KYQ4: 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.