walkhighlands

The Mullardoch Redemption

Munros: An Riabhachan

Date walked: 16/03/2024

Time taken: 9.6 hours

Distance: 23.7km

Ascent: 1490m


FOREWORD:
Just to underline how much this hill has it in for me, I had almost finished this report about a week ago but when I hit the Save Draft button, my laptop crashed and I somehow lost much of what I had written. Life then got really busy for a week or so before I could go back and rewrite it!


It took Andy Dufresne 28 years of the two consecutive life sentences to which he had been sentenced to chip a hole in the wall of his cell using the rock hammer that Red had procured for him. That leaves me 7 years to complete my own task that I have been slowly and painfully chipping away at for the past 21 years if I am to beat him. To be fair, having done my first two Munros "by accident" in 2003 and not having done my third until 2008 (at which point I actually started counting), I consider myself to have been chipping away methodically but meaningfully at my own wall for a mere 16 years, leaving me a whole 12 years to beat Andy's time! :lol:

It had been 6 long months since my Munro tally had ticked on to the 250 mark on Maoile Lunndaidh. A nice, round, easy number but 6 months is too long to be sitting on any number, even a nice, round, easy one. My wife and daughter were off to London for a girls weekend of shopping and dining with a couple of theatre shows thrown in from 15th to 17th March to celebrate Ailsa's 13th birthday, so Kev and I made plans to do Ladhar Bheinn from Kinloch Hourn with an overnight camp at Barrisdale. For Kev, this would be a first big hill day since a minor operation at the end of January and so it was no huge surprise when, a few days beforehand, he expressed concern about his readiness for such an undertaking, especially the Friday night walk in with a big pack on. I was actually quite relieved, because I was still struggling to shake off the effects of a horrible virus that had all but wiped me out the previous week and still had a hacking cough that a 75 year old jaikie with a 50 a day Benson and Hedges habit would have been proud of.

We switched plans to An Riabhachain from the Mullardoch dam. Still a big, demanding route, but without the need for overnight packs. We had both somehow managed to separately conspire to have done 3 of the 4 Munros on the north side of Loch Mullardoch - the eastern two and the western one, thus leaving An Riabhachan as an awkward red balloon in the middle. For my part, a July 2020 attempt at all four from the dam had been abandoned after the first two in the face of rapidly deteriorating weather conditions. Then there was the utter clusterf**k of June 2023 when I again set off from the dam heading along the lochside in a heatwave, aiming for the westernmost of the range, An Socach, from where I planned to return over An Riabhachan. An Socach was bagged but the less said about what then happened on An Riabhachan the better!

So here I was. Here Kev was too. Camped up on a chilly March Friday night next to the car park below the familiar, hulking presence of the dam wall. Kev had done the Corbett Sgurr na Diollaid earlier in the day but I had been working and hadn't been able to leave Perth until late afternoon. By the time I arrived, it was long since dark and Kev was pacing the road below the dam with all his layers on trying to keep warm until I arrived with the fire pit. He got that going while I got my tent up and sorted out dinner for Luna and myself before we settled down for a few beers and a dram round the fire.

We awoke to a chilly morning with a frost on the tents and the car park puddles frozen over. We quickly had breakfast and got the tents down and were off up past the corner of the dam and Benula Lodge by 07.40 with the promise of a decent day hanging in the air.

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Back to the car park which I had never before seen so quiet

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The now traditional shot looking west along Loch Mullardoch from the entrance to Benula Lodge

Where the gravelled track swings sharply north after a little over a kilometre and follows the Allt Mullardoch up into Coire an t-Sith below the south eastern slopes of Carn nan Gobhar, we left the track and crossed the wooden footbridge above the modern looking pumping station. I was open to the idea of including a repeat visit to the summit of Sgurr na Lapaich as part of the route but was glad that no such consideration was being given to a return to Carn nan Gobhar. The long slog up the rough slopes of Mullach na Maoile was therefore off the table. Instead we followed the grassy ATV track that contours the southern slopes of Mullach na Moile at around 320m before climbing into the glen of the Allt Taige.

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Approaching the Allt Taige with the broad nose of Mullach a'Ghlas-thuill ahead

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Kev looking more orange than Red with the cliffs of Braigh a'Choire Bhig ahead

We stopped for a quick bite to eat and swig of water at the wooden footbridge over the Allt Taige before picking a line up onto Mullach a'Ghlas-thuill. Kev was feeling it a bit now and admitted he didn't know whether his post-op levels of fitness were going to get him to the summit of An Riabhachan today. He plodded on for the time being, seeing how far simply putting one foot in front of the other would take him. I was still feeling fine but I knew we hadn't even come close to breaking the back of the route yet, and the toughest conditions were still to come at much higher altitudes.

