Glenfinnan Munros: Sgurr Thuilm and Sgurr nan Coreachan

Glen Finnan viaduct

Sgurr nan Coireachan looking over the broad ridge from the 852m crag

Sgurr na Ciche/Garbh Chioch Mhor from the ridge between the two munros

The undulating ridge between the two munros - Sgurr Thuilm at the end

Sgurr Thuilm with Sgurr na Ciche behind

Loch Arkaig and Sgurr Mhurlagain from Sgurr Thuilm

Stanier Class 5 on Glenfinnan viaduct

Saturday, 24 May 2014
Ascent:      1495 metres 
Distance:   23 kilometres
Time:         6 hours 29 minutes

Sgurr nan Coireachan     956m      2hrs 20mins
Sgurr Thuilm                  963m      4hrs 20mins

We were up early, Gregor and I dived out of the tent pitched by the river at Drumsallie and packed furiously, John was equally anxious to make a speedy escape . The midges were as fierce as I can ever remember, where is the wind when you want it. My hands looked like they had been painted by George Seurat with the red spots persisting all day. It was only a couple of miles to drive to the start of our walk at Glenfinnan but the midges were still in spate. We quickly threw some food and kit into our rucksacks and put on our walking gear. We began the walk at pace to escape the clouds of ravenous female midges that were breakfasting on us, our breakfast would have to wait. The estate manager was driving down the glen in his Land Rover and asked us the purpose of our visit, all very friendly. There had been a large increase in walkers and he was conducting an informal survey. It seemed that the Cape Wrath Trail was providing a third of the walkers, the rest heading for the two munros that we had scheduled for today.

We were passed by another early morning munroist on a bike, he was on his fifth round and seemed to be pedalling well on it. At the bothy we stopped and searched our rucksacks for some breakfast, I found an apple and constructed a cheese roll. Then another half kilometre and we were at the start of the path up to Sgurr nan Coireachan. It ascends by traversing to the east of the hill towards the outlier, Sgurr a' Choire Riabhaich. A lovely ridge leads up from here to a stiff climb leading to a knoll at 852 metres. As we sat taking a drink an eagle appeared above and went through its repertoire of aerial manoeuvres. I normally expect to see two eagles a year but this was two in two days.

We arrived at the summit in glorious sunny conditions and the views were pretty good too. I managed to get some water from some nearby snowmelt and we chatted for a while, it was still morning. The walk across to Sgurr Thuilm involves four intermediate summits and an undulating walk, rocky at first but becoming increasingly easy as the final slope to Sgurr Thuilm is reached. By the time we arrived at Sgurr Thuilm, walkers began to appear from the other direction. We met a couple at the summit and had a long discussion about running. He was the treasurer of my old running club and tried to persuade Gregor to join them. John and I had been telling him to join a running club for years, he has the potential to be a very good runner.

Our next objective was to get down and home by 7 p.m. so we could shower and eat before the European Cup Final. Gregor went charging off as I stopped to fill up with water and was not seen again until we reached the car. We followed the grassy ridge down Drum Coire a' Bheithe, fairly steep most of the way and still very boggy lower down but nevertheless a quick descent. I caught up with a fit-looking older walker as he reached his mountain bike and we chatted for a while, he was completing his third round despite an artificial knee but thought that he would leave it at that. He told me that he had been passed on the hill by a young man going like a bat out of hell, which sounded like Gregor. John was making a more sedate descent as his knee was giving him some trouble after three days of Munro bashing.

There were a number of walkers coming up the glen on the Cape Wrath Trail. I kept a good pace over the 6-kilometre walk out down the glen but just missed the steam train returning across the viaduct from Mallaig. Gregor had heard it and managed to get up to the viewpoint to get photos. I marvelled at the viaduct, designed by Sir Robert McAlpine and the first major structure built of unreinforced concrete. It was built in 1897 in just a year. I remember discussing it during a previous outing (1998) with a Scottish Office colleague responsible for the Private Finance Initiatives (PFI). He remarked that it would take at least five times as long to build under a PFI, not because of design or engineering problems but all because of the time delays from legal and finance negotiations. We made it home by 6:30 p.m. with the traffic in Fort William and Glencoe all going in the other direction.

