Walkhighlands

In retrospect maybe it would have been preferable to climb the most far flung munros early in our quest - allowing us to finish with the more accessible ones. As it is our plan to compleat by Easter would require a few trips where we would have a long drive up on Friday, walk Saturday and drive home Sunday, and we would both have to fit these trips in around work commitments it meant we wouldn't have many weekends to choose from and would have to make the trip whatever the weather. So, after waiting for years to visit Torridon, it was somewhat disappointing to find the forecast for the day of our proposed trip for the Beinn Alligin traverse was wet, windy and cold.

Undeterred we made the nine hour drive to Torridon SYHA, starting from home in the rain, but arriving in the highlands to fine weather. Unfortunately by the time we got to Torridon it was totally dark, so we didn't get to see any of the iconic peaks before we walked them. As the forecast for Saturday suggested the weather would worsen in the early afternoon we resolved for a relatively early start and aimed to reach the start point for 08.30.

We arrived in the car park in drizzle with the hills shrouded in mist, and after getting suited and booted we set off on the well-defined path. It was nice to walk on the rocky path, and feel as though each step was value for money in terms of progress uphill, and not have to stop too often in the wind and rain to navigate. This was particularly welcome as we climbed higher and the wind and rain both picked up. We hoped that once we got into the gulley on the uphill side of Na Fasreidhnean we would get some respite, but the weather got even worse with the wind made forward progress tough going, and required ski goggles to provide protection from the driving sleet and snow. Oddly though as we reached the plateau just below the final climb to the summit of Tom na Gruagaich the wind dropped. After the short climb to the trig point we were able to check our bearings for the next leg without getting too cold and even allowed ourselves a few minutes for a bite to eat.



We descended northwards watching our footing on the snow covered rocks, which fortunately had not frozen hard and we didn't need to don our crampons. The visibility remained very poor and whilst we were aware of steep ground to our sides we weren't able to see it - even the Eag Dubh looked a little benign in the mist.



After pausing at the gap, the climb to the summit of Sgurr Mor was surprisingly quick, and didn't generate too much heat, so whilst we stopped for the obligatory photo at the cairn we didn't hang around (and there was nothing to see).



We continued towards the horns for a bit of scrambling, although it wasn't as much fun in the wind and rain and I was already thinking about getting back down and into dry clothes. We met a group traversing the horns anti-clockwise, and I wouldn't have fancied heading around the complete traverse with the likelihood of the weather deteriorating. However, as we got down to the path crossing the Allt a bhealaich we actually saw some blue skies over the loch, although it still looked pretty grim on the mountain.

The drive back towards Kinlochewe allowed us a glimpse of the lower slopes of the other Torridan giants and hopefully we'll be able to enjoy them in better weather over Easter.

That's a shame - the tyranny of self-imposed bagging deadlines does that to you sometimes. The first time I did Liathach was on a pretty dreadful day: we had been waiting for a good day which never arrived and just went for it anyway. I hope you will get the chance to go back and do Alligin again on a decent day - the views are terrific.

As a walking friend said when we went to join him, for his compleation, to find him rather shame faced, as the previous day had just been too awful for his penultimate Munro "There just aren't enough good days." We ate the home made cake with "Conpleatist" we had baked and reappeared the following weekend with a Tesco cake onto which I had written the same. He has since emigrated to Australia where the bad days hardly exist.

18 hours driving... I really need to just man up and get the rest of them done, hardly anything is more than 4 hours away! ( 8 hours there & back)
Respect...

Colin1951 wrote:18 hours driving... I really need to just man up and get the rest of them done, hardly anything is more than 4 hours away! ( 8 hours there & back)
Respect...

It seems a waste to me to drive for that long to get to such a stunning area, purely to tick a box or two, then immediately drive home again. Why not take some leave and have a few days up there to really appreciate the landscape?

al78 wrote:

Colin1951 wrote:18 hours driving... I really need to just man up and get the rest of them done, hardly anything is more than 4 hours away! ( 8 hours there & back)
Respect...

It seems a waste to me to drive for that long to get to such a stunning area, purely to tick a box or two, then immediately drive home again. Why not take some leave and have a few days up there to really appreciate the landscape?

In ideal circumstances you’re quite right but sometimes life gets in the way. The legendary Mick Fowler (look him up if you need to) accumulated an amazing list of first ascents, first winter ascents, and Sea stacks off the NW coast of Scotland while working as a tax inspector in London and subsequently a shedload of Himalayan first ascents on his summer holidays. So it can be a valid choice, not all of us can just opt out for weeks at a time on a regular basis.

Still enjoyed the report, anyway!