en route and on the way back, we'd be forced to walk into that strong wind. We looked at each other and admitted defeat. Beinn nan Eun will have to wait. I quite fancy a different route for that one anyway, one involving a bike ride
View from the summit back to Coire Rhainich:
We descended the northern slopes of the Graham, quite steeply, struggling to keep balance in gusty wind, and then dropped down the grassy side of Coire Rhainich:
Carn Loch nan Amhaichean from the glen below:
We crossed the stream as high as possible, guessing correctly, that lower down it would be tricky. Walking was now back to "normal" for less traveled routes in Scotland: the familiar squelchy-squishy underfoot
Soon Allt a'Choire-rainnich was a raging torrent:
Another heavy shower came and went, but at least in the glen we were sheltered from the gusty winds. After more walking on "mushy tatties", we eventually found a path following the river.
The torrent:
The rain man took off his coat hood to enjoy a rare dry moment...
The highlight of the day was the final 500m or so of descent alongside the river, flowing now in quite a deep ravine:
It was a relief to return to the track. Just as we passed the farm, it started raining again... It kept raining most of the way back. What a day. We were glad to be back in the car and strip the off the waterproofs, before midges attacked us again!
What a miserable day, one could think. Even the pictures don't really show the worst of it, as we only took the cameras out in the brighter moments. I think each and every one of us, patient hill baggers, has such experiences on the records. But surprisingly, we were in quite positive moods, laughing and making plans for following days... With more rain in forecast we didn't expect much better conditions in the near future, but it could hardly get worse, either!
We agreed to return to this hill in winter conditions and possibly on a clear day, to enjoy the views to Ben Wyvis, Assynt and Ullapool hills, which, I can imagine, must be spectacular.
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The next day we visited our favourite island, managed to keep away from the rain and trotted along a certain, famous ridge. TR to follow
