Ruadh Stac Beag, Torridon corbett

[gld73]

Great forecast everywhere in the Highlands, so I headed west to Torridon again, 2nd time in the last couple of weeks. Didn't leave Inverness until 11.30, so was undecided whether to go for Ruadh-stac Beag, or a graham a bit further along the road, decided I'd make up my mind once I was over there and knew what time I'd be starting and what the weather looked like.

Clouds were brushing the tops of Beinn Eighe's munro summits, but anything lower was clear and I'd be setting off in plenty time to do the walk in daylight, so Ruadh-stac Beag it was. Parked in the Beinn Eighe Visitor centre car park and followed the WH route all the way on the good path, over a couple of burns, then eventually decided I was in roughly the right spot to head off left towards Ruadh Stac Beag. If there was any sort of path for this section I certainly didn't find it, but I headed for Allt Toll a' Ghiubhais and picked up the worn route on the east side, before crossing over near where I would start the ascent. Given the torrential rain of recent days, I was surprised to manage the walk with dry feet, even the fast flowing and pretty-full burns had plenty places to get across on rocks without needing to wade.

Leaving the high point of the path to head towards RSB

The initial grassy slope of Ruadh-Stac Beag was a bit wet, but then it was on to the ascent of the steep southern slope and the semi-paths of scree, or clambering over the rocks and boulders. Felt like it could be an easy place to have a fall, so I took my time, preferring the semi-scramble up the bigger rocks than slipping on the finer scree. Eventually made it on to the rocky summit plateau, glad it wasn't shrouded in cloud as finding the summit cairn might have been an ordeal as it was still some way over the flat, barren stony landscape.

Reaching the summit plateau, summit cairn somewhere way over there....

Headed back to the south end of the plateau for the panoramic view of Beinn Eighe before making my slow descent down the steep, rocky slope again. It was a relief to get to the grassy area with nothing more than a couple of grazes on my legs (bare legs being the drawback of hot, sunny shorts weather!).

stony summit plateau with Beinn Eighe pano behind

Headed back more or less the same route, really glad I'd done this hill today. Views were spectacular, and the rocky/scree ascent/descent meant it certainly wasn't one of the easier corbetts I've done. Surprised to find I'd done it in just under 6hrs, thought my safety-first snail-like ascent and descent on the insecure boulders would have had me slower than that - there again, navigation wasn't a problem at all as visibility was so good, so I didn't need to get the map and compass out at all, other than to check the names of some of the mountains I was looking at from the summit.

Looking back at Beinn Eighe and RSB

Looking back to Ruadh-stac Beag with Beinn Eighe behind

(corbett #38
Left car 1309, summit 1613, back at car 1900.)