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Once again I’m first in the car park well before 5 in the morning. For me it’s the best way to do it. Early start, miss all the crowds, maybe get a few pics on the way up and sit on the summit for as long as I like, enjoying just the sound of the breeze and wearing my eyes out gawping at the view. The big, big bonus today is that the views I’ll be looking at are in Torridon, home of scenery to take your breath away. I’m not climbing any of the big three, but the lesser known Corbett of Meall a’ Ghiubhais.
The car park at the Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre is dark and deserted but for the usual couple of camper vans still tucked up for the night, so once booted up I get started and follow the signs for ‘The Mountain Trail’ which leads me underneath the A832 via the underpass and straight onto the trail ignoring the bridge on the right. The path is easy to follow at this stage, very clear and passing through an ancient pine forest and slowly gaining height. As it’s still before sunrise, I stop every now and again hoping to hear some movement in the trees for maybe a red squirrel or even a pine martin scurrying around looking for breakfast. I hold my breath making not the slightest sound but hear nothing in return. Each time I stop, I swear I can feel the eyes of all the woodland creatures boring into me, probably straining to contain their laughter as they watch the passing muppet stop and start and make so much noise to wake the campers back in their vans now ½ mile behind me.
The ascent starts to get a bit steeper and from a couple of the occasional clearings, views behind start to show the outline of Slioch against the lightening sky.
- Morning silhouette of Slioch
After approx. ¾ mile after leaving the car park, the landscape starts to change, leaving the mighty Scots Pines behind as the trail now heads up rockier ground. Once above the tree line the view behind improves again, the sun is now just peeking over the mountain tops on the north side of Loch Maree casting a silvery blue sheen on the loch.
- Slioch above Loch Maree
Passing a number of cairns along the way the rocky route changes once again to huge smooth slabby layers of rock, there are a couple of rises a bit trickier than others but far from anything difficult. The path all but disappears over the slabs leaving tell-tale traces of crushed pebbles from the countless boots that have passed this way, however the route is never in doubt as there are cairns to aim for, it seems there are always two or three in view all the time.
After the slabs it’s back to a stony path and in no time the top of Leathad Buidhe is reached. The summit at 1834ft is almost snuck up on, heading up over the brow and suddenly the views to the south are there slapping you straight in the face almost knocking you over. Beinn Eighe larger than life if that’s possible, Ruadh-stac Beag sitting in front of it, a little further right is Meal a’ Ghiubhais where after a short rest will be the way ahead.
- The massive Beinn Eighe massif
This mini summit represented by a large cairn and several other smaller ones of course, one of which is named the conservation cairn, really is a great place to view this wonderful area, It’s still only 6:30 and the sun is still low creating long shadows on the north western faces of the mountains. I would be no hardship to sit here for hours and watch the shadows fade away.
- Hilltops as far as the eye can see
- At the conservation cairn
- The conservation cairn
- Typical Torridon outlook
After a while it’s time to move on, heading down into a shallow bowl, there are a number of lochans which look fantastic reflecting the blue skies in their still waters, the mountains and their mirror images standing proud for all to see, simply a fantastic place to be.
- Beinn Eighe from one of the many lochans
- Beinn Eighe from one of the many lochans
- Meall a' Ghiubhais
- Meall a' Ghiubhais
- In the distance, Ruadh-stac Beag & Ruadh-stac Mor
- Beinn Eighe
The only thing to blight this nirvana is the abundance of cairns, on the way up to Leathad Buidhe there have been more than a few, I’m all for having cairns to prevent people getting lost or even marking a significant spot, but the frequency in places is maybe as often as every 50 yards. I have to say they are very well constructed, not just a pile of stones, but quite solid and put together in the same manner as a dry stone wall. There are so many cairns here that I begin to wonder perhaps this is where they’re made, of born even? Is there a giant beast of Torridon prowling the mountains leaving its droppings behind to solidify overnight? If so I think it may have overdosed on ex-lax! Or is this in fact the sight of a cairn school, where young cairn builders serve an apprenticeship learning their craft and after many years leave with a diploma in stone stacking? Food for thought as I pass another…and another. Soon upon reaching the last lochan; Lunar Loch, I know it’s called this due to it’s moon like surroundings, not that I’ve ever been there, but there’s also (not surprisingly) a cairn saying ‘Lunar Loch’, thinking about this further it dawns on me, just how many lochs are on the moon? Not many methinks, contradiction in terms I guess.
- Meall a' Ghiubhais from Lunar Loch
Anyway just after this point, pass a few more cairns and bear left passing another cairn and leaving the mountain trail behind. The path now becomes a bit less obvious, no more cairns so it’s a case of picking out a route and heading up the mountainside. Mostly a rocky, boulder strewn ascent of approx. a 1000ft interspersed with the occasional patch of grass.
- Leathad Buidhe
- Spot the ptarmigans
Two summit cairns appear on the top, I head towards the nearer one bearing slightly right. As I near the top the first full views to the north appear. Loch Maree heading north towards Gairloch, the northern Slioch shoreline almost dead straight as opposed to the southern Torridon side which is jagged and interspersed with inlets and islands as far as the eye can see.
- Loch Maree
- Meall a' Ghiubhais summit
Leaving this northern summit behind, its just a 10 minute stroll over to the southern true summit, a large wind shelter of a cairn and great views all round. Ruadh-stac Beag feels like it’s within touching distance, from this angle it reminds me of a trussed up chicken ready to go in the oven, can anyone else see the resemblance or is it just me? Beinn Eighe has got it surrounded, its numerous peaks stretching around it in a giant arc, cossetting it, looking after it like a precious child. Further west is Beinn Dearg and Beinn Alligin behind it with Sgurr Mhur standing tall.
- Ruadh-stac Beag surrounded by Beinn Eighe
- Trussed up chicken?
- Beinn Dearg amd Beinn Aligin behind
- View east from the top of Meall a' Ghiubhais
At 2910ft Meall a’ Ghiubhais is not quite a Munro, I wonder if because it doesn’t have that greater status it gets overlooked, which would be a shame, I wouldn’t say the mountain itself is a particularly challenging or technical climb nor is it notably iconic, but the views of its neighbours are top drawer and not to be missed.
Having soaked up the views and put my jaw back in place, I reluctantly leave the summit. The lochans this side of Leathad Buidhe can still be seen from the top, so I more or less head straight at them, down the mountainside, more or less along the same route taken on the way up, still no path but no path really needed. Eventually I end up back in cairn land and on the mountain trail where a left turn along the trail winds its way down to the pine forest. Some beautiful views on the way down of Slioch on the other side of Loch Maree.
- Slioch over Loch Maree
Just under 2 hours after leaving the summit and I’m almost at the bottom of the trail, over the bridge, turn left and back under the A832 into the car park which by now is just about full. Before zooming off I take a short wander down to the shore line of Loch Maree, another stunning location, views way down the loch and opposite, Slioch rising to great heights above its neighbours.
- Slioch from the shore ofLoch Maree
A grand way to spend a morning, thank you Torridon.