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The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

The Fannichs in August a game of two halves


Postby Collaciotach » Sun Aug 25, 2013 9:43 pm

Munros included on this walk: A' Chailleach (Fannichs), An Coileachan, Beinn Liath Mhòr Fannaich, Meall a' Chrasgaidh, Meall Gorm, Sgùrr Breac, Sgùrr Mòr, Sgùrr nan Clach Geala, Sgùrr nan Each

Date walked: 25/08/2013

Time taken: 17 hours

Distance: 49 km

Ascent: 3395m

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Dihaoine 23 An Lunasdal .

The First Half

We arrived at Braigh Mhor around 8.45am on Friday morning, it only took me 2hr 15min from the ferry at Nether Lochaber ,due to a quiet A82, which between 9am-5pm at this time of year, is an absolute circus with cyclists ,No13 plates , Camper Wagons , Caravans all doing their best to kill themselves and the locals with some of the most desperate driving / cycling your ever likely to see :(

We were intended climbing the five Western Fannaich today and a promising start with clear weather :D


Tha a 'Mhadainn bragha gu dearbh ...... looking promising

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Am Fhannaich


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An rathad


Bha mi a mach air Beinn More agus Stob Binnein an t seachdainn sa chaidh agus bha an t side droch , bha robh sealltainn againnsa .

We were on Ben More Crianlarich last week on a windy viewless day ,prior to that ben Bhorlach and Stuc a Chroin both days were wet ,windy and viewless so hoping for better today.

I came across these strange pillars before the bridge :o

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Geata


leading to this

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The noveau rich carpet baggers / landowners may cash rich but they have no taste at all !

Followed the rough trail up the an t sron of the Druim Reidh with a good view back to An Teallach and the North West

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An teallach


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A fairly straightforward haul up to bealach ,we took the side of Tom an Coinich which a wee bit rough in places would be worth dodging in heavy rain and snow by going over the top.

I dumped the rucksack on the Bealach and made the route up onto the mullach of A'Chailleach ,fine sealladh from here all round

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Then back to down and over to Sgurr Breac

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Carn Sgurr Breac


On the summit there was a fair wind so i had a look over to the next targets and they looked a fair distance off then we headed into the lea of the ridge for a break.

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You lose a fair bit of height on the steep route down the ridge it is a bit of a thought making the climb back up !.

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We soon landed on the bealach with a fine looking pair of hills either side of us we set up Sgurr nan Each

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Sgurr nan Each


As we made our way up the well defined ridge I spotted two large herds of deer, so the lariat was slipped on to "an cu" before he took off on the chase and stayed on until we hit the Cárn :D

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Probably my favourite peak of the five Sgurr nan Each and looking back she is a grand ridge would be a cracker in the Winter

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Co dhui bha sgoth a tighinn .......... well by now some cloud was beginning to roll in from the West as promised and as I made my way up Sgurr nan Clach Geala the "céoach" arrived just as we hit the Cárn !

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So there was nothing to see at all but no complaints it was fairly short lived and as we made our way over to Meall a 'Chreasgaidh it started to lift again

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Another nice summit and with the Greine starting to shine on her way down in the West it was a grand end to the evening

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During An Giorta Mor the year 1846 was particularly bad and became known as "Am bhliadhna a gais am buntata" or the year the potato was short .The British state sponsored ethnic cleansing was still under way and many thousands had been evicted from fertile Straths and Glens to the margins of existence and were in a state of famine . In return for subsistence meal which also meant abandoning the little they had left ,thousands of starving Gaidheal ,men women and children toiled in the making of roads that served a country now devoid of people.

The routes they laid with their bare hands are today overlaid by tarmac but are still there and known as "destitution roads".

Cuimhnich / we will never forget


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Day Two

We moved round to Drochaid Torran for the night , even considered putting up the tent until the midges put paid for that ,they were fearful bad so the car it was . In the morning we set off at 5.30am for the Eastern lot ,it was wet ,with the viz down to about 50 m . I made Beinn Laith Mhor ,thought about bailing instead changed top layers and pushed on to Sgurr Mor where it began to show sign of clearing ... it did nt :lol: but at least the rain went off leaving just a low ,thick mist, so we went for the other two as well . I saw nothing all day and relied on a bearing for the tricky bits but once past Sgurr Mor it was a fairly straight forward excepting the long walk back out to Torran :shock:.

So that was the second half he came ,conquered and he saw feck all but he completed the round in 7.5 hrs which I reckon is no bad going :D

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Ceoach


The Fannich ? ...... A great wee range reckon a Winter visit would be worth while :D
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Collaciotach
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby PeteR » Sun Aug 25, 2013 10:53 pm

Ah, a fine round of hills these Colla :D Enjoyed reading your report. Sham day 2 didn't quite deliver :(

Three trips for me mind :lol:

Certainly a group I would want to do a repeat on too. Enjoyed late winter/early spring snow on the eastern four and western two, so can agree they would make good winter hills.

