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Arkle and Meall Horn – A Big Northwest Corbett Combo
It was day 3 on our hillwalking trip to the northwest. Day 1 on Cul Mor was glorious. Day 2 on the Durness Corbetts was dry and clear. Could the weather hold for a quite unexpected 3 good days out of 3? The answer was to be a resounding ‘yes’ and our biggest day – over 10 hours on the go – was to be blessed with quite superb weather.
We were parked up and ready for the off before 9.00am in perfect conditions. Clear skies, sunshine and no sign of the midgies. There is plenty of parking space just off the A838 to the west of the bridge at 296402. The scenery was already superb. It was going to be a good day!
At the car park. Arkle provides the backdrop.
Across the well-constructed bridge.
Looking back to the carpark with an unusual view of Ben Stack behind.
The track initially along the east side of Loch Stack is good quality and quickly gave us a good view of Arkle, our first objective. It was a very pleasant start to the day heading towards the fine building at Airdachuilinn.
Arkle looking so good.
A good quality track.
Pleasant views on our left at the south end of Loch Stack.
Ben Stack across Loch Stack.
Arkle.
The track gets (slightly) rougher once the well maintained buildings are passed and it winds towards Lone. After about 3km we encountered the well documented large portal boulders, poised to take us into a different world! How right that turned out to be! Wooden fencing detracted a bit from the situation – possibly to stop folk climbing onto them. Some bikes were padlocked to the fence no doubt to ease the first few km for their owners. We were quite happy to walk and soak in the environs.
Around Lone.
The portal rocks at the entrance to the small plantation.
The track then goes much more steeply uphill, initially through a little bit of woodland before leaving civilisation behind. Height is now rapidly gained and we started looking for a track to take us up the lower slopes of Arkle. Although we found a marker cairn, the path was pretty indistinct. However, there was no difficulty and before long we found ourselves using quartzite rock pavements to ascend Arkle’s SSE ridge. It was very dry and there was no real sign of any significant water on the stream on our rhs.
On the uphill track looking back to Ben Stack having passed through the woodland.
The marker cairn on the rough track.
On the mainly trackless lower slopes of Arkle. Meall Horn with a little bit of snow in the distance.
On the early part of the ascent.
Slabs and loose rock.
With height, the views were already opening up and it was a very unrushed ascent for us.
Quinag dominating. Suilven poking through. Cul Mor towards the left.
Somehow, alpine plants find a way to survive here.
As we progressed up the hillside, the rock underfoot was fascinating – a combination of Cambrian quartzite blocks and pipe rock. Although it was steep, it was very easy walking.
Cambrian Quartzite
Pipe rock
At around 730m the bouldery slope plateaus out and we had a bite to eat at the cairn at 310449. The views were very easy on the eye. Arkle’s summit ridge features were now enticingly clear.
Back to the start across Loch Stack to Ben Stack and Quinag. Striking quartzite blocks in the foreground.
Arkle’s summit ridge. Impressive.
The boulderfield on the plateau. Ben More Assynt and Conival in snow.
We crossed the virtually flat rock desert to the cairn at point 758. We didn’t linger long here as we were keen to enjoy the narrow ridge to the summit that we could now clearly see ahead of us. Foinaven was now the dominant landscape feature. That is now top of the list for our next visit.
Across the desert to point 758.
Foinaven!
Looking over to the summit of Arkle.
Ben Hope
There is a drop of about 60m on a rough track to a little bealach on the ridge before height is regained via a bouldery slope. It looked as if a steep westerly descent was possible down loose scree from the bealach. Am Bathaich, the large corrie on our rhs, is a very impressive feature with its wide flat base. Similarly the rock outcrops on its backwall captured our attention.
Just before the descent.
Looking to the down and up of the bealach on the summit ridge.
Back to Ben Stack. Still impressive.
The impressive Am Bathaich corrie.
And again, from further along the ridge.
Rock outcrops on the backwall of the corrie.
There is then a fun bit of scrambling, nowhere difficult in these conditions, as the ridge narrows.
Approaching the narrowing ridge
Angled slabs before the narrow bit of the ridge.
On the ridge.
On top of the sharp bit of the ridge. Exposed and airy, but easy in such benign conditions.
After the narrow bit, there is a wide rock pavement crisscrossed by huge gashes. I wouldn’t be surprised if a number of walking poles had come to grief in these very deep and narrow cracks.
Looking back at the rock pavement on the ridge.
It is then a very easy stroll to the summit cairn. It is a fine viewpoint. It had taken us the best part of 4 leisurely hours to get there. Lunch was spent admiring the 360 degree views.
The summit cairn.
Summit shots.
Looking across to Meall Horn.
Foinaven.
The impressive desolate landscape of rock and water
Looking over Loch an Easain Uaine towards Meall Horn.
After a short stop, during which we became aware of just how far away our next top, Meall Horn was, we retraced our steps back across the narrow ridge to the cairn at point 758. It was to take us 3 more hours to get there.
From point 758 we headed SW aiming for Meall Aonghais which we passed on its northern side.
Leaving point 758.
Descending to Meall Aonghais.
From there the route we chose was rough and exceptionally interesting. As we skirted Arkle’s cliffs, we found ourselves hopping over boulderfields and slabs in a truly magical landscape full of interest. We paused at the western end of Lochan na Faoileige to reassess our route, and opted to pass it on its southern side, aiming for a gap in the slabs of Meall Horn’s lower slopes.
Meall Horn on the descent. Still quite a long way off.
Down round the edge of the cliffs towards Lochan ne Faoileige.
This is a pretty unique landscape.
On our left, Foinaven was still looking good.
At the western end of Lochan na Faoileige about to aim for the gap in the slabs of Meall Horn’s lower slopes (visible directly below its summit).
We stopped for another bite to eat just before we crossed the track around 337454. The immediate environs was of quite dramatic rock slabs and erratic blocks.
Heading down to cross the track.
An interesting view of Foinaven.
It was now a case of picking our way through peat hags and rock bands using obvious strips of green vegetation to ascend Meall Horn’s slopes. It is not such a dramatic mountain as Arkle but the over the shoulder views more than compensated for this. We initially aimed for the bealach between Creagan Meall Horn and Meall Horn although I ended up angling to the right to emerge on the ridge close to the summit.
Heading up. A nice view back to Arkle and our descent route.
Ascending. The sky was doing interesting things!
Looking back.
Approaching the summit. It was now 4.20pm, over 7 hours since we had started walking.
The summit cairn.
Summit shot. A bit of lingering snow.
Summit views.
Yesterday’s hills. Cranstackie and Beinn Spionnaidh.
Ben Stack and Arkle.
Not the best angle for Foinaven.
Arkle looks good.
Ben Hope and Ben Loyal.
After a short break, we headed southwest aiming for the Creachan Thormaid ridge. However, as time was getting on we opted to pass it on its northwestern side and after picking our way through some crags we hit the main track at around 323433.
Heading towards the Creachan Thormaid ridge. As time was now pressing we opted to skirt it on its rhs.
Looking back at Meall Horn.
Arkle and Foinaven on our rhs.
Neatly split rock overlooking Arkle.
Cutting down to the track off of Creachan Thormaid. Quinag and Ben Stack now a very familiar backdrop.
A nice side on view of our by now, much earlier ascent route of Arkle.
A final hop across the burn and we were back on the track. Meall Horn’s summit is quite distant, well over an hour of descent away.
From there it was simply a case of following the track back downhill, through the guardian boulders, past Lone and Airdachuilinn back to the car. We arrived not long after 7.00pm. It had been a big 10 hour plus day, but it had been one of the best hill days.
On the final return leg.