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I reckon 10 months is long enough to have gotten over the utter debacle that was my first walk in Glen Affric and get this report off my chest!
Even after a couple of very fine outings in the course of the last two days, this was to have been the jewel in the crown of my four day summer highland "tour" 2017. I had never walked in Glen Affric before, indeed I had never even been in Glen Affric before, and it was non negotiable as far as these four days were concerned. I had spent a fine first day doing three different routes, the highlight being Gairich, and on the second day I had been seduced by the lure of a day in the Red Cuilin on Skye. With only two days left, I knew I had better get my skates on and start heading down Affric way.
Photo opporchancity on the drive in along Loch Beinn a'MheadhoinI pulled into the big parking area at the end of the public road where there were already quite a few vehicles parked up, sporting plates from an array of different countries. Almost as many people as there were vehicles seemed to be wandering around the car park engaged in various morning activities, all (or at least all those without nets on their heads) vigorously waving their arms about themselves trying to fend off the dreaded midge.
I quickly got my s**t together and headed along the track towards the lodge and the start of the ascent up onto Sgurr na Lapaich.
The LodgeSgurr na Lapaich through the pinesThe day started very positively and it stayed fine up to the summit of Sgurr na Lapaich and a good part of the way along the ridge towards Mam Sodhail before the wheels came off and it tuned, quite frankly, to sh*t*!
Down the long gradual ascent shoulder of Sgurr na LapaichThe head of Loch Affric and some big surrounding peaksApproaching the summit of Sgurr na LapaichSgurr na Lapaich summit with the guts of my intended route filling the backgroundThe ridge from Sgurr na Lapaich to Mam SodhailLooking back to Sgurr na LapaichBy the time I reached the huge hollowed out cairn on the summit of Sodhail, I was in a pea souper. I jumped into the cairn and hunkered down for lunch and to wait on it clearing. Two and a bit hours later and it was no better. If anything it was worse. I knew I was but a short distance from the summit of Carn Eige and could even have managed the long detour out to Beinn Fhionnlaidh but what the hell would have been the point!
Mam Sodhail and Carn EigeLoch Uaine beginning to put in an appearanceThe full ridge stretching back to Sgurr na LapaichClagging in over Loch UaineNot my finest hour in the hills!Substantial cairn and my home for an hour or two!Regrettably I got packed up and made the long, sombre return journey the way I had come, deviating only to make a very reckless and ill judged attempt (born of sheer frustration) to take a short cut off Sgurr na Lapaich down a steep rocky chimney, before realising I was in a very dangerous and precarious situation regardless of whether I carried on down or bailed out and tried to re-ascend. In the end I managed to do the latter and walked in an even more foul mood than before back to the car. Things did improve once I had lost enough height to drop below the clag but the damage had been done and my first Affric experience had been a pretty miserable one!
Beating a miserable retreatAlmost back at Sgurr na Lapaich and glimpses of some views once againI wonder if it would be a good idea to go down there???!!!With hindsight, perhaps not!The Garbh uisge - almost back at the carSome consolation courtesy of Fiddlers in Drumnadrochit!