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This was day 3 of our Knoydart epic and the link to day 2 is
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=54326We started this day's walk from our eyrie at about 600metres up the Druim a' Ghoirtein of Sgurr na Ciche and our aim was to reach mam Barrisdale via meall buidhe and Luinne Bheinn. This had to be an easier day than yesterday, surely?
- the happy mugs at breakfast with Sgurr na Ciche behind.
- setting off, with today's objectives in the background
It was another very long day, but the weather was much better, and we took our time a bit more. But they don't call it the "rough bounds" for nothing. The terrain is very complex, up and down all the time, great fun with a lot of little bits of hands on stuff all over the place.
We enjoyed our breakfast of muesli with freeze dried fruit and dried milk all mixed up in a ziploc bag and reconstituted with water - It's actually surprisingly good, especially if you can get hold of some freeze dried raspberries or black currants. I am not a porridge fan - I would like to like it, but the texture does not agree with me - makes me boak, so there you are.
Setting off about ten o'clock we came around a cliffy bit and saw the looong grassy slope straight down to the ford at Carnoch, and this looked an efficient way to descend if a bit steep. Crossing the River Carnach by the ford was straightforward even after yesterday's wet - actually I don't think there was all that much rain, just general dreichness.
- Let's go straight down!! you can see the ford of the River Carnach, the ruined remains of Carnoch and the path to Knoydart is beyond this
- Looking back up to Sgurr na Ciche and the slope we were coming down.
- Butterfly Orchid?
- Crossing the ford
Then Rudolph thought it might be fine to take a short cut across the bog rather than take the track - was fine to start with but led then to some very treacherous enormous and wobbly tussocks with gaping black holes between, not fun at all (in my opinion - Rudolph enjoyed this he said!)
- Looking across the boggy bog to the slopes we came down
We stopped for our first lunch and a brew on a handy rock above the ruins of Carnoch, before heading up the Mam Meadail path. Although a bit broken in places this is another well constructed and beautifully graded path which we followed to the summit at about 550m which is marked by a cairn.
- Sgurr na Ciche and the impenetrable Corbett, Ben Aden, from just above Carnoch
- Looking down on the ruins of Carnoch with its walled garden.
- Garbh Chioch Mhor appearing from behind Sgurr na Ciche, taken from the top of Mam Meadail
I had read in the SMC guidebook that it was possible to come down to this point from the south east ridge of Meall Bhuidhe, so figuring that going up is easier (technically anyway) than coming down I reckoned it would be possible. When we got there it looked rather rocky and unforgiving and again we had an argument about water - I had reckoned there would be reliable water here but it was not obvious - but easily found in fact just tens of feet to the north of the path.
From the path we could see a grassy rake going up somewhat on our right, and attacked this for the next 200metres of ascent which felt like "grass scrambling" - you just hang on with your hands and push with your feet and up you go! Of course you have to stop and inspect the wild flowers from time to time, just to make sure they are all right. After a while we could turn left a bit and came out on the ridge pretty much exactly in the right place, from which there was a wee path to pt. 942 (spot height on the 1:50,000, no spot height on the 1:25,000 map). Here we dropped our bags and strolled to the summit of Meall Bhuidhe feeling we had definitely earned another blue balloon.
- Looking down to the head of Loch Nevis, allowing me a wee rest from Grass Scrambling
- Quick break on gaining the ridge, for a bit of grub. Rum in the background
- Ben Aden on the left, Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mhor on the right, and the rest of yesterday's hills stretching out behind.
- on the summit of Meall Buidhe.
- Ladhar Bheinn from Meall Buidhe, tomorrow's target.
- Luinne Bheinn, the rest of today's walk. Looks a long way from here!
Returning to our bags, we pretty much followed the path all the way round the up-and-downy, knobbly ridge. It is not difficult to follow but there are a lot of places where you have to clamber over things and hold on with your hands. We saw a herd of hinds and young deer at the lowest point of the ridge but they didn't stop for a photoshoot. There were some gorgeous sparkly stones and the rocks are fascinating, all folded and mixed up with sparkly seams in them.
- Ladhar Bheinn again
- there's always a lochan
- one of the fascinating stones, picture doesnt really do it justice.
We were grateful to reach the summit of Luinne Bheinn at about 7.30pm.
- Rudolph on Luinne Bheinn
- me ready for the Loony Bin.
From there we followed the path back to the summit of Mam Barrisdale. At least we tried to but it petered out quite suddenly at about 570 metres and we saw it far below us following the old fence line. we quickly dropped down the side of the hill and it was apparent from the boot prints that lots of others have done exactly the same.
After a bit of prospecting we found a good camp spot with a great view down to Inverie Bay with the Brocket Memorial prominent in the distance.
- Rudolph blowing up the beds.
Tea was a hurried affair with much mashed potato spooned onto the midge nets, but we were too tired to sit around much anyway, so were soon in bed asleep. And it was evening, and it was morning, and that was the third day!
Here is the link to day 4
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=54426