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After visiting Ord Hill on Saturday, we decided to climb another part of Beauly Ridge on Sunday, this time including a TUMP, Creag na Manachainn. We have walked up to Loch nam Bonnach before but never bothered to look for the exact top of the hill, simply because it's hidden in the forest. Now, claiming the exact summit of Creag na Manachainn suddenly became a priority
Sunday morning was sunny if a bit windy, but no showers forecast so we agreed we could spend a couple of hours outside as long as we kept social distancing (it isn't that difficult in the countryside). The first half of today's Boris walk was on tarmac road all the way to Ruilick, then a good forest track to Loch nam Bonnach, with a short, pathless detour to the trig point. I was surprised to see a lot of the trees cut down, but I guess it is not that unusual with the commercial forest
We left the village and soon started climbing up the minor road past Croyard:
Weather was lovely but a bit cold. Much clearer views today, especially towards Beauly Firth:
Having passed Ruilick, we entered the forest through a metal gate (tree feeling warning signs in place, but it was all quiet today). Very quickly, we spotted the signs of the recent tree feeling:
Many pieces of heavy machinery were parked along the track - I wonder if the tree cutting is still going on or has it been suspended due to the lockdown? Impossible to say on Sunday.
The track continues through the forest:
From time to time, there are gaps in the trees, with good views back to Beauly Firth:
The track climbs gently to about 300m and passes several gates. So far, we haven't met a single soul, but from the higher ground we could admire higher hills, like Ben Wyvis...
...and Beinn a Bha'ach Ard:
At its highest point, the track turns left (west) and descends slightly to reach Loch nam Bonnach. This was the nicest part of today's walk:
The loch and Torr Breac, our next Boriswalking target :
Bwen Wyvis (right) and Cnoc Udais (in front) from across the loch:
Zoom to Wyvis:
Loch nam Bonnach is a very picturesque spot. Usually, it is possible to sit on the stony beach, but today the loch was full to bursting, the whole beach was under water. We lingered for a few minutes, taking photos and sinking in the views, but the nippy wind eventually persuaded us to retreat back up the track and into the forest. Once on our way back, Kevin suggested we could look for the exact summit of Creag na Manachainn. It is marked with a trig point so it shouldn't be that difficult to find, even if there is no path to the top...
OK, he really means it!
View east through the trees:
And there it is! An actual listed hill summit!
It might only be a TUMP but it felt fantastic to actually be able to walk up to a summit of something during the lockdown! Even if it is hidden in the forest with hardly any views!
TUMP no. ... Arghhhh! I haven't got a clue! Never bothered to count my TUMPS
We returned to the forest track and retraced our steps back to the village, accompanied by nice views:
We were mildly surprised how quiet this route was, especially that it was a Sunday. We saw one cyclist and one dog walker on the way down plus several locals walking in their gardens. No problem with social distancing
We made Boris proud
Kevin went back to work on Monday, so the next longer Boris walk will have to wait till the next weekend, but I continue to do my daily jogging along Beauly River, so might post something about this route, too (it's a lovely circuit though flat). Also, I should really start writing up our pending reports from early March. At the moment, I'm busy making spare face masks for Kevin. Hopefully, he won't catch anything at work. So far, he's had no problems with keeping the distance when delivering - people are very understanding. In the current situation we simply have to support each other and obey the rules. Together, we will beat corona!
Stay safe
