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The two Craig Corbetts have been on the radar for some time, but because the access requires an awkward river crossing, we preferred to wait for a dry spell of weather to attempt this round. Beinn Tharsuinn, as its name suggests, is most often traversed by Munro baggers en route to Lurg Mhor, whereas Sgurr na Feartaig is virtually overlooked and ignored by all but the most dedicated walkers. We have other plans for Lurg Mhor & Cheesecake, so we really liked the idea of combining the two Corbetts in a circuit from Craig.
Our route follows the stalkers path up the glen of the Allt Leathad an Tobair to Bealach Bhearnais, then up Beinn Tharsuinn first, returning to the bealach and then traversing Sgurr na Feartaig with the final descent down another good path back to the glen of Allt a'Chonais. No river crossing problems at the moment, but in wet times the Allt a'Chonais could be tricky to get across. The whole walk adds up to over 1200m of ascent, surprisingly, but we didn't really feel it was that much. Weather was very warm and humid (don't be mislead by cloudy sky in our photos) but I guess some of us like it hot
Every time we come to the car park in Craig, we are subjected to vicious midge attacks, it was no different today. As soon as we jumped out of the car, we started wriggling around and waving our arms in despair
We quickly booted up, grabbed our rucksacks and ran away from this hellish place, to cross the road and the railway. Then it's easy walking up well-made track:
The morning was very misty and clag covered all surrounding peaks, but the air was already heavy and humid. It suggested a hot day was coming. Kevin decided we would go up Beinn Tharsuinn first to give the cloud time to burn off.
Misty...
There was very little water in the river, so no need to use the provided wire bridges (there are two in different spots) but I pretended I was going to try one, just for a laugh:
When we reached the start of the stalkers path, we noticed heavy equipment parked nearby. The path is currently being upgraded and though it looks a bit messy at the moment, it will be less boggy and more comfortable to walk on in the future
No issue with crossing the Allt a'Chonais:
The part of the path currently under renovation:
From now on it's wild country again! Hill tops clearing in the background:
By the time we walked half way up to the bealach, the clag was patchy and the sun was killing us. For the first time this year I was reduced to wearing shorts, something I don't do very likely for multiple reasons. Some might like it hot but I don't like it burned!
Beinn Tharsuinn was now in sight, not the true summit (which is further back along the ridge) but the steep 100m section we were about to climb:
Sgurr Choinnich slowly shaking off the cloud:
On Bealach Bhearnais the path becomes indistinct, but we didn't have any problems climbing a shallow grassy gully. Higher up, the angle eases off and at some point we saw the summit on the opposite end of the ridge:
Panther looking for a good vantage point:
The ridge has a few tops and though it's possible to contour around some of them (which we did on the way back just to save time), it's worth exploring the whole route up to the summit:
High cloud was coming in from the south-west but it was still humid. Kevin kept glimpsing suspiciously at the darker sky to the left of us, but the wind was blowing from the north, so the nasty front was being pushed away from us. We marched on and talked about our previous encounters with thunderstorms while out on the hills, when suddenly Kevin stopped.
'My boot has just split' he said.
He sat down on a rock and took his boot off, the sole was partially split but thankfully it was still holding together. Kevin would be able to continue today, just about, but sadly, his favourite Karimors have reached the end of their journey
He was lucky it happened on a dry day otherwise he would be walking back with one wet foot
We reached the summit of Beinn Tharsuinn, in good spirits despite the boot incident. It was our 141st Corbett (69th for wee Lucy):
Kevin posing in his beloved Karimors for the last time...
We took a break on the summit for photos, sandwiches and to admire the last 2 still-to-do Munros in this area: Bidein a'Choire Sheasgaich and Lurg Mhor:
Sgurr Choinnich and Sgurr a'Chaorachain behind plus the top of Loch Monar:
To the north, the peaks of Torridon were slowly clearing. Sgurr na Feartaig is a better vantage point to the northern hills so we knew we'd get better views of Liathach, Bein Eighe etc. from the second Corbett:
Panorama north:
East to the ridge we just walked, Sgurr na Feartaig behind:
Very moody Cheesecake:
Setting off for the second part of the day:
We returned to the bealach, contouring a little around the tops of the ridge. In wet conditions, the descent down the steep section would be slow and laborious, on slippery grass, but it was easy in current dry weather.
Looking back at the steep section, it does not seem frightening at all:
We didn't bother locating the disused stalkers path, just charged straight up the slopes of Sgurr na Feartaig, which were grassy and not drastically steep:
There were amazing views back to the surrounding mountains and glens and as we gained height again, we stopped not just to have a drink...
Pollan Buidhe:
The N face of Sgurr Choinnich looks massive from this perspective:
One more panorama:
Over 200m of steep-ish climbing brought us to the large summit cairn. Corbett no. 142 (Lucy's no. 70):
The best views from the summit are to the north and we sat by the cairn for some time, watching the last remnants of cloud disperse over Torridon...
Beinn Eighe zoomed:
Liathach:
Coulin hills:
Sgurr nan Ceannaichean to the east:
Back to Beinn Tharsuinn, with Lurg Mhor and Cheesecake in the background:
Torridon once more:
The downward route uses a good stalkers path, but first we descended to a high col with Loch Sgurr na Feartaig:
A short climb over a minor top brought us to a small cairn marking the start of the stalkers path. We turned back and had a last look at the summit. Some dark cloud still lingered behind it in the western sky, but we were confident that the storms were too far away to affect us. It was now a pleasant descent back to the glen.
Looking back at Sgurr na Feartaig:
One sunny afternoon:
The mesmerizing peaks of Torridon:
The path is excellent. We enjoyed the descent despite the heat and I had hundreds of ideas what to do in the next few days... We discussed our options and decided to visit Loch Arkaig and bag a few hills in that area.
Happy Panther:
Walking on sunshine:
2018-06-03 craig corbets 186 by
Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
The path descends to a small hydro dam. There is a wobbly hanging bridge short distance upstream, but water levels were so low that we didn't need to use it. Just crossed on stepping stones below the dam:
2018-06-03 craig corbets 188 by
Ewa Dalziel, on Flickr
Finally upon returning to the car park we fought another battle with the wee black army, resulting in more itchy spots all over our arms and legs. Hillwalkers, beware of Craig midges!
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Summing up, these two Corbetts offer a proper day of hillwalking, but with good paths on approach they don't really feel too tough. Best kept for dry time and to be avoided in stalking season.
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So let's just say that we started our June hols on a high. The story will continue on Monday the 4th with our first Arkaig Corbett. TR to come soon.