Route - clockwise

Sgurr na Ciche to Sgurr Mor

Glendessary 

Glen Dessary

Sgurr na Ciche gully to Fidean na Ciche

Pegmatite? rock in Gulley

Loch Nevis from Sgurr na Ciche

Trig Point Hat - Sgurr na Ciche

Garbh Chioch Mhor wall

Garbh Chioch Mhor to Bheag ridge

Garbh Chioch Mor and Sgurr na Ciche

Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr na Ciche

Sgurr Mor from Sgurr nan Corriechan

Rainbow over Loch Quoich

Friday, 24 May 2014
Ascent:      2360 metres
Distance:   32 kilometres
Time:        11 hours 55 minutes

Sgurr na Ciche              1040m     4hrs 19mins
Garbh Chioch Mhor      1013m    5hrs    5mins
Garbh Chioch Bheag      966m     5hrs 27mins
Sgurr nan Coireachan     953m     6hrs 36mins
Sgurr Beag                      890m    8hrs 14mins
Sgurr Mor                      1003m   8hrs 53mins                  

A dawn chorus of cuckoos roused us from sleep but at 4am, it was a bit early to start. There was still time for some more snoozing.  We were fully awake by 6am and had a brew and some breakfast, packed the unusually dry camping gear, prepared our packs and loaded the car before driving a kilometre to the car park at Strathan. We started the walk at 7:45am on a day with little wind and bright skies. It was going to be a long and tough day. We had to be back to Strathan by 8pm if we were to get to Fort William by 9pm to meet Gregor who was coming up on the Glasgow bus.

The first few kilometres past Glendessary and its collection of buildings including a new shooting lodge and fine new cottage made for interesting and easy walking. When we arrived at the cottage at Upper Glendessary, I crossed the stile behind the house to begin the uphill diversion but John called me back, the cottage was empty and we could follow the main track. It seemed a good idea but thereafter the path crossed a boggy meadow and brought us to a barely functional footbridge over the river Desarry and then into the conifer plantations. A group of three walkers had just left the A' Chuil bothy and were ahead of us. All of them were heavily loaded for a walk-through to Inverey. Our 20-litre daysacks seemed weightless as we passed them along the meandering riverside in what is a delightful if somewhat boggy trail. As we climbed up to join the path we should have taken from Upper Glendessary, the day's real climbing began.

Just before the high point of the path at 314 metres, I found a faint path heading up a grassy ramp, my instinct is always to climb as soon as possible. After five minutes of wet ground, the path alighted onto a track which had recently been cut into the hillside and provided an easy route up the next 250 metres. We emerged on the wonderful terrace at 600 metres that sits below Garbh Chioch Mhor. I have camped here on two previous occasions and the views over Loch Ness and into Knoydart make it a very special place. Great folds of igneous intrusions are interspersed with short grass and dotted with pools of water. We were both enjoying the stroll and took some time to eat, drink and ablute before the serious stuff ahead.

The gully that climbs up to Fidean na Ciche between Sguur na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mhor is an absolute pleasure, a steep scramble through the mica and feldspar-rich pink igneous rocks, I assume it is some type of Pegmatite from a dyke. You cross the cascading burn several times before reaching the bealach. At the wall, the path to Sgurr na Ciche continues steeply to the left and as we climbed the cloud lifted from the summit. After a brief flatter section, the route steepens into another scramble to the summit ridge and then just a couple of hundred metres to the summit that is perched overlooking Loch Nevis. Two Glaswegians were already there and we engaged in banter as a sleet shower briefly passed through. The ugly concrete cylindrical trig point had been smashed since my last visit in 2008 and I posed as a human trig point for the record. We had some food but we needed to move on if we were to be down at the car by 8pm.

