KYQ4: Sail Mhor

Sail Mhor

An Teallach from Destitution Road

Suddenly, after weeks of rain, there was the prospect of high pressure bringing clear skies and warmer days. In the last couple of weeks, lots of acquaintances had been getting COVID. An old friend who had visited last Sunday had gone down with it the next day so we had spent the week isolating but had not succumbed to the virus. We decided late on Friday to take advantage of the weather and escape from home for the first time since last August. We booked a B&B in Gairloch so that I could climb my penultimate Corbett, Sail Mhor, at Dundonnell and then spend the next day coasting down the spectacular scenery of Wester Ross.

Saturday, 19 March 2022

Ascent: 868 metres
Distance: 11 kilometres
Time: 3 hours 58 minutes

Sail Mhor 767m 1hr 48mins
Ruigh Mheallain 597m 2hrs 25mins

We left home shortly after 8am for the 205-mile journey to Ardessie by Dundonell. The early morning mist had been burnt off by Perth and the A9 was virtually empty until Dalwhinnie although the parking spots for the Drumochter Munros were full with hillwalker's cars. We were treated to the very best of views, even the Monadhliath Munros looked exciting with a lacing of snow etched against the blue skies. We stopped briefly in Inverness to top up on fuel at the highest price that I have ever paid, £1.77 per litre, a far cry from 42p per gallon during the fuel crisis of 1973.

The final leg of the journey across the Black Isle and through Contin was equally devoid of traffic. Ben Wyvis and then the Fannaichs were capped by snow. Then An Tealach came into view arousing the usual excitement that its crenulated ridge provides. Inevitably, I had to stop to take a photo before continuing to Ardessie at the foot of the Allt Airdeasaidh (River Ardessie). There is a parking place in front of a newish hydro plant a couple of hundred metres beyond the bridge. Boots and gaiters were required for the boggy ground and river crossing, I loaded the rucksack with too many items of clothing for what was a warm day on the hills.

It was 12:30pm as I began the walk following a newly built path from the hydro plant that climbs at the west side of the river. The normal path is at the east side but is described as boggy and it requires a tricky river crossing higher up. The path meandered up the rock-strewn slope with well-constructed stone steps and climbed steeply to 150 metres where a water intake had been built. Beyond here a path continued through the grass and heathers alongside some spectacular waterfalls that had cut deep channels in the old red sandstone. It was warm work and my fleece jacket was jettisoned to the rucksack to join the unnecessary hat, gloves, waterproof jacket and trousers. There is a broad heather-clad flatter section at 350 metres from where the normal route would be to contour round and climb to the bealach south of Sail Mhor at 530 metres. I decided to make a direct climb up the steep east face instead.

It was a good call, although I had my doubts as I slogged up through steep heather slopes and then a loose stone gulley. Just before reaching the broad plateau below the summit, there was a band of snow to cross. I kicked steps in the very steep crystalline snow but the steps were not holding so I used my hands as surrogate ice axes to haul myself up the 30 metres of snow. I was left with the final 80 metres of ascent on gentler slopes of Torridonian sandstone. There are two cairns, the one to the northeast has a well-built shelter and is a splendid viewpoint, this is where I had some lunch and gorged on the amazing views. To the northwest, the Summer Isles were visible over a sparkling Loch Broom, as was Mellon Udrigle on Gruinard Bay where Aileen had gone for a walk on the beach and headland, and to the south-east, An Teallach and the magical Fisherfield mountains were revealed from an angle that I had not seen before.

I walked over to the smaller cairn, which is probably slightly higher and then headed due south for the bealach. I had only walked a hundred metres or so when a golden eagle appeared 50 metres ahead of me and no more than 20 metres above the ground, I ripped off my gloves and grabbed the phone for a photo but the eagle was already a few hundred metres away and gliding upwards to another golden eagle. Within a minute they had disappeared towards An Teallach. Excitement over I dropped to the bealach and given that I was slightly ahead of schedule decided to climb Ruigh Mheallain, a hill that provides the perfect viewing spot for An Teallach and the two Beinn Dearg Corbetts. It was another good decision, it only requires 80 metres of climbing. The summit, littered with huge red sandstone blocks, allowed me to spend another ten minutes gazing into a wonderland of favourite mountains.

The diversion meant I had to put on my skates to return for my lift, it was an easy 2-kilometre descent to the river crossing. A Ring Ouzel was perched on a boulder in the river and grabbed my attention. With the aid of two walking poles, I managed to cross the river with dry feet although this was probably due to Goretex gaiters. The path at the other side was as boggy as had been described and after stopping to watch a Stonechat I came upon a recent landslip that had wiped out the path for a few hundred metres. The final descent alongside the impressive waterfalls was steep, boggy and twisty so I was 15 minutes late getting back to the car.

So this was it, only one Corbett left to complete the 224 Scottish hills between 2500 and 3000 feet. I had climbed eighty or so during my previous Munro rounds but over the past few years, climbing the Corbetts has become the prime objective. Their comparative isolation, they are required to have a 500 feet drop between their summits, and the absence of paths on many of them make them possibly harder than the Munros to climb. I am left with just Beinn Dearg to climb. It is the highest Corbett at 2999 feet and is located at the heart of the Torridon mountains, a worthy final summit.

The final treat of the day was still ahead of us, an empty road past Gruinard Bay, Loch Ewe, Poolewe and on to Gairloch with blue skies and superb visibility to the Western Isles. And then the good fortune to discover that our B&B in a recently built croft overlooked Loch Gairloch with Beinn Alligin and Beinn Dearg visible from the bedroom. As an antidote to a miserable winter, this trip was exceeding all expectations.