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It was supposed to be a day off, but as weather still looked decent, we simply couldn't resist a half-day visit to Torridon. We had already climbed everything here, some hills multiple times, but a day in Torridon is never a day wasted, so here we go. Let's visit Beinn na h-Eaglaise.
It was our second time up this Graham. It could be combined with Beinn Damph but that's a big walk and we wanted something shorter, some thing we could do at lazy pace, enjoy the time out and the views without suffering from too much pain. My knees were still in recovery mode after the Glen Orchy marathon, so I didn't want to kill them off. Having pondered over maps, we decided that
the route we did the first time was the most scenic and this time we'd simply rewalk it step after step, starting and ending in Annat, using the excellent network of paths in the surrounding glens.
Forecast was for a dry day, sunny and bright in the morning, high cloud in the afternoon. Because the whole circuit shouldn't take longer than 6 hours, we could catch some much needed sleep and didn't get to Annat before half past nine.
There is a good layby in the village, with lovely views down to Loch Torridon and Beinn Alligin across the water:
The right of way is well marked and starts just opposite the parking area. From the first minutes, we had Torridon view around us, especially to the mighty Liathach across the glen:
Panoramic version:
The path is great and offers easy walking. The looming shape in front of me is Maol Chean-dearg:
Seana Mheallan to the east. It may only be a modest Sub'2 Marylin, but it offers good views (as any hill in Torridon would do) and we will certainly re-visit, possibly even in full winter conditions
Fred Flinstone's bowling alley:
I remembered from our previous visit that vistas from higher up this Graham are stupendous, so I could hardly control my emotions. Yess, we're going to have so much fun today!
Looking back at Beinn na h-Eaglaise and Lochan Domhain, with Liathach to the right:
Loch an Eion and Maol Chean-dearg:
Beinn Damph and one of the countless lochans dotting the wide col between "our" Graham and Maol Chean-dearg:
We crossed two streams, no problem (water levels like last year in July) and eventually, turned around to face the final 350m of ascent to the summit. The slope is mostly easy, some boulders, typical torridonian sandstone terraces and more "bowling alleys".
The route goes up this slope:
We took it steady but not too fast, there was no need to hurry. High cloud was pushing in, but weather still looked decent.
Loking back to Loch an Eion, Beinn Liath Mhor on the horizon:
On one of the flat terraces, covered with countless loose stones:
Maol Chean-dearg and An Ruadh-Stac from the north:
More torridonian sandstone on the way up! It might look like there is some scrambling there, but the view is misleading. It's just rocky but not even too steep as for my standards
Lochan Beinn na h-Eaglaise from near the summit:
Weather changing slightly, might be more cloudy for the rest of the day, but despite the lack of perfect photo light, we were still in happy moods. Just looking at all the Torridon giants, lined up like soldiers on a parade, made us grin:
Panther heading for the summit:
The ridge has two tops, the northern one is higher, but we took pictures from both, as always, the more the merrier
Liathach from the lower top:
The "parade" of Munros and Corbetts:
Beinn Alligin:
Lucy the Lamb on the summit cairn of Beinn na h-Eaglaise, Beinn Damph in the background:
Not a new hill, but who cares. The smile says it all: bring on Torridon and you will NEVER be bored!
Loch Torridon from above:
Looking along Glen Torridon wit Liathach (left) and Sgurr Dubh (right):
The rays of sun shining through:
There are a few steep sections on the way down, but again, all scrambling is avoidable:
The descent was pathless until we picked the well-worn stalkers path in Coire Roill:
This soon took us down to the river crossing just above the gorge (and waterfalls) of Glac na Gainmhich:
The mighty mountains of Torridon never disappoint! said Black Panther, propping up a large boulder. Even the lower ones still offer good days of walking in breathtaking scenery...
One of our favourites in this area, Beinn Damph, photographed with a wee waterfall in the foreground:
Crossing Allt Coire Roill on stepping stones:
The final descent was on an excellent path through the woods, followed by a short section along the road. The whole circuit took 5.5 hours and that with a lengthy break on the summit (as I said before, we were NOT in a hurry that day!). It might not be an epic undertaking, but it's a hill worth considering when visiting Torridon. We are lucky, this is almost on our doorstep!
...................
We were home early so we had time in the afternoon to fix our bikes for the following day: our first bike & hike in 2019! Again, nothing huge, but a new Graham in the bag and some really enjoyable views. TR in progress.