The walk or scramble across to Garbh Chioch Mhor is one of the most memorable sections in any Munro round, The steep descent back to Fidean na Ciche is followed by a less steep climb through the crags. A quite magnificent wall has remained largely intact despite the constant rain, wind, snow and ice of the past hundred years. Its beauty is in the angle of the large stones, the richly coloured hues of the rock and the ridgeline that accentuates the rough-hewn intimacy of this landscape. By the time we reached the summit, the cloud had reformed over Sgurr na Ciche and the weather looked ominous to the east.

We began the long walk along to the top of Garbh Chioch Bheag and for the second time on this ridge, I was privileged to see an eagle glide along effortlessly before heading across to Sgurr nan Correachan in barely a couple of minutes. It would take us more than an hour to cover the same distance. The walking is pleasurable but slow with lots of rocky sections and undulations before the final steep descent down to Bealach nan Gall and then a 220-metre climb to Sgurr nan Correachan. We were slipping behind schedule and after a lunch break, I was probably a bit ruthless in trying to move us on from the summit. There are two more intermediate peaks, An Eag and Sgurr Bheag, both distinguished by sizeable drops.

The climb to Sgurr Bheag is greatly eased by a well-constructed stalker's path which zigzags to the summit at a gradient that allows a good pace. Then just the long climb of 255 metres to Sgurr Mor. I was determined to reach the summit before 5pm and made it with 5 minutes to spare. At last, there was a phone coverage and I phoned Gregor who was heading for his bus to say we might be slightly late in reaching Fort William.

The rain had soaked us over the last couple of hours and my fairly new Montane Event jacket had wetted out. I resisted putting on overtrousers but felt chilled after spending half an hour on the summit. I thought the quickest route back was to descend to the south-east, the path would drop us to 750 metres and then take a direct line down to Glen Kingie. I was probably right but it was punishing after already climbing 2200 metres. A large herd of deer scattered before us as we descended the steep grassy slopes. Crossing the river Kingie was no problem at this stage of the day, soaked and with wet feet, I bounced across some stones without any trepidation about getting my feet any wetter. Ahead was a climb of 150 metres over boggy slopes to reach the top of the pass back to Glendessary. Surprisingly I still felt full of walking and at last, the rain had abated. I found a faint path nearer to the high point and then we followed this for a mile before it began to drop into Glendessary.

A family with two children were taking an evening stroll along the Glendessary track, they were accompanied by four dogs, including what I assumed must be a Great Dane, it lolloped over to say hello and I was given the familiar refrain that it was really very friendly but watch your behind. I charged on so that I could change and be ready for the drive to Fort William. By the time John arrived and we were ready to leave, having changed out of our damp gear and made conversation with four heavily laden walkers who were looking for somewhere to camp, it was 8:30pm. We made the Fort by 9:30pm after an interminable half-hour driving alongside Loch Arkaig. We had a reasonably priced meal in Weatherspoons before driving back to Glenfinnan and pitching tents at 11:00pm on a midge-infested parking spot by the river. Seldom had we dived into tents quicker, it had been a full day and I was asleep before my head hit my rolled-up jacket.

Loch Arkaig: Fraoch Bheinn and Sgurr Mhurlagain

Knoydart skyline

The rock slip on Fraoch Bheinn

Fraoch Bheinn summit looking west

Streap and Sgurr Thuilm

Fraoch Bheinn from Sgurr Mhulagain

Cloud cover over Loch Arkaig from Sgurr Mhulagain

Chilling on Sgurr Mhulagain

Streap and Sgurr Thuilm from Sgurr Mhulagain

Thursday, 22 May 2014
Ascent:      1280 metres
Distance:    13 kilometres
Time:          5 hours 1 minute

Fraoch Bheinn           858m       1hr   51mins
Sgurr Mhurlagain       880m       3hrs 29mins

Strathan at the head of Loch Arkaig is one of the more remote outposts for reaching the West Highlands. It is reached after a 13 mile drive along the stark beauty of Loch Arkaig, a natural fresh water loch, on a single track road that has been mangled by forestry lorries. There are quite a few holiday caravans along the shore with the usual assembly of transportable boats, barbecues and temporary buildings. The car park is about a mile short of Strathan, a former crofting community with only one house remaining. Adjacent to the new car park are the ruins of an old barracks built by the government at the time of the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745.

