Gulvain

Gulvain

Summit? -it ain't necessarily so

Streap and Sgurr Thuilm from the true summit

Man at Top

Gulvain from Braigh nan Uamhaachan

Streap and Sgurr Thuilm from Braigh nan Uamhachan

Braigh nan Uamhachan from south

Monday, 8 June 2015
Ascent:    1495 metres
Distance: 26 kilometres
Time:       6 hours 41 minutes

t    Gulvain south top             962m   2hrs 39mins
m  Gulvain                             987m   3hrs  1min
c   Braigh nan Uamhachan    765m   4hrs 38mins

The summer has been unusually wet and windy even for Scotland. I had planned to spend the weekend in the Fannaichs and Strathfarrar after a trip to Lewis but abandoned the idea when two days of heavy rain and gale-force winds were predicted. The compensation was a day out on Gulvain, not my favourite hill - it is a big bruiser, and then to take in the nearby Corbett.

It was bright and sunny as I left home just after 7am but the cloud cover increased as I drove west and the journey was interrupted by slow caravans and then several roads works with a major delay at the Ballachulish bridge. It was almost 10:30am before I started walking from the cottages at Drumsallie. The walk up Gleann Fionnlighe was delightful, the birch buds providing spring colour and the crystal clear water of the river presenting the glen in the best possible light, there were even interludes of sunshine. It is a long walk of 7 kilometres to the start of the climb, I was passed by a walker on a mountain bike and would probably do the same if I came this way again, although the track was very boggy in places after the recent rains.

After crossing the burn at the foot of Gulvain, the climb began. It is a full-frontal attack of the nose of Gulvain, which soars upwards in a long 850 metre haul up to the first top. There is a path which sometimes just takes the slopes head-on and sometimes zig-zags, either way, it is unrelenting. I could see the cyclist about 300 metres above me and as I reached the 855m outlying top, I could see a couple on the south top. The climb is less steep from here and the trig point was soon reached. The true summit is a mile to the north with a drop of 100 metres between the two tops. At the bealach I met the cyclist on his way back, he was intending to head to Knoydart for a couple of days but the rough bounds were enveloped in dark clouds and he was having second thoughts, which I encouraged. Knoydart is too good for typical Scottish weather.

As I reached the summit, the couple I had seen ahead were about to leave, they were now exiled in the south of England and spent a week every year climbing the munros, they had 50 left to do but many of these were singletons that they had missed during the bigger walks when they had lived in Scotland. When they left I settled down to some lunch, it was reasonably warm although the clouds were still threatening rain. For the first time I reflected that this could be my last time on this Munro, it is not one I would rush to visit unless I attempted a sixth round. I retreated to the bealach and then started the extremely steep descent down the west flank threading my way through the rock outcrops and eventually reaching the peat bogs that had to be crossed to reach the knolly eastern ridge of Gualann nan Osna that leads to the summit ridge of Braigh nan Uamhachan. After the peat bogs, the climb was relatively easy, just 250 metres and lots of rock to provide a better footing than the soft wet ground.

The summit ridge of Braigh nan Uamhachan had that lovely Corbett like quality, short grass, rocky knolls and comparatively gentle slopes. I arrived at the summit from the north at the same time as a walker appeared from the south. I would not have expected to meet anyone here in a month of Sundays. He had climbed Streap and then battered his way up the western flank of the hill. We chatted for 10 minutes as we ate some food and took a breather. His demeanour was pure Glaswegian, only 12 munros to go and working his way through the corbetts as well but completely nonplussed about the names or recognition of hills, he just liked walking on them.

The descent from here was over Sron Liath (683m). It was ridge walking at its best, the recently arrived afternoon sun lit up the views and provided a rare warmth in this cool wet summer. I made a long traverse down the eastern side of the hill reaching the track to Gulvain just south of its termination. It was later than I had hoped but I had taken time out at the summit of both hills and spent 20 minutes or so talking to other walkers, it was that sort of lazy day on the hills. To compensate I set a fast pace down the track which I managed in just over an hour, not bad for 7 kilometres. It was well after 5pm before I started for home but the roads were empty and I shaved an hour off the time taken for the outward journey in the morning.