Arder and Wetter than ever before....

[Jaxter]

I’ve always liked the idea of climbing hills without a car – my first few forays into Scottish hillwalking were from Glasgow on the train - and when it can be done by bike it’s even better! As I’d been planning to use Inverness as a base camp for the summer I was looking at nearby options. Some of the more ridiculous options had been jettisoned (or put on hold until fitness was returned) but Beinn a’ Bha’ach Ard was one that I’d had my eye on. I was up early and on the 8.55 train to Beauly. 15 minutes later I was off the train and heading towards Strathfarrar.
The strange tree man

Struy bridge and the Strathfarrar turn off

Struy bridge

An hour later I was striding off down the road – originally I’d planned to head up the path behind Milton cottage but I couldn’t see an obvious path and didn’t really want to go poking round too much so decided to return that way and walked off in search of the Power Station
Culigran Power Station

The track led me up and through the trees before meeting the Allt Dubh-Ghlaic beneath some cliffs
Impressive cliffs

Approaching a wee power house

There was a lot of water in the burns after the recent rain but it looks like there had been far more during the deluge
The power of water

The track actually continued much further than on the map and I followed it alongside the burn as it climbed steeply upwards – figured it made sense to take advantage of it! Eventually the track levelled out and it made sense to leave it before it went back downhill – the summit of Beinn a’ Bha’ach Ard ahead
Time to head off piste

There was something of an ATV track which gave me something to follow for a while before I headed more directly uphill. It was very very wet underfoot – what would normally have been fairly squishy terrain was even more waterlogged after the recent rain
Walking across a marsh

As I climbed higher the ground dried out a little but became much more heathery and I found myself having to dodge around the worst of it. But I did seem to be getting somewhere
Looking back down the ridge

And then suddenly the ground underfoot became far better and I was able to actually walk rather than stumble
Ahead to the summit

Just as I was finally on the ridge and thought I was getting somewhere I was presented with a huge dip to cross
A crevasse to cross

I could see all the way back to Inverness and the Kessock Bridge
Zoomed to Inverness and the Kessock Bridge

Up and over the crevasse I was climbing on good ground again
Looking back

The final ascent
Ahead to the summit and the ridge down

The final climb was steep but with good ground it was over quickly and I could see down the glen
Glen Strathfarrar

It was time for some lunch and a bit of a rest!
The ridge ahead to Sgurr a’ Phollain

Although a lot of the higher peaks were in cloud it was possible to make out some landmarks
The Sgurrs

Looking down Glen Orrin

The Strathfarrar munros

Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard

Someone had left this on the trig point
A very large ladybug

My route up
Back down the ridge

Strathfarrar

Trig at the summit

The munros didn’t seem too keen to clear
Strathfarrar munros

I could see cloud coming in from the east so figured it was time to go – ironically the closer the cloud came the clearer the west got
Clearer down Glen Orrin

Looking back to the summit
Looking back to the summit

Munros now clearer

Some dramatic cloud around over Sgurr a' Mhuillin


This sparked some furious debate but I was correct - it's Beinn Eighe. Can't mistake that colour


It was a very enjoyable ridge despite the extra bits of ascent on it! And it had the advantage of keeping me high to enjoy the views for longer
DSC06583



From Sgurr a’ Phollain (only 7m lower than the actual summit) I could see that the east face of Beinn a’ Bha’ach Ard is the most exciting
Looking back to Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard

My ridge ought to drop me at the lochan – here’s hoping!
Loch na Beiste

Looking back to the munros

A bit misty and blocked by other nobbles and bobbles but Loch Orrin is clear
Loch Orrin

Walking through the edges of the big cloud was a bit surreal – I was getting the odd wee bit of moisture but I must have just missed the nastier bit (and so I should – it was forecast to be a dry day!)
Weird clouds

Looking further down Glen Orrin towards the Strathconon forest
Further into Glen Orrin

It was a significant drop down from here but largely a good path – I could see a few peat hags down below
Down the ridge

Looks boggy

Although the path was largely great, zigzagging down the steepest sections, there was one bit that became a swamp, filled my shoes with all manner of green and brown stuff and nearly sent me flying onto my backside
Looking back to the summit

As I got lower the path became indistinct and I lost it a few times but generally picked it up. However as I dropped it did get more and more like a swamp My path became running water, the bracken got higher and the heather was all over the place. By this point there were probably all sorts of different paths but at least it was pretty
Some pretty trees

While stumbling over all sorts of rubbish underfoot I had plenty of chances to look back to my hill – I was going to fall over anyway
Looking back to the striking ridge

The lochan is just the other side of that nobble
Boggy mcbogface

Finally at Loch na Beiste
Loch na Beiste & Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard

From here the path was a little clearer but no less wet It finally led me to a couple of fences with a large gate down to a burn which is probably more of a trickle under usual circumstances but today is was more of an undertaking. My feet were soaked anyway so no matter
River crossing!

From here I was on a track – a bit squishy and overgrown in places but much better underfoot than the last hour’s worth of stumbling
Looking back

Not the most obvious track

The track brought me out past a few houses and through a small gate across from the car park – not obviously a track so wouldn’t be visible unless you knew it was there!
Back at the bike

I got slated for not having any bike photos in my last report so here’s two in a row
Struy bridge

I decided to head along the south road to make it a circular route back to Beauly with the advantages of some different views
Across the River Beauly to Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard

Looking back

I then got a bit overexcited and decided it was only an extra 13 miles back to Inverness so set off all the way home. Unfortunately I hit a rock and blew a tyre a few minutes after making this decision (exactly the same thing that had happened a few days earlier on Harris – same wheel and everything I should probably look where I’m going ). While I was up my elbows in grease fixing it my boss phoned – perfect timing Then I was on my way again, into the wind the whole way.
Kessock bridge - nearly home!

As I as passing Bunchrew campsite I was so surprised to see Bod and his grandson that I almost cycled past without realising A lovely surprise and a perfect excuse to stop for a breather Then it was a few miles further up the road where I felt I’d deserved to stop at Tesco’s to pick up ice cream for tea

Flat tyre aside, a smashing day oot

Beinn_a_Bha_ach_Ard.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

cycle to strathfarrar.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

[Alteknacker]

You must have been as light on your feet as a prima ballerina to maintain the clean pink of your trainers through the mud and wet all the way to the summit

[Jaxter]

You must have been as light on your feet as a prima ballerina to maintain the clean pink of your trainers through the mud and wet all the way to the summit

Ah well it was just so wet it was like wading through water all the way up..the mud came on the way down - should have got a before and after photo