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I'd had the idea to climb Carn Dearg from the north some time ago but it was strengthened when I saw it from The Fara in May. I knew it was quite a distance but I'd walked the paths approaching the Laggan hills on several occasions, there were paths marked on the map either side of Loch a' Bhealach Leamhain so the only unknown was crossing the river running alongside the Carn Dearg ridge and climbing the ridge itself.
Carn Dearg (centre left) and Loch Pattack from The Fara
We parked in the layby just east of the track to Luiblea and started walking at 8.00 am. There was another car already there, the occupant of which was applying a liberal layer of midge repellent before donning a midge net. I hoped he was being extra cautious. We learned he too was aiming for Carn Dearg making me feel it was perhaps not such a crazy idea after all.
Looking west from Luiblea towards the Fersit hills.
Distant Grey Corries
The best of the weather was forecast in the morning with rain due to move in around 4.00 pm and so far this prediction was living up to expectations.
Reflected Beinn a' Chlachair
I've always thought Lochan na h-Earba a beautiful spot with its sandy beaches and loch framed between Creag Pitridh on the right and the Shuas and Shios Grahams on the left. But today it was at its most stunning and I even got this photo published on the BBC Scotland site!
Lochan na h-Earba
Wild flowers
It was by now 9.00 am and three and a half hours since breakfast so we stopped for a snack with a view of the loch; but it only took minutes for the local midge population to find us and we felt for the Outward Bound kids who were camped on the grassy area behind us. One of them said they had been advised not to open their tents that morning as the midgies were so bad.
The WH instructions say to look out for a cairn at the start of a grassy path but the grassy path has been replaced by a hard core track, which we walked on past, and in any case we didn't want to walk through the area where the tents were pitched. So we stayed on the track parallel to the end of the loch until it met another track running west which we turned right along. This would have added a little to our route but not a lot. Soon we were heading south on the stalker's path alongside the Allt Coire Pitridh.
Stalker's path
So far we'd been going well but when the path steepened I started to wonder if taking on such a long walk at the tail end of a cold was such a smart idea! My nose ran continuously and I must have gone through more than a dozen hankies. It was humid and there was no breeze so we were surrounded by a swarm of midge that got into eyes, nose and mouth and repellent-laced sweat ran into my eyes, making them sting and water so much I couldn't see. To add to that it felt like the stuffing had been knocked out of me and I couldn't get any speed up. James asked if I was okay and said he didn't think I was firing on all cylinders. He then admitted he was getting twinges of pain from an old groin strain. I gave him Ibuprofen but we couldn't stop as the only way to survive the midge attack was to keep going (they avoided the areas of skin where I'd applied repellent but three days later I'm still suffering from a mass of bites on my scalp) but our going was slower than usual.
Meanwhile we could see Ian standing waiting patiently on the skyline away ahead of us. When we reached him at the bealach we found to our relief there was a breeze and we could stand still without being eaten alive. Ian said he was keen to traverse further along the ridge from Carn Dearg towards Geal-Charn, and suggested he go on ahead and meet us back at the Carn Dearg summit. Since Ian's pace was faster than ours this seemed sensible at the time, although as things worked out it proved not to be the best plan. So Ian set off while James and I found rocks to sit on a with a view down over Loch a' Bhealach Leamhain.
Loch a' Bhealach Leamhain
We had a leisurely break and were surprised by how long it took before we could see Ian's figure making its way along the loch. The reason for the delay was the steepness of the slope from the point we were sitting and the non existence of any path worthy of the name until quite a long way along. James then asked me to point out Carn Dearg and if there was a path up on to the ridge. I said the map showed a path to the river and alongside the river but the section up to the ridge would be off piste. James then decided that with the old injury already niggling it wouldn't be wise to attempt it and he'd be better to climb the much closer Geal Charn at whose foot we were sitting.
I agreed with him but it presented a dilemma as Ian was expecting to meet us at the Carn Dearg summit. We had only covered about half of the total distance and I didn't like leaving James on his own for what would be a long wait. He reassured me he would be fine, had a sheltered spot in the sun, could read his book and if he felt like it could take a dander up Geal Charn. Our original plan had been to get back to the car for 6.00 to be home for 7.30 but I was starting to doubt we would make it. My last words to him were "It might take longer than we think but make sure you stay here and we'll come back this way" before beginning the descent to find the path marked on the map on the NE side of the loch, which we had earlier agreed looked easier than the one that climbed over the rocky shoulder of Beinn a' Chlachair on the SW side. Well that was wrong and we ended up returning by the much better path on the SW side.
Where's the path clearly marked on NE side of loch?
It went from no sign of any path to an intermittent water-logged path which was useful only in as much as it showed you were going in the right direction. Aware this would not be a good place to turn an ankle I was being extra careful and the going was slow.
Looking back to where I left James
Once beyond the end of the loch the path was clearer, although still wet, and improved as it dropped down to the river in the glen between Carn Dearg and Beinn a' Chlachair.