It had taken 3 hours to drive up on a grey cold May morning, but it was dry with a strong north easterly breeze forcing us into hats and gloves as we set out. We had decided to climb the two corbetts that overlook Loch Arkaig: Fraoch Bheinn and Sgurr Mhulagain. They would be an aperitif to a long day climbing the Sgurr na Ciche to Sgurr Mor munros tomorrow.

From the car park the track to Glendessary is taken and then after the Strathan junction, it is 400 metres further before a rough path is signposted and leads up the Dearg Allt to Glen Kingie and on to Tomdoun. After we reached 200 metres in height we struck off the path to climb the southern ridge to Fraoch Bheinn. It was a fairly steep climb up grassy slopes with the occasional rocky knoll providing relief from the tedium. The views back down Loch Arkaig were impressive and across Glen Pean the twin peaks of Sgurr Thuilm and Streap had their heads in the clouds. We kept a steady pace with the wind keeping us cool and the vistas regaling us with more and more shapely peaks.

The flat summit had a small cairn but as a lookout it was spectacular with Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mor peeping over the shoulder of Sgurr nan Coireachan and beyond them the jumbly of mountains that are the rough bounds of Knoydart. They challenged our normally sound knowledge of Scottish mountains. We walked north for a distance to observe the rock slip into the eastern corrie and got a better view of the hills of the north. Although the clouds were thick and fast moving the visibility was excellent.

We descended back down the ridge to the south for half a kilometre and then found a ramp leading down to the bealach at 400 metres. I took a phone call, surprised that there was any reception, and lost about ten minutes. John had continued across and was already starting the haul up to the long south westerly ridge of Sgurr Mhurlagain. The climb was relentless but again made enjoyable by the views down Loch Arkaig and the strange cloud formation, which was dark and forboding. We had made good time and for once we had lots of time to sit at the summit and enjoy the views. The light was getting better and the descent would be straightforward. John had spotted a Dotterel and the Plovers were in full cry.

The ground was still very wet in places and the descent quite rough in places. We abandoned the waterlogged path and made a direct descent to the car park, saving us a couple of kilometres. A lone swan was patrolling the edge of the loch. We drove back along the loch for a couple of miles and found a suitable camping spot. In the evening light it was idyllic, the wind had become a breeze and the midges were held at bay. After a supper, we retired before 9pm, aware that we would need an early start in the morning for what would be a 12 hour plus day.

Beinn Fhada and A'Ghlas Bheinn

Beinn Fhada from A' Ghlas Bheinn

Primrose lining the burns

Spring greens in Dorusduain Wood

Looking north east from the Falls of Glomach path

A' Ghlas Bheinn from north east

Torridons from A' Ghlas Bheinn

A'Chralaig and Ciste Duibhe in distance

Beinn Fhada northern corrie with Five Sisters behind

Morvich and Loch Duich

Beinn Fhda pinnacles

Beinn Fhada summit

Beinn Fhada plateau with Skye in far distance

Friday, 2 May 2014
Ascent:   1680 metres
Distance:    23 kilometres
Time:           7 hours 42 minutes

