KYQ4: The Saddle and Forcan Ridge

Monday 9 September 2024

The Saddle and Forcan Ridge

Forcan Ridge

Thursday, 5 September 2024

Ascent: 1302 metres
Distance: 17 kilometres
Time: 6 hours 41 minutes

Sgurr an Forcan 965m 2hrs 52mins
The Saddle 1011m 3hrs 32mins
Biod an Fithich. 646m 5hrs 20mins

The forecast was good and we decided to climb the Saddle, ideally by the Forcan Ridge. John had to climb Sgurr na Sgine as well to complete his fourth round. I had done it a couple of times in recent years, once to climb the Corbett, Buidhe Bheinn after the SMC changed the position of the summit 3 kilometres to the south despite both tops of the ridge being 885 metres. The excellent path from Glen Shiel rises to 500 metres below the impressive peak of Biodan Fhithich before it doubles back and climbs another couple of hundred metres to the northern end of the Forcan Ridge. There is a small cairn that is easily missed that marks the narrow path that shimmies its way to the rocky crest.

The climb is steep and becomes a bit of a scramble but it is an entertaining ascent. During our first long weekend of Munro bashing in 1989, John and I had reached the Forcan Ridge during a temperature inversion and I was mesmerised by appearing in the glory rings of a Brocken spectre, It had happened once before on MacGillycuddies reeks in County Kerry in 1975 but never since. Until today, when the Forcan Ridge and the sun's angle conspired with the dispersing cloud to provide several minutes of a repeat. As the ridge steepened and the scramble became more challenging, the sun took over and we entered the joyous pleasure of ridge scrambling on a perfect day for half an hour.

We passed the summit of the Saddle just before the Vanessa Trig Point and walked on for 50 metres to a point that provided views across to Knoydart. It was lunchtime and we dallied in the warm September Indian summer. There is a path down to Bealach Coire Mhalagain from here, a drop of 300 metres. John and Keith began the climb up Sgurr an Sgine whilst I traversed along to the footpath at the start of the Forcan Ridge. Time was on my side but I continued to the next bealach below Biod an Fhithich and made straight for the summit. A man and his dog were just ahead of me and I settled down for an hour on this superb viewpoint. The man from Perth was going to Skye for a couple of days to complete his final two Munros on the ridge. I took photos, ate an apple, sent some messages, browsed the map and was slowly baked. I eventually descended back to the bealach at 500 metres hoping that John and Keith would appear but after 15 minutes, the sun retreated behind the hill and there was no sign of them so I decided to walk back to the car.

It turned out to be a long wait but the van parked next to John's car belonged to Thistle Trekking and David Battle, the Director was eyeing up a place to camp for the night. We chatted for an hour, he even provided me with a biscuit and said I could stay in his van if John and Keith did not return. We eventually spotted them through his binoculars before he decided to head upwards hoping to find a pitch out of the strong winds that were forecast but high enough to enjoy the possible temperature inversion in the morning. John and Keith arrived shortly after he left and for the second day, we were only just back at the cottage before nightfall. The electrician had fitted a new electric switch box so I sent a photo to my brother who was above the Arctic Circle but able to switch the heating on from a smartphone.