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Five days of walking to cross the heart of Wester Ross!
I started from Strathcarron and its excellent pub, after a visit to the lovely Attadale Gardens where I saw this nesting thrush...
I walked up into Coire Lair, under the crags of Fuar Tholl, and then took a rambling course to the summit of Sgor Ruadh and, a bit later, Beinn Liath Mhor. A great viewpoint.
I bivvied the night in Glen Torridon...morning brought this view of Liathach The Big Monster from my bivvy bag...
I wasn't going to tackle it however. Instead I followed a nice path up into Coire Laoigh and onto Beinn Eighe's summit ridge, where I found the famous Pipeworm Fossils -
I walked eastwards along the ridge, with great views on all sides, including this one towards the Wilderness - skyline of A'Mhaighdean, Ruadh Stac Mor, An Teallach, Slioch and the Mullach and its friends, and then the Fannaichs over on the right.
Ahead loomed the Black Carls, which looked quite Fierce from this angle
The summit of Sgurr nan Fhir Duibhe gave me a great backward view along the ridge to Liathach
The Black Carls were a bit tricky with my backpacking rucksack, but soon over with, giving me a glorious view ahead of the Creag Dubh ridge and its curving cornice
The next walking day was to take me deep into the "Great Wilderness" from Kinlochewe - up to the Heights of Kinlochewe, then to Lochan Fada. Pouring rain and thick mist all day. Early afternoon saw me setting up camp in a sheltered gully on the slopes of Beinn Tarsuinn - just enough room by the stream for my bivvy bag...
And just enough room on a boulder IN the stream for the stove...
After lunch, I went to the top of Beinn Tarsuinn, which has a nice summit ridge, then a steep descent to a bealach made of squidgy squelchy peat hags ...
but somehow, it didn't seem that long before I reached a hallowed spot for Baggers - the summit of A'Mhaighdean. I'm not a Bagger, but it felt like a special place.
Back to the camp. The next morning was suitably brooding for a day in which I was to cross the Wilderness in search of ... a library.
.
After crossing a pass and passing lovely Loch an Nid, and hearing the first cuckoo of spring in a hillside wood, I caught my first sight of Shenavall.
First news on getting inside was not good. The Shenavall bar promised more than it could deliver...all bottles empty...
Never mind. The Shenavall Library was well worth the walk.
Plus, nice evening sun over the two Beinn Deargs -
And a short distance away, this seldom-seen waterfall above Loch na Sealga
The next day I went up An Teallach. There are many better photos on this website of the ridge, Sgurr Fiona, Toll an Lochain etc so I will just put in this one of my rucksack on the top of Bidean a'Ghlas Thuill. Distant hills are Beinn a'Chlaidheimh and the Mullach & Co and the several pointy summits of Beinn Eighe.
Then on down to Dundonnell and a glorious sunset...
In fact, so glorious I've put it in twice.