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Anns na Laithean nan dh'fhalbh ann Dúthaich Clunaidh, faisg Loch Erieachd ....... The Chief of Clann Chattan, Eoghann Mac-a-Phearson, with the support of his tribe hid from the British for nine years after Cúl Lodair in the Beinn Eallair (Alder) country ,before leaving for France in 1755.
It is often quoted that the british feared the topography of his country as much as its inhabitants, it being given to "fierce blizzards which blew for days on end and spared neither man nor beast".
Well Eoghann is gone now and his country has been bought by absurdly rich foreigners who delight in building vulgar lodges along the Loch Eireachd shoreline to entertain Lizzie and her kept family ...however they is good at maintaining a track which the "cooncil" would envy and it helped speed us quickly past their vulgarity on our bikes toward Culra bothy, a bit more the style for Colla agus an Cú
We set off in early Friday afternoon with grand weather !
- Loch Eireachd
With two nights here my hope was to add the Carn Dearg - Beinn Eibhinn druim and Beinn Bheoil to my list.. while basking in Winter sunshine and snow.
Our first trick was the rope one
- Drochaid Rópaich
Guiding bikes with 10k bags of coal strapped to the handle bars was no easy however i was not going to see if the ice would take the weight.... although and Cú skitted over he is a wee bit lighter
We had cráicing views to Beinn Eallair and Geal Charn
- Beinn Eallair
It took us 2.5 hrs to bike in ,i'm no cyclist and it is real hard on the tón, however Culra is 1st class accomodation and we bagged the room with stove and were soon sitting at the fire with a dram and a meal.
An early rise on Saturday saw an absolute cáic day of sleet ,snow ,rain and wind ...... mossach gu dearbh
..so we stayed in apart from wee forages to collect bogwood ....maybe Sunday would be better
Well no really but no as bad as Di -Sathairne (Saturday) ..............cloudy but dry
We left the Bothan about 8.30 and quickly hit the (fresh) snow line heading onto Carn Dearg with poor visibility spindthrift and snow flurries
soon we were "air a mhullach"
- A'Mhullach Carn Dearg
An Cú was trying desperate to get that sneachd of his muzzle but it was frozen hard
- An Cú
We had a bearing onto Geal Charn but the visiblity was desperate and we were forming a good coating of ice on the clothing and soon found Doillaid a Charn and the ascent up to Geal Charn with a wee break in the white out conditions and deep snow under foot
- An Streap Suas
Its a nice Druim but needs care in the conditions and by the time we summit the white out is back
so we spent a bit of time wandering in the white before getting the bearing to the Geal Charn cairn
- A'Cárn Geal Charn
Its a bleak plateau up there in that conditions so we did nt hang about ,took a bearing to Aonach Beag when gradually the view cleared
- Aonach beag
By the time we were up the Bealach toward Aonach Beag it was really clearing off although it was an "uinneag" with more clouds out to the West
- Bealch eadar Geal Charn is Aonach Beag
So quickly "air a mhullach"
- Aonach Beag
- Beinn Eibhinn
By this stage it was 3.00pm the deep snow and difficult conditions had us deciding to leave Beinn Eibhinn for another day a wise decision as an t-side turnde once again once we were sios a coire
- Lairig Dubh
By the time we reached the Lairig Dubh it was snowing again ,its a long, long rathad back to Culra to boot and near 6 pm when we arrived back in the dark and murk.
We did well given the mossach weather and i guess a bit ambitious to hope for a clean sweep
. After a pleasant last night in Culra we woke in the morning to aye you ve guessed it
a lovely sunny Winter day shame i was heading out early...............
ach uill tha sin beatha
- An Latha Breagha