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The hills in this area north of Ullapool are just amazing and from most of the summits you get wonderful views of the lochan clad moorland that makes up the North West Highlands.
Driving up the night before so that I could get an early morning walk and the sunset over Cul Mor captivated me for well over an hour with the sky just getting redder by the minute casting an intense glow over the area.
- Sunset over Cul Mor
- View to Cul Mor at 7am
Parking up at Knockan Crag, I set off at 7am and was immediatedly rewarded with a Golden Eagle sitting on a rock about 50yards away. On this walk I had decided to carry and old but heavy video camera with me and I immediately began filming but 30 seconds in and low battery light flashing even though I had charged it up for 24hours the day before.HuH! Still managed to get some photographs though and for the first half hour of the walk A pair of Eagles soared over and around me and I must admit this made the walk. The path is easily followed right the way up to the first plataeu where the views open out and Suilven,Canisp and Ben More/Conival make an appearance.
- Approaching the plateau and small standing stones
From here the route up to the col between the two peaks basically follows the small burn that runs down the middle.
- The route to the col following the burn
This is a gradual climb rewarded with great views to the south of Knockan Crag and beyond on the horizon, Seana Bhraigh.
Reaching the col a strong wind picked up and was threatening to blow me off my feet so with a quick ascent up onto the western top ( 9.30am ) and mist was blowing in obscuring the view one minute and clearing the next. Away down back at Knockan Crag the car park was filling up quickly and it looked like it was going to be a busy day on the hills.
- View to Stac Polly
- view to Coigach
- view to Cul Beag
- view to Cul Beag and Coigach
Taking in the views to Stac Polly, Cul Beag and Coigach I descended to head over to the trig summit. The wind was still blowing a gale and meeting a walker here we had to shout at each other to have a conversation. From the col it is a short climb up to the summit and views to Suilven, Quinag and Canisp held my attention. I like to spend a while on the summits of hills and today I stayed here for an hour and a half watching the pair of Golden Eagles and chatting with walkers as they came onto the summit every 15minutes or so before continuing their journeys before the weather turned which it was threatening to do.
- view to Suilven and Canisp
- Suilven
Descending slowly down the NE end from the summit down to a small lochan and from here it was a case of heading back to the plateau where there are two small standing stones and then following the path all the way back to Knockan Crag.
- view to Knockan Crag
I think I'll return to climb this hill when it's snow capped as I had done on Stac Polly.