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Torridon is always a good place to explore, even if you can't venture out on higher tops. Sunday the 4th of March was one of those days when all normal people make a hot cuppa and sit in front of TV. But we're already in a state of total mountain-madness so we didn't do what ordinary people do when wind blows 50mph and it's so cold your teeth chatter to the melody of "Frozen". We loaded our rucksacks with spare items of clothing and off we went to Torridon for more Beast from the east taming!
In given circumstances we didn't even dare thinking about traversing any of the Torridon giants, settled on a little, interesting ridge of Seana Mheallan. According to the online Gaelic dictionary the word "mheallan" (or "meallan") means "little knoll", which suits this small mountain very well. It's only 437m high, but what it lacks in height, it gains in character and views. The latter were a bit restricted during our visit, but we still had fun despite the baltic conditions.
Starting from Beinn Eighe car park, we gained the ridge from the east and traversed to the summit, making sort-of a circular by descending towards Lochan Neimhe. The ridge itself is dotted with lochs, lochans and large frozen puddles, so lots of landscape attractions to admire and photograph.The presence of the Beast meant that the usually boggy ground was now frozen solid and easy to walk on
From the car park, we took the Ling Hut path... Cloudy Sgurr Dubh behind me:
Liathach and much smaller Seana Mhealan from the shore of Lochan an Iasgair:
Allt Frianach waterfall, path visible to the left:
Frozen river above the waterfall:
Conditions very quickly turned very windy and very Baltic. Well, for me, coming from a Baltic country, this was nothing new
About 300m past the waterfall, we left the comfort of the path to cross the bottom of the glen and aim for the slopes of our intended Marylin. Torridon giants to the north were still engulfed by cloud, but to the south, the clag was lifting, revealing still snowed-in higher flanks of Coulin hills:
The ground at the bottom of the glen was frozen solid and the stream was not in spate - thanks heavens for small miracles. We avoided drowning in bog or getting swept off our feet by cold waves
The ascent to the first top (the eastern one, not named on 1-25k map) is straightforward and any rocky obstacles can be easily avoided. On a better day, one can admire the long ridge of Sgurr Dubh - Sgorr nan Lochan Uaine across the glen, but today, it was partly cloudy:
Closer to the first top, the ground becomes rockier:
Having reached the eastern top, we hid behind a large rock and quickly pulled out all extra tops & layers we had hidden in our rucksacks. The wind wasn't joking, the Beast was awake again and eager to push us off the mountain! Thankfully, the ridge of Seana Mhealan is wide enough to walk it safely even in gusty conditions.
East top rocks and Maol-Chean Dearg behind:
Seana Mhealan would potentially be a great viewpoint for the southern flanks of Liathach, but sadly it wasn't the best day for such admiration:
There are countless small lochans along this ridge, some not much bigger than puddles and in winter conditions care should be taken if one does not fancy falling into freezing water
But looking west, we could now see our target: the summit of the Marylin lies just over 1km away, with only 50m or so of descent/reascent:
We began our traverse by performing a few strange dancing-balancing maneuvers, but as soon as we got used to the strong gusts of wind, it was OK to walk. At least at the moment, the wind was blowing from behind us, pushing us along as we went on. We passed a large frozen lochan to the south:
Wrapped up for the confrontation with the Eastern Beast:
As we progressed, more lochans came into view:
I admit, in better conditions this ridge would be a delightful stroll, full of surprises and with lots of potential spots to sit down and have a picnic. We had to be satisfied with a lesson in wind-walking and some restricted views to Liathach:
Frozen Lochain Dubh:
The easiest approach to the summit is to the right of the long lochan:
The summit cairn was a welcome sight, but since the Beast was blowing at its full speed now, we only spent a few minutes on the top and quickly escaped a few meters down, to find shelter under large boulders.
Summit pose to mark my 24th Sub, with wee Lucy (13th Sub):
Upper Loch Torridon to the west:
Even more lochans near the summit:
View south:
After a warming cup of tea behind rocky outcrop, we discussed our options for descent. Theoretically, we could continue west to pick the stalkers path along Abhain Thraill and then descend north to Annat, but that would mean a long walk back to the car on tarmac road which we didn't fancy on such a cold, dull day. Retracing our steps back over the eastern top was the obvious solution, but Kevin preferred a circular walk by descending SE to the end of Lochan Neimhe. That route avoided additional reascent and gave us the opportunity to take some more photos of frozen lochans on the way down:
We were walking into the bitterly cold wind and all measures were taken to prevent us from freezing
Yet more frozen lochan photos:
...and a frozen waterfall for a change:
We aimed for the bumpy ground just to the right (south) of Lochan Sil. As we dropped lower, so did the wind
The Beast decided to let us go this time...
We met some friendly locals:
Lochan Neimhe panorama:
Down in the glen, away from the gusts, i could at last release the inner wild animal in me
We found the stalkers path about 1km above the point where we left it, thankfully the wind was milder down in the glen, but our hopes for a brighter afternoon reminded unfulfilled... The Beast might have been tamed for a short time, but it would not let us have the final word
Back on the path above the waterfall:
Summing up, Seana Mhealan is a good hill. Small, maybe, but with much character. Shame we could not enjoy her hospitality to the full, but living close to Torridon we surely will get another chance.
...........
I have more stories to tell from our March holidays... The Beast left behind a legacy of unstable weather, but we were desperate to visit some new hills even if it meant crawling to the summit on all fours. Watch this space for more wind-chilling stories