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Even with her penchant for picking up large stones and carrying them up hills, this one may be a bit beyond Luna!

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This one is a bit more manageable!

It may have been my recent history of navigational malfunction in this neck of the woods but when we reached the ridge above Mullach a'Ghlas-thuill I had a horrible moment where I thought things had gone pear-shaped again. What exactly is it about these hills I wondered! I knew even the most incompetent of navigators couldn't possibly believe this, but for a split second or two, my surroundings had me thinking I was back on the Meall Bac a'Chul-dhoire ridge at the beginning of the long ascent around Coire Mhaim and on up onto An Socach. I vividly remembered it from that scorching June day 9 months ago but it was a good 3km or so further west above the narrow point of the loch and we were nowhere near there! It was uncanny how similar the two locations looked and felt, and a reminder that these hills were definitely out to get me! :shock:

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East from Mullach a'Ghlas-thuill towards the dam

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Approaching 964m - Kev's goose is almost cooked!

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Beinn Fhionnlaidh, the western end of Loch Mullardoch and the back of beyond

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Braigh a'Choire Bhig

Kev now decided that discretion was the better part of valour and with my phone picking up a signal at this point, he made a call to Mrs P to inform her he was bailing and beginning the long journey home. We bade each other farewell, wished each other luck and parted company, he to turn his back on An Riabhachan for the third time, me to carry on and attempt to nail it at the third time of asking.

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Kev bailing

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Small dog, vast landscape

When I'd watched Kev drop out of sight, I turned and carried on around the rim of Braigh a'Choire Bhig. Dropping down from the 964m point got me bogged down in some deep, powdery drifts and some laborious leg extraction work was required every few steps or so. The cornicing on the edge of the cliffs to my right was quite impressive and I was glad that Luna has excellent recall and I was able to keep her well away from the danger.

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Looking south back around the rim of Braigh a'Choire Bhig to the cloud dusted summit of Tom a'Choinich across the narrow trench of Loch Mullardoch

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Loch a'Choire Bhig with Carn nan Gobhar in the background

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Beinn Fhionnlaidh with cotton wool clouds kissing Carn Eige and An Leth-chreag

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Nice but deadly cornice and Toll Creagach across Loch Mullardoch

I do love the long days of summer in the hills (although that particular time of year has its drawbacks as well, most notably the small, flying, biting insects). I would have to say though that this is probably my favourite time of year for hill walking and when you get a day like this, it's like hill walking paradise. All that was missing was just that little bit more consolidation of the snow pack that would have made my progress less painful and laborious.

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Across the cliffs of Braigh a'Choire Bhig to Sgurr nan Clachan Geala - you can't beat a late winter blue sky day above the snow line!

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South over Affric

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More nice but deadly cornicing

At this point I decided to pass on the idea of a repeat of Sgurr na Lapaich and instead to descend north west towards the Bealach Toll an Lochain. It was hard going in the deep powder and I was glad that there was clearly nobody else around to hear my loud and foul language every time I sunk knee or even waist deep into a hole.

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An Riabhachan and a sliver of Loch Monar

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Through the Lapaich-Riabhachan bealach to Maoile Lunndaidh and Bidean an Eoin Deirg (Loch Mhuilich just visible across Monar)

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Down the Allt Socrach

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The western face of Sgurr na Lapaich

Once across the stream, I spied a collection of rocks on the lower part of the Creagan Toll an Lochain ridge that looked like they might provide some shelter for lunch. Unfortunately there was little to no shelter to be had and no respite from the cutting windchill. I was lucky to get my over trousers on without them being ripped from my grasp and blown into next week.

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The Affric Munros looking pristine

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Luna pausing to admire the scenery on the ascent up Creagan Toll an Lochain

Despite the stunning beauty of my situation, this had now become extremely hard work. There was little doubt that having not done anything even remotely close to such a big route for the last 6 months had left me well short of hill fitness. On top of that, there were the underfoot conditions and the lingering effects of my recent illness. All of this was making this a very tough gig. If Kev had been in any doubt before about the wisdom of his decision to turn back, he would have had no such doubts now, even this close to the summit.

