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Sub 2k Marilyns: Arnaval.
Date: 21/06/2018.
Distance: 3 km.
Ascent: 200 m.
Time: 50 minutes.
Weather: Breezy, cool, clear.
This is just a short, fairly uninteresting report to preface the main event. I had agreed to do a day of walking with Alan (Owdjockey on SHills) on Skye on Friday at fairly short notice. Looking at my options for being there at a sensible time on Friday morning, I opted to head over the night before and either camp or sleep in the car. I suddenly realised that this would be the perfect opportunity to do something on the summer solstice - something I haven't done for years. When I was a student, we would often aim for a weekend of camping in the far NW as close to the solstice as possible - I have some great memories of Achnahaird, Achmelvich and Sandwood Bay in years gone by.
I didn't leave Inverness until almost 8pm, but there weren't any concerns about the daylight. A mixed but pleasant evening took me over to Carbost by 10:30pm. I was due to meet Alan early next morning in Glen Brittle, but I hadn't yet decided where I would sleep. A handy layby on the road over to Talisker looked like a good option on Google, and was conveniently situated just below Arnaval.
Stockval I started up Arnaval at around 10:35, but there was still plenty of light. I just went in my jacket, not bothering with a map or a torch. A steep start led to a short scramble through a band of crags, before things levelled off a bit.
Arnaval On the way up Arnaval There were a couple of soft boggy areas to cross and another couple of outcrops to get around, then I was on the summit in about 20 minutes. Great views out NW to Macleod's Tables and west to Talisker Bay, but less so back to the Black Cuillin, which was covered in cloud. I had hoped to see the Outer Hebrides, but there was a very similar hazy, cool, breezy atmosphere to what I had experienced on my visit to Olisdal bothy this time last year (with slightly more light, it probably would have been visible from here actually).
Sheep near the summit of Arnaval Talisker Bay from Arnaval MacLeod’s Tables and Loch Bracadale Beinn Staic and the River BrittlePerhaps not the most adventurous thing I could have done, but I was pretty happy with it - standing on the summit of a hill on Skye at 11pm with some daylight left over: perfection
. I headed back much the same way, reaching the car before 11:30pm. I had thought to park up here for the night, but the layby had a comms mast of some sort in it with a noisy generator running. Instead I decided to minimise tomorrow's driving and drop down into Glen Brittle.
Moon over Loch Brittle Beinn Staic and the River Brittle Camping in Glen Brittle, with Sgurr Alasdair behind Although it seemed a bit cheeky, I ended up in a grassy area just short of the campsite, where I decided to park up for the night and sleep in the car. Since I was in late, intending to leave by 6am, and not needing any facilities, I didn't feel to guilty about not going into the campsite. I had a quick stroll around the beach before trying to get some sleep.