A' Glas Bheinn   918m      3hrs   1min
Beinn Fhada      1032m     5hrs 35mins

The day broke as forecast, frosty and bright and, after an examination of the meteorological office mountain forecasts for individual hills, I decided to climb A' Ghlas Bheinn and Beinn Fhada at the head of Loch Duich. They are two massive hills hidden from the passing travellers by the Five Sisters. They were only half an hour drive from where I was staying at Braeintra on Lochcarron. I have climbed them together four times and they have always provided long hard days particularly when climbed with the Five Sisters and Four Brothers as a two day walk, which I have done in both directions with overnight camps below Ciste Dubh. I have always ascended A' Ghlas Bheinn from Bealach an Sgairne on the path from Strath Croe. There is a good if steep climb from here to the summit and I have either returned to the bealach or headed down the west ridge. Today I decided to climb A' Ghlas Bhenn from the north via the long path from Morvich to the Falls of Glomach via Bealach na Sroine.

I parked by the National Trust caravan site at Morvich and realised after I started the walk that this added 2 miles in both directions to the walk. I could have parked at Dorusduain in Strath Croe. The morning soon warmed up as I followed the track through the plantations and then turned eastwards for the steady climb to the bealach na Soine above the Falls of Glomach. I sat and deliberated whether to go down and visit the falls. A descent of 300 metres would have to be reversed before the final 400 metre slog up steep grassy slopes to A' Ghlas Bheinn. It would add an extra hour to the day and I had a report to write when I returned to the cottage. I decided it might be better to make this trip to the falls in the future by cycling up from Kilinan. 

I skirted round Meal Dubh and made for the outlying hill, Creag na Saobhie (818m). I found no signs of any path or route as I traversed across the wild and remote hillside.  There were quite a few deer grazing by some beautiful lochans and the views to the east were spectacular with the massive Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan standing guard over Lochan a' Bhealaich. The final climb to the summit was up a steep north facing rock strewn ramp and it was with some relief that I topped out and surveyed the panorama of glorious hills. I took ten minutes for lunch before launching myself into the midday heat and meandering down the steep path down to Bealach an Sgairne. A lone walker and then a couple were on their way up and I was complimented on my Rohan wind top that I had rescued from the cupboard under the stairs, a 20 year old bit of retro gear that really works. It was too cool for just a T shirt but too warm for a fleece or jacket.

At the bealach I had to decide whether to head up the slopes opposite to Meall a' Bhealaich, another 400 metres of unrelenting steep grass and rock, or to descend the path for a kilometre and so and then take the good stalkers' path up the impressive Coire an Sgairne to Beinn Fhada. Being older and wiser I took the latter route even though it meant dropping an extra hundred metres. It was probably just as quick, the gradient was steady and the full crenulated skyline of the north western ridge of Beinn Fhada  was tempting me as the return route to the glen. There were several feral goats grazing in the corrie.

The final 300 metres of climb is up a zig-zag path and then over the summit plateau to the cairn. There was no one else on the hill and the bright morning sunshine had given way to high cloud cover. I contemplated going down the western ridge but I had been warned by the single walker that there was a 20 foot bad step and I thought on my own it was more sensible (not a normal consideration) to return by the stalker's path. I made good time stopping just to top up on water and I walked out down the well graded path to Strath Croe. I was back at the car before 5pm. As always these hills had provided a good day and I drove back to Kyle of Lochalsh to buy some food and beer. The report could wait.

Gleouraich & Spidean Mialach

Spidean Mialach and Gleoraich from South Cluanie Ridge

Thursday, 1 May 2014
Ascent:     1210 metres 
Distance:   13 kilometres  
Time:        3 hours 53 minutes

m  Gleouraich                                 1035m     1hr  35mins
t    Craig Coire na Fiar Bhealaich   1006m     1hr  53mins
m  Spidean Mialach                          996m     2hrs 38mins

It was time to get some walking in and the forecast for the next two days was for clear skies as high pressure arrives from the north. Today was to be a cloudy, windy day but I could drive north and climb a couple of Munros by Loch Quoich on the way there and be able for an early start on some more remote hills tomorrow. I had arranged to stay at a cottage in Strathcarron for a few days to write a report and it would allow me to get a couple of days in the hills as well. I dawdled in the morning packing for the trip and reading the news online. There was not much point arriving at Loch Quoich before the afternoon as wind and heavy rain were forecast until the early afternoon and that would have spoiled a good walk. I made Fort William by noon and stocked up with food for a few days before heading to Loch Quoich to climb a couple of good hills, including a personal favourite, Gleouraich, that overlooks Loch Quoich with splendid views into distant Knoydart with Sgurr na Ciche as the pyramidal focus.

