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Grahams: Beinn Tharsuinn.
Date: 24/12/2018.
Distance: 15 km.
Ascent: 655m.
Time taken: 4 hourss.
Weather: Sunny and cold but calm.
Finally a few hours with no real chores on Christmas Eve, so I decided to head out to the hills fairly close to home. The weather forecast was good, and it turned out to be correct
. I've been meaning to take another wander up Beinn Tharsuinn for a while - it's conveniently close to home and has some great and unusual views. Only took 9.5 years to get round to it again
.
Sunrise over Wyvis from the house There is a new distillery being built in Strathrusdale, and there is a temporary parking area for walkers a short distance up the track behind Mains farm. I set off past Loch Dubh and to the edge of the forest. There was a gate to climb here, then some heathery moorland to cross. With a bit of effort and a couple of other fence crossings, I was approaching the first cairn on Cnoc an t-Sithean Mor.
Strathrusdale 
Loch Dubh 
Carn Chuinneag 
Ben Wyvis 
Cromarty Firth 
Meall Mor 
Ben Wyvis across Strathrusdale The weather was fantastically clear, and as I got onto the ridge, it was possible to make out Cul Mor, Suilven and Canisp in the distance. There's a few hills like this over on the east coast, where you get an unexpected view through a gap to Assynt
.
Cromarty 
Looking NW from Beinn Tharsuinn 
...with some premier league hills in the background: Suilven and Canisp 
Beinn Tharsuinn from Cnoc an t-Sithean Mor The going on the ridge is easy in some places and heathery in others, with some peat hags on the traverse over to the main bulk of the hill. I decided to head for the northern summit, and also beyond to Sithean a' Choin Bhain, to look down onto the Dornoch Firth and get the best views north. More hags took me over to much easier going terrain at the trig point.
Ben Wyvis and Meall Mor 
Assynt from Beinn Tharsuinn 
Cromarty Firth and Cairngorms 
Dornoch Firth 
Summit photo 
Across the Black Isle to the Cairngorms It was an easy descent and minor re-ascent to Tor Leathann, before some long grass led me to a gate at the edge of the forest. From there it was just a case of following the forestry tracks back to the car. A satisfying day out, although I was surprised how much longer it took me doing the whole thing as a walk (I had previously followed pretty much the same route but run the forestry track and downhill sections, saving over 90 minutes on today's time).
Back to the summit from Torr Leathann 
Descent to the forest 
Sunset over Wyvis