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Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100


Postby tombombadilio » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:41 am

Route description: South Glen Shiel Ridge: 7 Munros

Munros included on this walk: Aonach Air Chrith, Creag a'Mhàim, Creag nan Dàmh, Druim Shionnach, Maol chinn-dearg, Sgùrr an Doire Leathain, Sgùrr an Lochain

Date walked: 11/04/2016

Time taken: 10.12 hours

Distance: 26.9 km

Ascent: 2056m

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Greetings fellow walkers.

Gonna try and let the pics do the talking.

Had my best Monday morning ever recently. Should've been driving home to Englandshire after a few days in Crianlarich, but saw a super-favourable forecast for NW Scotland for Monday and, sitting on 93 Munros, I knew what I had to do.


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Left Crianlarich at 0500 for an amazing dawn drive through Glencoe stopping briefly at the Commando Memorial for snaps up to the Cluanie Inn for 0730. Walking by 0745.

Saw my last people of the day at 0750 (campers on edge of Loch Cluanie). Just me and the ridge for the next 10 hours.

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Stop off for dawn shot at the Commando Memorial


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Nevis range, I think, but I'm rubbish at identifying distant mountains


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Cluanie Inn, South Ridge looking promising


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Loch Cluanie


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Loch Loyne


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Anticlimax - Creag a'Mhaim summit


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Sun trying to break through


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First view from the summit


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Ridge ahead emerging from the rising clag


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Looking back to a now clear Creag a'Mhaim


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Doesn't matter - first blue skies on ridge ahead, Druim Shionnach next


(Note on scrambling: This shot doesn't do it justice, but the ridge to Druim Shionnach was the worst part of the day for me as another self-confessed big-girl's(or boy's)-scrambling-blouse.

The WH Stage 3 route description of: 'The final section of ridge before the summit of Druim Shionnach is very narrow and can be avoided by the nervous using a bypass path just off to the left' I would say, downplays the whole utter trauma of it all a tad too much. Which is maybe a good thing, as I would never have done it otherwise. But even bypassing to the left was a harrowing experience.

Conversely, the section later on after Aonach air Chrith did not require any bottom shuffling, as described, and I didn't even realise I had passed the worst of it until it was over.)

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Druim Shionnach summit


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Nice view down Loch Cluanie


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In my element


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No words


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Waow


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Aonach Mor in the distance to south?


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Aonach Air Chrith ahead with Maol Chinn-Dearg in background


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Gotta include the classic footsteps-going-up-snow-incline-with-blue-sky-backdrop shot


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Aonach Air Chrith summit


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Looking ahead to supposed scary scramble descent


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Breather in the bealach, hard stuff to the right now behind me


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Maol Chinn-Dearg ahead


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Looking south from bealach, Glen Quoich to right


More pics to follow...
Last edited by tombombadilio on Fri Apr 15, 2016 2:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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tombombadilio
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby tombombadilio » Fri Apr 15, 2016 2:03 pm

Continued:

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Maol Chinn-Dearg approach, I think


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Maol Chinn-Dearg summit


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Sgurr an Doire Leathain in distance, minor peak Sgurr Coire na Feinne in foreground


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Felt very Cairngorm-like on this almost plateau


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Sgurr an Doire Leathain summit


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Snow


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Sgurr an Lochain ahead wearing a little hat


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Sgurr an Lochain summit


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Skirting Sgurr Beag on the right to get to final Munro of the day, Creag nan Damh ahead


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Lochan at bealach. Blue skies now gone but ridge to south still amazing.


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Looking south along ridge from Creag nan Damh summit, feeling pretty satisfied with 100.


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Sunbursts looking west over to Beinn Sgritheall?


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Bit of a scramble to get up and over before descent but no dramas, plenty of footholds


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Escape route down into Glen Shiel


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Did not feel good about this short section of drift but had to trust in other people's footsteps


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Back down in Glen Shiel, looming over from the north, one of the Five Sisters, next on the list


Just a 9km walk back to the Cluanie Inn now!

Fancied a shot at hitch-hiking though, having never tried it in this cosseted world that I was brought up in. Many thanks to the sheep farmer who picked me up and took me to the top of the brae.

No more luck after that, but it was only a 1/2 hour downhill plod to the car, which is a nice warm-down after a day on the hills anyway.

To round the day off, an amazing dusk drive through Glencoe, stopping for an Independence Day-esque show over the Black Mount range with numerous other cars stopping in this one layby. It was very still and mild. But oddly, I heard more swearing from people unable to to express their appreciation than had come forth from my own mouth while scrambling over that ridge today.

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Amazing sunset over the Black Mount range on way home
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tombombadilio
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby GillC » Fri Apr 15, 2016 2:50 pm

Amazing pics of a fab day. Looking forward to doing these in late May,,avoiding the 9km walk back lol
:clap:
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby Mal Grey » Fri Apr 15, 2016 2:54 pm

Great report, excellent photos, what a day you had!
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby katyhills » Fri Apr 15, 2016 5:40 pm

Congratulations - what a great way to reach your century! :D :clap:

...and what a cracking set of photos to go with it. Tremendous. Bet you were on a high for ages :wink:
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby peter tindal » Fri Apr 15, 2016 8:56 pm

I also reached my 100th on the seventh munro on the ridge!
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby Bod » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:02 pm

Well done, superb effort. 100 is special :D :D :clap:
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby dav2930 » Fri Apr 15, 2016 9:04 pm

Yep, the pics really do say it all. What a fab day. The Munro-bagger's ultimate fix!! :clap:
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby tombombadilio » Fri Apr 15, 2016 10:57 pm

Hope you get the views in May, GillC. Having been driven most of the 9km back to Cluanie by that farmer, the majority is uphill, so defo one to plan ahead.

Mal, thanks, but I can't take any credit, the photos take themselves on a day like that :)

That's cool Peter! What did you do for your 200th then? I feel like I need to make each next big milestone just as special.

Katy, yes, a major one - you know when your face hurts from smiling for too long? Like that.

Bod - cheers. Just looking at your Fiddler report. I was up in Assynt the week before too. Crrracking photos, esp. of Stac Pollaidh and Suilven.

And dav, you're totally right using that term 'fix'! It is a drug and I'm addicted, spending ridiculous amounts of money on fuel and lodgings to satisfy the craving. But it's worth it :D
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Re: Awesome solo ridge walk to mark 100

Postby Crazifil » Sat Apr 16, 2016 1:42 pm

Looks like you had the weather for it. Have attempted the ridge twice now, both times have ended up in disaster!

Congrats on the 100!
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