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Saturday, 29th. July, 2017:
Chalky, Tommy and I had walked in from the west end of Loch Mullardoch over Lurg Mhor and Bidean a'Choire Sheasgaich on Friday to camp in the midges and the rain at the head of Loch Monar - but, all too soon, it was time to haul ourselves out of our sleeping bags and head for the hills...
![Day 3a - Camped at the head of Loch Monar.JPG]()
- Camped at the head of Loch Monar
Because we were only carrying day sacks, today should have been relatively easy – but, despite initial traces of a path, a five kilometre fight along the north shore of Loch Monar in sharp showers was the prelude to a day of struggle.
The loch side trudge complete, however, we made good time up a stalkers’ path into Strath Mhuilich and then clambered up Creag an Dubh-thuill onto the plateau of Maoile Lunndaidh. We flushed another walker out of his lunchtime shelter just ahead of us as we approached the summit – he was the only other person apart from ourselves that we saw for four days on this trip – and then we turned our faces to the wind and headed for the long drop off to the Drochaid Mhuilich. At this point there was some debate about the best route onto Sgurr a Chaoraichin but we went direct for the steep slopes and, ignoring what looks like a wonderful top in Bidien an Eoin Dearg in worsening weather, we arrived at the summit. The driving rain and wind made it a place in which it was best not to hang around so we moved straight off along what felt like a really good ridge to Sgurr Choinnich and then descended the steep grass slopes of Sgurr na Conbhaire back to the relatively dry sanctuary of the tents.
It was good to be back - as Tommy demonstrated with a celebratory swig of our bottle of malt as soon as he forded the river!
Next Report:
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=74734.
