Ben Klibreck in Sun and Smoke

[Christie22]

Dropped everything in response to the fantastic forecast and headed up to Sutherland to catch the two most-northerly Munros. This report covers Ben Klibreck. What a great day it turned out to be, as you'll see if the photos do it justice. Followed the WH route from the Vagastie Bridge, with a small deviation on the way up to visit Creag an Lochain. It could be done in a lot less time but who can resist lingering on the top when the weather is so good?

There were only a few people on the hill all day, including one group of bold lads in T-shirts, shorts and trainers. It was disappointing to find that they had left some food waste on the summit and had chucked an empty lager can away on the return route (which I carted off the hill).

That, however, was the only slight sour note - everything else about the day was fantastic. I caught some decent photos of wheatears and ptarmigan and heard cuckoos virtually all day. The views were wonderful and the afternoon brought a first - visibility deteriorating rapidly due to smoke from the huge wildfires in Caithness to the northeast. Later that night, from where I stayed near Lairg, the setting sun was bright red through the smoke.

[Sunset tripper]

Great pictures and a great hill.
All the best.