Sgurr a Bhraonain

[Gordon Ballantyne]

I was on my way to try a visit to St Kilda with a group o worthies from various pairts. Set off early to get a Kintail Corbett in. There had been so much rain recently that the Laggan dam was overflowing, which I stopped to look at on the way by.

An overflowing Laggan Dam

As I drove down into Glen Shiel I caught sight of Faochag, which I remember flogging up last century, with a hangover after a particularly fine night in the Kintail Lodge Hotel, in Norman Tennent days. It still looks steep !

Faochag from the top of Glen Shiel

Thought I'd be clever, and being a height miser drove up to the Mam Ratagan to steal a few metres. The car park lower down was full of workies, so I parked at the side of the road further up where I could just get off the road.

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The route was a bit lumpy, but a small penalty for starting so high. After descending from Sgurr a' Bhraonain, I spotted a couple of guys sitting looking up Sgurr Mhic Bhairraich with binoculars. As I drew closer, I could see it was a stalker and client. We exchanged pleasantries and established that we were going in the same direction. They were heading into Coire nan Laogh, so I thought I'd give them a good head start then bear over to the SW to minimise interference. But I was nervous as the wind would take my scent round into the corrie.

Morvich from Sgurr a' Bhraonain

W side of Sgurr Mhic Bhairraich

However, as I sat there scanning the hillside after the stalkers had left, a group of stags appeared on the skyline just where I proposed to go. I'd have spooked these beasts away from the stalkers , so that finished my walk up Sgurr Mhic Bhairrich. I headed off to return by the forestry track round Bora Chnoc and back up the road to the car.

The forestry track round Bora Chnoc

A forest Bogle

A bit disappointing to be thwarted like this, but I suppose it was my own fault for not checking with the estate.
It was too late to go round to the Bridge o Shiel route, so I just wrote it off and checked into the hostel early for a Bad boy Bombay pot noodle !
Pretty mingin' but I have appalling tastes ! The evening views of the Five Sisters from the hostel were braw.

The Five sisters from Ratagan Hostel

An early start for the Uig-Tarbert ferry awaited, so I sneaked out before anyone was up and even remembered to leave my room key in the tin !