Brothers ridge Glen Shiel, others and a long walk to the car

[The Rodmiester]

This was the club's July meet and we were all heading to either Ratagan YH or the Shielbridge Campsite at the back of the garage at the bottom of Glen Shiel. After a Friday night discussion over a few beers the largest group were to be heading off to do the South Shiel Ridge and others off to Skye, one to do three Grahams taking the ferry over. This left me with a choice of doing the SSR again a year to the day I last did it or heading off on my own to do some hills on the North side. Decision made I headed on up past the Clunie Hotel to the large parking area beyond on the North side of the road. Fit and ready to go by 0815hrs I left the car and headed East along the road until I reached a double metal gate. Now normally near this area has been a large forestry plantation but this has been cut down and the lower sloes of my first hill a corbett Am Bathach

Car parking area off the main A87 East of Clunie Inn

Double metal gate marks the entrance point to the hillside, there is a well used path up the whole way to the summit

Looking up thepath on the South East shoulder of Am Bathach

Looking back over Clunie Inn and the South Shiel Ridge

Looking back over and down Loch Clunie, the best views are to the South today as most of the summits are in cloud to the North. Notice the area which was once woodland now totally cleared of trees.

The twin summits of Am Bathach

Looking South over Creag a' Mhaim the start of the SSR

View to Ciste Dhubh, in the low cloud

This wee chap should get a Blue Balloon, at the summit cairn of Ciste Dhubh

Looking back along the ridge of CD the way I had come

Looking back at the Eastern cliffs of CD

Heading on back down to climb up the top (Sgurr an Fhuarail) on the left and then climb the second munro Aonach Meadhoin

I met another walker as I was coming off CD and when I'm coming off Sgurr an Fhuarail I meet another walker. This view is taking from the summit looking down the SE ridge towards Clunie Inn

Looking towards Aonach Meadhoin

Section of ridge between Aonach Meadhoin and Sgurr a' Bhealaich Dheirg

SBD summit is slightly North of the main Brothers ridge and there is a drystane dyke heading off towards the summit, clamber over some large rocks to gain access to the summit. This was where I met Molly the first doggie Munroist, or so I was told

Molly

Looking North along the rocky ridge to the summit

Coming back from the summit cairn along the ridge

Path between SBD and Saileag, the rocky section can easily by-passed on the North

Heading on up Saileag

Five sisters beyond the bealach where you take the rough and winding stoney path down to the West side of a large carpark. After gaining access to the road level if you don't have a second car you pray for a lift, no takers so this meant a five and a half mile walk along the road to where your car is parked. After a long day this really is a bummer so I had to drop into the Clunie Inn for a pint. I met up with a couple of WH members when I was having my drink outside, they had just completed the SSR and were about to walk back to their tents. So Terry and ooops forfot your name, nice to have met you and if you read this all the best.

What a wonderful sight, the end is near. After a freshen up at the campsite a few of us went to the Kintail Lodge Hotel as 'Bod' had suggested it was a good place on his profile, and who did we meet up with, none other than WH member Kevin Woods who as you all know is doing all the munros in hundred days on behalf of Diabetes UK, it was very nice to meet you Keven and Good Luck with the remainder of your round.

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[gmr82]

Nice report Rodmiester, loving that first photo of the low white cloud!

PS. Meant to say on the previous times I've commented - realised a month ago looking over Ben Chonzie reports that I kept referencing your one as it was the most recent before my walk, so I should belatedly thank you for allowing me to keep an eye on the conditions in Nov for my first munro!

[The Rodmiester]

Nice report Rodmiester, loving that first photo of the low white cloud!

PS. Meant to say on the previous times I've commented - realised a month ago looking over Ben Chonzie reports that I kept referencing your one as it was the most recent before my walk, so I should belatedly thank you for allowing me to keep an eye on the conditions in Nov for my first munro!

Thanks gmr82, I really enjoyed the hill part, not the road though So that's the reason the Chonzie report had so many hits By the way your knocking off a few now

[Gordie12]

Hi Rod

I was going to comment about the first photo too - it looks odd to see blue sky with clouds as low as that.

Anyway, looks like you had a great weekend and this looked like another really good walk (apart from the tarmac bashing at the end).

[The Rodmiester]

I think that Molly is the first dog to complete the Corbetts.
http://www.scottishhills.com/html/modules.php?name=Trip_Report&topicid=13630
I'm sure she has completed the Munros as well but wasn't the first dog to do so. It may have been one of Hamish Brown's dogs.

Thanks for that RTC, I might have picked it up wrong when the walker told me but I did remember an article in a magazine re a dog named Molly.

[The Rodmiester]

Hi Rod

I was going to comment about the first photo too - it looks odd to see blue sky with clouds as low as that.