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Sgurr na Lapaich and Loch Mor

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Clouds beginning to mass over the Affric hills

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Bidean an Eoin Deirg, Maoile Lunndaidh and An Sidhean across Loch Monar

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Sgurr na Lapaich and Loch Mor from higher up the knobbly arete of Creagan Toll an Lochain with the Strathfarrar Munros in the background

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Across the ridge between An Garbh-choire and Coire Socrach towards Affric

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Lapaich and Clachan Geala

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Suddenly that navigational horror show of last summer doesn't seem like such a bad thing!

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It's taken me three attempts, Luna two, but this time we're gonna get you!

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And to think I could have been on a shopping trip to London but I gave it all up for this!

The ascent up the Creagan Toll an Lochain arete had been quite blowy in some places but equally quite sheltered in others. Once up onto the long, broad summit plateau however, all hell once again broke loose. The windchill was fierce and I didn't hang around to take advantage of the free exfoliation service. I briefly stopped to cram in another mouthful of dried banana chips and to snap a couple of quick shots which I hoped might capture the ferocity of the spindrift and my hands almost froze instantly.

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The best shot of the spindrift looking west along the ridge to the summit and the last time I was prepared to take my gloves off and my hands out of my pockets!

I battled on along the broad, flat ridge to the high point before shouting some expletives at the cairn for all the grief this hill has caused me and then making myself scarce, high tailing it out of there. Luna didn't look too upset about not hanging about to fully immerse herself in the experience either. A big walk out and that lochside path from hell still to come.

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Compare and contrast with the same view 9 hours previously!

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Graeme D


User avatar
Location: Perth
Occupation: Teacher
Pub: Moulin Inn
Mountain: Too tough to answer
Gear: Paramo gilet/Scarpa boots
Member: MCofS
Ideal day out: No such thing as a bad day out on or amongst the hills - only degrees of goodness.
Ambition: 2b sent home on full pay!

Munros: 251
Tops: 31
Corbetts: 123
Fionas: 75
Donalds: 22
Wainwrights: 28
Hewitts: 36
Sub 2000: 59
Islands: 6
Long Distance routes: West Highland Way   



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Statistics

2024

Trips: 2
Distance: 33.7 km
Ascent: 2000m
Munros: 1
Sub2000s: 1

2023

Trips: 11
Distance: 232.1 km
Ascent: 11110m
Munros: 6
Corbetts: 5
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 1
Wainwrights 1

2022

Trips: 12
Distance: 235.8 km
Ascent: 15225m
Munros: 15
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 5

2021

Trips: 11
Distance: 209.6 km
Ascent: 14050m
Munros: 7
Corbetts: 8
Fionas: 3

2020

Trips: 10
Distance: 141.3 km
Ascent: 8280m
Munros: 5
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 1
Sub2000s: 2

2019

Trips: 19
Distance: 276.6 km
Ascent: 18150m
Munros: 11
Corbetts: 7
Fionas: 4
Sub2000s: 1

2018

Trips: 18
Distance: 350 km
Ascent: 18085m
Munros: 6
Corbetts: 4
Fionas: 3
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 4
Hewitts: 14
Wainwrights 21

2017

Trips: 19
Distance: 209.4 km
Ascent: 17090m
Munros: 9
Corbetts: 11
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 3

2016

Trips: 26
Distance: 352.85 km
Ascent: 25760m
Munros: 18
Corbetts: 4
Fionas: 7
Donalds: 4
Sub2000s: 2
Hewitts: 15
Wainwrights 6

2015

Trips: 23
Distance: 451.7 km
Ascent: 24468m
Munros: 18
Corbetts: 6
Fionas: 10
Donalds: 9
Sub2000s: 3

2014

Trips: 28
Distance: 450.3 km
Ascent: 24390m
Munros: 16
Corbetts: 10
Fionas: 5
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 8

2013

Trips: 30
Distance: 355.5 km
Ascent: 24877m
Munros: 12
Corbetts: 14
Fionas: 8
Sub2000s: 6

2012

Trips: 29
Distance: 393.5 km
Ascent: 23469m
Munros: 20
Corbetts: 8
Fionas: 4
Donalds: 5
Sub2000s: 5

2011

Trips: 37
Distance: 478.9 km
Ascent: 28081m
Munros: 25
Corbetts: 9
Fionas: 7
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 16

2010

Trips: 48
Distance: 569.5 km
Ascent: 24365m
Munros: 30
Corbetts: 21
Fionas: 11
Sub2000s: 7
Hewitts: 6

2009

Trips: 19
Distance: 271.4 km
Ascent: 15243m
Munros: 27
Corbetts: 7
Fionas: 2

2008

Trips: 3
Distance: 60.1 km
Ascent: 3488m
Munros: 4


Joined: Oct 17, 2008
Last visited: Mar 28, 2024
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