by b-illie » Thu Sep 16, 2010 8:37 pm
Munros included on this walk: A' Mhaighdean
Date walked: 17/05/2010
Distance: 60 km
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6 days in Letterewe/Fisherfield
I felt inspired by the report of the 4-day hike in Fisherfield that was advertised on Facebook today, so I'll put up my story and photos as well, even if the trip dates back to May. A friend and I set out for a multi-day hike through Letterewe and Fisherfield in the middle of May, camping for five nights and staying at Shenavall bothy for the final night. Even though climbing the Munros there is for the most part beyond our abilities, we found the the trip reports and the photos on this site both incredibly helpful and greatly inspiring, and we decided to say thank you by writing our own trip report and letting you see some of our pictures.
In detail:
Day 1 – Taagan campsite to a place with a view above Letterewe Estate off the path to Carnmore
Day 2 – from there to our „base camp“ on the shores of Lochan Cnapach where we stayed for three nights
Day 3 – A’Mhaighdean
Day 4 – circular route, taking in the Beinn A’Chaisgeins and then following Allt Loch Glubhsachain on the way back
Day 5 – Lochan Cnapach to Shenavall
Day 6 – Shenavall to Corrie Hallie
We would have loved to stay at the bunkhouse in Kinlochewe for our first night, not only because it would save a mile or so of walking along the road but also because we usually find that bunkhouses have a special charm, but it was already fully booked when we enquired in March. So instead we asked the busdriver to drop us off at Taagan (we actually got it wrong and made him stop at the Beinn Eighe visitor centre) and found very clean toilet facilities there and had a good night’s rest before setting off into the wilderness the next day.
Day 1
The weather was changeable that day but not too bad – we had a lunch break in warm sunshine, a snack break in hail, cold winds, lots of clouds, some showers, and a wonderfully sunny evening. It did not take as long as we had expected to walk from Taagan to the parking at Incheril, and the path along Loch Maree is mostly easy to follow and quite varied, with stretches of boggy grassland, fairytale forests with gnarled trees, a mossy gorge, and good views across the Loch. After we had reached Letterewe and found the path uphill towards Carnmore, the sky cleared up and we climbed that path for another 45 minutes or so in golden late afternoon sunshine, past the picturesque ruins of a building, until we found a suitable spot for pitching the tent, with a beautiful view to the mountains on the far side of Loch Maree. We were overtaken by a cyclist, who was the only other person we had seen that day.
Day 2
The next morning, we followed the path up to Bealach Mheinnidh and down to the causeway between Fionn and Dubh Loch, which we found somewhat underwhelming as we had for some reason imagined it to be a lot longer. The weather was mild but dull at that point, and soon started to rain quite heavily. In the firm belief that this would only be another shower, we refused to put our raingear on, but it went on for quite a while, so that eventually we gave in and changed into Goretex. Five minutes later it stopped, and by the time we had found the only relatively dry and slightly elevated spot at Lochan Cnapach to set up our „base camp“, the sun had come out again. This is probably not a good place to camp later in the year because of the midges, but when we were there they were only some baby midges hovering over the water that were quite harmless. Instead, the ticks attacked, and we would recommend anyone camping up there to check your body for these bloody tiny pests each night and bring pincers to remove the beasties.
Day 3
Our third day saw us climbing A’Mhaighdean, which we had been particularly looking foward to, and we were not disappointed – not a single drop of rain all day, and while we could see showers coming down nearby, they never reached us, and despite the unsettled weather the view down to Fionn Loch and the sea and the mountain range on the other side was breathtaking. We took a few photos with ourselves spoiling the awesome scenery and spent quite some time on the summit, having lunch and taking in the amazing 360° panorama.
Day 4
Splendid hot sunny weather and a long but oh so rewarding circular hike across the Beinn A’Chaisgeinns and back along Allt and Loch Ghlubhsachain. I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. Breathtaking. Sheer bliss.
Day 5
The walk down to Shenavall was quite uneventful; another overcast, but dry and mild day.
As we knew that the walk down to Corrie Hallie would be the final day of our trip (followed by two relaxed days in Ullapool), we did not bother taking off our shoes for the river crossings and squealed at the sensation of cold water pouring into our boots through the gaiters. The water was not higher than shin deep, the current negligible, so the crossings were easily done. Making our way across the boggy, soggy flatlands turned out to be a lot more challenging, with no clear path and plenty of deep puddles and mudholes and not enough dry tussock, and we both stepped into knee-deep bogholes at some point. Scary how a walking pole can virtually disappear in what seems just a patch of wet grass. As the tent was dry at that time (and would not be used for a few days, as we would spend the next few nights of our holiday in Scotland in hostels) and there was apparently just one other person staying at the bothy that night, we decided to sleep indoors. Later that evening, the sun came out and we marvelled at the sight of deer grazing in the ruins below the bothy, with a glimpse of Loch na Sealga shining golden in the background.
Day 6
Next morning we met Robbie, the kind Englishman who had spent a night bivvying somewhere on the summits of the Fisherfield 6 and instantly offered to give us a lift to Ullapool from Corrie Hallie. So we set off, cast a last glance back to the beautiful sight of Shenavall with the Beinn Deargs in the background, and soon changed into raingear, and the rain stayed with us for a good part of the way.
- Attachments
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- River crossing below Shenavall
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- Beinn A'Chaisgein Beag
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- Allt A Loch Ghlubhsachain
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- Loch Ghlubhsachain
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- View from A'Mhaighdean 3
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- View from A'Mhaighdean 2
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- View from A'Mhaighdean 1
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- View from Lochan Cnapach towards Ruadh Stac Mor and A'Mhaighdean
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- Lochan Cnapach at dusk
Last edited by
b-illie on Sun Sep 19, 2010 11:58 am, edited 1 time in total.