Anyway, looks like you had a great weekend and this looked like another really good walk (apart from the tarmac bashing at the end).

Aye that low cloud kept coming and going most of the day, unfortunately, never mind apart from that pretty much ideal walking conditions. Tarmac bashing at least gave me a fine excuse for a quick one at the Cluanie Inn (spelt correctly this time) since I was passing

[adelesmoneos]

Hi there, said I'd look you up when we got home. We were the newbies who met you on the Brothers ridge walk. We passed you on the road walking to the Clunie Inn. We would have give you a lift, but the car was already full of collies and 2 very tired Glasgow lads who had just done the south shiel ridge, they had walked 3 mile on the road already
Great photos, I think the little blob in the blue coat stood on the top of one off them is me sorry cant remember the names of the mountains. Great to meet you, and we had a wonderful 18 days in the greatest place on earth (I think so anyway) Maybe we will bump into you again some time.

[Lightfoot2017]

Great report, with lotsa useful practical advice too (like a photo of the starting point to the walk – quite often the major stumbling block for me on any walk!)

Agree with Gordie…VERY unusual eye-catching first pic…low fluffy clouds in the glen, and bright blue skies above. Weird!

[The Rodmiester]

Hi there, said I'd look you up when we got home. We were the newbies who met you on the Brothers ridge walk. We passed you on the road walking to the Clunie Inn. We would have give you a lift, but the car was already full of collies and 2 very tired Glasgow lads who had just done the south shiel ridge, they had walked 3 mile on the road already
Great photos, I think the little blob in the blue coat stood on the top of one off them is me sorry cant remember the names of the mountains. Great to meet you, and we had a wonderful 18 days in the greatest place on earth (I think so anyway) Maybe we will bump into you again some time.

Hi again adelesmoneos! nice to hear from you again. I forgive you if you had two others in the car plus your dogs, you have certainly done your bit I will have to do my car planning a bit better next time though. Yes that's you the blue blob ion line with the stone dyke heading towards the summit before I met up with you, as I headed up all I heard were lots of dogs barking so I knew there were a few people on the top. 18 days, wow lucky you, what a wonderful area and what great weather, as you say maybe bump into each other again, up a hill of course , Arabest, Rod ps. I think I might have met the two lads you gave a lift to at the Cluanie Inn, was one of them called Terry?

[The Rodmiester]

Great report, with lotsa useful practical advice too (like a photo of the starting point to the walk – quite often the major stumbling block for me on any walk!)

Agree with Gordie…VERY unusual eye-catching first pic…low fluffy clouds in the glen, and bright blue skies above. Weird!

Hi Paul, just read the report on Ben Alder and you re-arranging the cairn, and trying to cycle over the burn before the bothy, nice one At least it got the feet COOL Good effort on a day that Hot!

[wilkiemurray]

Cracking report-brought back painfull memories- did this route (with ciste dubs) in torrential rain and had booked into th cluanie inn for the night- we decided to check in on return as thought it ws too early. Four munros later and continually heavy rain, add to that the 5mile hike back along road with ever car soaking us- we were really looking forward to a pint in front of the fire at the inn- got back and they had no details of our booking!!! Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhh - we had to call in a favour (was middle of Scottish and English school hols (overlap)) and luckily got accomadation at the colylm bridge hotel!!! A massif drive away - needless to say we checked the next nights accomadation in glen Affric!!!!!!!!

[The Rodmiester]

Cracking report-brought back painfull memories- did this route (with ciste dubs) in torrential rain and had booked into th cluanie inn for the night- we decided to check in on return as thought it ws too early. Four munros later and continually heavy rain, add to that the 5mile hike back along road with ever car soaking us- we were really looking forward to a pint in front of the fire at the inn- got back and they had no details of our booking!!! Arrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhhh - we had to call in a favour (was middle of Scottish and English school hols (overlap)) and luckily got accomadation at the colylm bridge hotel!!! A massif drive away - needless to say we checked the next nights accomadation in glen Affric!!!!!!!!

Hi wilkie, that's a whole lot worse than me, I would not fancy coming off down the path from the Bealach an Lapain ro the road in wet conditions how many times did you take a tumble?, as for walking the road when wet, that's a busy road, a lot of splashing and a good soaking, then not to get a bed or a pint at The Cluanie. Things deffinately did not go your way. The things we do!

[wilkiemurray]

Indeed rodmeister - nightmare at time but CN laugh now- as it was when both England and Scotland schools were off we could get now where to stay and did not have camping stuff - ended up driving round Inverness knocking on doors "any room at the in sir "!! Lol
Next night was lovely in the B and B neaR glen Affric!! (About 200 miles extra on clock b that time haha)