Path on left leads to river crossing point, Carn Dearg on right
Loch Pattack straight ahead
I hoped that to save time I'd be able to cross the river with boots on but when I reached the point where the path reached the river there was too much water flowing too fast and the boulders weren't positioned in a way I could safely make it all the way across. So I walked upstream in the direction I'd be going anyway before heading up the ridge. I eyed up a few places but wasn't confident I could make it without missing my footing on a rock and plunging in. So although it would waste precious time I reckoned it was better to be safe and take the boots off to wade over. The rocks were uneven and slippy and I had to watch where I put my feet as some places were too deep but I made it across. Being alone certainly focuses the mind on the need for safety!
Once over the river there was a short distance over lumpy ground to reach an excellent track running parallel to the river and up the glen.
Looking back to crossing point
What a relief it was to walk on a good solid surface again and I decided to stick to it for a while until I reached a burn coming off the ridge which I thought might provide an easier way up than through heather. By now I knew I was later than I should be to reach the summit at the agreed time to meet Ian and was concerned he would come off the ridge and with the lumpy terrain we'd miss each other. So I tried to send a text to both him and James to say where I was and what time it was. The texts appeared to go, which was hopeful, but they weren't received.
Excellent track along river
I left the path and roughly followed the course of a burn up the side of the ridge. It wasn't too steep but it was soft and lumpy so going was slow. I was also anxious Ian would already be descending the ridge further to the east and kept looking back to the river crossing point and the path heading back, knowing he would be visible on it. If I saw him I would turn back irrespective of where I was on my route to the summit. Don't get me wrong, I was still keen to climb Carn Dearg but I was all too aware of what a remote place this was and the greater priority was to reconnect with the rest of the group. It was by now 1.30 and already the clouds were gathering and there was a heavy gloom in the air. I could feel the rain coming long before it did.
North east from Carn Dearg
I looked over to Geal Charn and wondered if James had gone to the top which later I discovered he had. He'd tried hard to see us from the summit but we were too far away to be visible. Meanwhile Ian had reached the summit of Carn Dearg and concluded by the time it had taken him to get there he didn't have time to go any further along the ridge. While at the summit he met a man who said it was 20 miles to do Carn Dearg from Laggan, probably the reason most folk don't tackle it this way.
Geal Charn from Carn Dearg
Nearing the top of the ridge
Shortly after taking that photo I spotted a tiny figure at the highest point of the ridge that I could see, which I took to be Ian. I kept climbing as he made his way down and as soon as we met up he offered to return with me to the summit. He said he thought it would take 30 minutes and having come so far I was very tempted. After half a ham roll for energy I told him to wait there and I walked on a bit further. But it didn't feel right. I knew if I continued to the summit it would mean adding another hour to the time James had already waited and it didn't feel right doing that. So I turned back down the slope to where Ian was waiting.
So for me, after walking most of the 20 mile route, it was technically a fail. I didn't reach the summit of Carn Dearg and I didn't get the views of Ben Alder from the top. I was disappointed but I knew it was the right thing to do to turn back when I did. There's more to walking in the hills than reaching summits. Since I didn't get the views from the top Ian has given me permission to use three of his photos to show you what I missed.
Ben Bheoil and Ben Alder from near Carn Dearg summit (Ian's photo)
Carn Dearg summit cairn (Ian's photo)
From Carn Dearg summit west along ridge towards Geal-Charn (Ian's photo)
We walked off the ridge together and along the track to the river crossing point. Once again I had the palaver of taking boots off and wading across, with a vicious midge attack to add to the mix. Once rebooted we quickly found the path which I saw from the map led to a junction with the path on the SW side of the loch, reached by crossing a burn. As we neared the burn I prayed I would get across with boots on and this time the boulders were positioned more helpfully and I managed it.
This path although wet in places was a much better path than on the opposite side of the loch and if I ever make a second attempt on Carn Dearg from Laggan this is the path I would take.
View back to Loch Pattack from path on SW side of loch
As the path took us higher over the shoulder of Beinn a' Chlachair the wind picked up. It was quite strong but was fortunately at our backs. I was concerned about James who had now been 5 hours on his own so suggested to Ian he speed on ahead and locate James who would hopefully be sheltering by the large rocks at the foot of Geal Charn where I had left him.
Traversing NE shoulder of Beinn a' Chlachair
Loch a' Bhealach Leamhain in the rain from NE shoulder of Beinn a' Chlachair
Ian did forge ahead and when I came over the highest point I wondered why he was waiting on the path and not looking for James. The reason was he had finally got a text through to James and received a text back saying James had set off for the car about 20 minutes earlier, which was a huge relief. We then trotted down the path as quickly as we could and caught up with James near where the Outward Bound group where camping. So for the last hour we walked together arriving back at the car at 7.20, nearly an hour and a half later than I had aimed for.
With hindsight a few things were clear.
1. I'd underestimated the time it would take to complete the route, assuming a path on the map would be a path on the ground.
2. I shouldn't have agreed for Ian to go on ahead as there was no sure way of letting him know the plan had changed, apart from following him.
3. Walking with a cold will probably slow you down.
4. You can still have a great day in the hills without reaching the top.