My "see feck all" day for this group was on the middle three. Real shame as, as you rightly say, the ridge looks a fine ridge too :D

I see little progress has been made on renovating the ruin then. I understood this was to be converted into holiday lets, but it looks much the same as when I was there last, which must have been over a year now :lol: Not sure I'd want to stay there just yet. Still, they have two fine erections in place :lol:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby SAVAGEALICE » Mon Aug 26, 2013 9:15 am

I thought it was you! ..we passed you on our way up to Sgurr nan Each! ..i recognised your dog from seeing photos on here! :D
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby basscadet » Mon Aug 26, 2013 10:51 am

Och aye, the fannaichs are affy fine hills.. Iooks like you had a braw time, despite the weather not playing ball.. Awsome report as always :)
I'm back in the Fannaichs next week, so fingers crossed for some decent weather as previous trips have been a disaster.. :roll:
My first Fannaich experience, I chose my walking partner unwisely, which turned my nice relaxed backpacking trip, into a 42 mile in a day marathon in driving wind and rain :? :o
My second excursion, I was literally blown off the hill, and narrowly escaped death, my ice axe finally penetrating the ice on the third arrest attempt, with my legs dangling off a very high cliff.. Good times! :lol:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Johnny Corbett » Mon Aug 26, 2013 5:28 pm

Good to see you getting upto the Fannichs, they're a great walk and interesting read as ever. :D
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:17 pm

PeteR wrote:Ah, a fine round of hills these Colla :D Enjoyed reading your report. Sham day 2 didn't quite deliver :(

Three trips for me mind :lol:

Certainly a group I would want to do a repeat on too. Enjoyed late winter/early spring snow on the eastern four and western two, so can agree they would make good winter hills.

My "see feck all" day for this group was on the middle three. Real shame as, as you rightly say, the ridge looks a fine ridge too :D

I see little progress has been made on renovating the ruin then. I understood this was to be converted into holiday lets, but it looks much the same as when I was there last, which must have been over a year now :lol: Not sure I'd want to stay there just yet. Still, they have two fine erections in place :lol:



These Estates get on my goat :D ....... There grand hills Pete I will be re visiting in Winter not to far for me to go on a quiet Winters morning :D
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:18 pm

SAVAGEALICE wrote:I thought it was you! ..we passed you on our way up to Sgurr nan Each! ..i recognised your dog from seeing photos on here! :D


Hello haha you should have said :D ...... you d be the two young uns then :lol:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:21 pm

basscadet wrote:Och aye, the fannaichs are affy fine hills.. Iooks like you had a braw time, despite the weather not playing ball.. Awsome report as always :)
I'm back in the Fannaichs next week, so fingers crossed for some decent weather as previous trips have been a disaster.. :roll:
My first Fannaich experience, I chose my walking partner unwisely, which turned my nice relaxed backpacking trip, into a 42 mile in a day marathon in driving wind and rain :? :o
My second excursion, I was literally blown off the hill, and narrowly escaped death, my ice axe finally penetrating the ice on the third arrest attempt, with my legs dangling off a very high cliff.. Good times! :lol:


Jeezo your keen :shock: .... had the sliding experience myself don't want to repeat it ! although yours sounds scary !

I ll order some fine weather for you ... enjoy :lol:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Mon Aug 26, 2013 7:22 pm

Johnny Corbett wrote:Good to see you getting upto the Fannichs, they're a great walk and interesting read as ever. :D


Cheers Johnny aye really enjoyed the area
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby rockhopper » Wed Aug 28, 2013 1:06 pm

Was enjoying reading that and waiting to see what day 2 would bring......... :shock: Also had two days of different weather up here with better views on one than the other - as you say, nice in the winter - cheers :)
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Wed Aug 28, 2013 11:02 pm

rockhopper wrote:Was enjoying reading that and waiting to see what day 2 would bring......... :shock: Also had two days of different weather up here with better views on one than the other - as you say, nice in the winter - cheers :)


Aye you know the Highlands always different R .. that's what makes it :D
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby dogplodder » Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:14 am

Day 1 pics bring back good memories and day 2 ones bring back wet ones on very same hills.

Always like to see the wee hairy mutt out enjoying himself! :lol:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Mountainlove » Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:40 am

Oh that was a nice wee taster. I am planning to do the Fannichs as well, but still hoping the midgies will die off before hand, as I want to wild camp (and hopefully without the present of millions around me) :crazy:
Thank you for reminding me about the stories of old...always love to read about the history of the north :clap: :clap:
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Re: The Fannichs in August a game of two halves

Postby Collaciotach » Thu Aug 29, 2013 8:19 pm

Mountainlove wrote:Oh that was a nice wee taster. I am planning to do the Fannichs as well, but still hoping the midgies will die off before hand, as I want to wild camp (and hopefully without the present of millions around me) :crazy:
Thank you for reminding me about the stories of old...always love to read about the history of the north :clap: :clap:


Leave it till a nice late Sept / early Sept ML honestly the midgies were brutal at night
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