Kintail Winter Wonderland - Day 2

[jonny616]

Up & car packed. Todays target A'Chralaig on its own as the previous days experiance had showed it would take too long to do both munros & drive back to Glasgow.
Parked right across the road from the start point as the layby mentioned on WH is currently closed for logging. Gray day, raining.

Start of the day

So from the car straight up & i mean straight up in a Ben More steep & unrelenting type way. 520 meters in 1.1K. Did not see the path at first, but it starts directly from the high parking area.

Its that way

Slogged up & out onto the ridge at the 750 meter point, from about 400 meters rain became sleat & then snow with poor visability. At one point we had a sort of inversion were we were sandwiched between 2 layers of cloud with a narrow bit of grey to peer at.

Bearing taken & off to the 1048 point. Still climbing but fairly gently in deep fresh snow & very poor viability, hard work!

New bearing from 1048 to summit & off we go again. Big cairn, can't miss it! Nearly couldn't see it! Quick photo call & back we go.

Summit of A'Chralaig

Befor dropping of the ridge back down the steep side to the road we stopped for some lunch & i had this feeling in the pit of my stomach about decending the wet grass with fresh snow. We had put our crampons on for the last wee climb to the summit & left them on for the decent. Continued on the rigde a bit further & then turned right as i thought we had gone too far along. After about 200 meters of decent it seemed we were to far to the left of our ascent route & very carefully traversed right to pick up the stream & the path beside it. Quite nervous, but glad to have the crampons on.
The path was easier but still with care needed. When the road came into view it was covered in snow. Crampons on all the way to the car, thats new.

Off back to Glasgow, wet & smelly (us not glasgow). Epic weekend. Loved it.

Sorry there arn't more photos, but there was nothing to see!

[yokehead]

That sums up the conditions nicely, which is why we decided on a day off on Sunday. Good stuff in you getting out there, some achievement. Love the cairn, at least there was some help in recognising the summit!

[jonny616]

Thanks

I was glad when i read the notes it said large cairn

[LeithySuburbs]

it would take too long to do both munros & drive back to Glasgow

I'm not sure it is ever long enough before you have to return to Glasgow . But great effort anyway on getting to the summit on a day like that - I know I wouldn't have left the car .

[jonny616]

it would take too long to do both munros & drive back to Glasgow

I'm not sure it is ever long enough before you have to return to Glasgow . But great effort anyway on getting to the summit on a day like that - I know I wouldn't have left the car .

I know what you mean. Better west than east though!

I only get out once a month for hills so whilst i'm not reckless, i put up with the weather or i wouldn't get out as much. Some of my buds who i walk with have stoped asking me for a weather report & look themselves because it's always peachy or clearing later when they ask me