The drive along the single track road from Invergarry to Kinloch Hourn is a journey into the old shooting estates. Sadly the Hotel at Tomdoun had closed, I had stayed at the run-down bunkhouse adjacent to the hotel on two or three occasions and the bar was always full of fishermen. There are three or four new properties just beyond Tomdoun, including a massive shooting lodge that was closed. Beyond the dam at the head of Loch Quoich, there had been a lot of construction work, building two micro hydropower plants. A 10-metre strip of Rhododendrons had been excavated from the lochside of the road and two new hydro plant houses had been erected. I had thought of climbing the hills east to west so that I could have the wind at my back but the new tracks confused me slightly and I was well up the excellent stalkers' path to Gleouraich before I realised my mistake. In the circumstances, it was probably the best way around these hills.

The views across Loch Quoich to Sgurr na Ciche and the Knoydart hills were stunning despite the grey skies. The ascent was quick on the well-graded path and the winds less troublesome than had been forecast. The summit was still in its winter attire. Across Glen Loyne to the north, the familiar serrated skyline of the South Cluanie ridge provided the backdrop merging into ever-darkening clouds. I thought that I had timed it right with the weather, there was only the wind to contend with on the ascent but now snow flurries began, it is May after all. I followed the ridge at the top of the snow cornices on the easy walk, with a vertical climb of only 50 metres, to the top of Craig Coire na Fiar Bhealaich. By this time I had to decide whether to put on waterproofs as the snow began to fall. I decided against stopping and for once I had called to right. 

There is a descent of 260 metres to the Fiar Bhealach, it is steep in parts but nowhere is it difficult. Then the 240 metres of ascent to the summit of Spidean Mialach that had receded into the clouds. I was climbing easily and made what I thought was the summit and stopped for some food and drink, visibility was down to no more than 30 metres. I took a bearing for the descent to Loch Ferna but, after descending for 70 metres, I realised that I was slightly off track. I had probably missed the real summit, which was a further 400 metres to the east. I climbed back up and found a path leading to a larger cairn and my altimeter confirmed that this was the summit. It was 20 metres higher than the earlier top and I now regretted having added stones to the cairn there. The mistake had added 15 minutes to the day but my conscience would not let me miss a summit, climbing munros is a personal log of achievement and the veracity of your summits can only be verified by yourself.

I had been on schedule to break 4 hours so I began a rapid descent to the west of Loch Fearna down steep grass and heather slopes and a few sections of large boulder scree. I could see the scar of a new track leading to one of the micro-hydro dams so made a beeline for it over gentler boggy ground. I had put on boots rather than trainers and they now seemed like a good idea. The track was very steep for vehicles and work was still being carried out to grade the track. I reached the road and had only a kilometre to walk back to the car, which I managed within the fours hours. The real advantage of the walk now became apparent, I was only an hour away from the cottage in Strathcarron instead of the usual three-hour drive home.

Gulvain from Loch Garry

Knoydart hills and Loch Quoich from the start of the walk

Loch Quoich and Knoydart from the flanks of Gleouraich

Sgurr a' Mhaoraich from Gleouraich ascent

Gleouraich stalker's path

Looking east to Spidean Mialach

Gleouraich summit

South Cluanie ridge from Gleouraich

From Gleouraich looking east to the top, Craig Coire na Fiar Bhealaich

Spidean Mialach summit

Descent to Loch Quoich

Loch Quoich and Sgurr na Ciche and Ben Aden