Fraochaidh

Fraochaidh

Aonach Eagach and Bidean from the 626m top

Beinn Bheithir

Fraochaidh and the loch an  below the 626m top  

Fraochaidh summit

Friday, 11 April 2015
Ascent:     1300 metres
Distance:  20 kilometres
Time:        6 hours 40 minutes

c       Fraochaidh      879m   3hrs 38mins

It was the last of three days of fine weather, I had been rebuilding a garden wall demolished by the feral goats and digging the garden for the last couple of days. I have struggled through February and March with a viral infection and have been unable to run with any regularity so I thought a longish day on the hills might help me recover some fitness. Fraochaidh is a comparatively remote but distinguished-looking mountain from the surrounding munros of Beinn Fhionnlaidh, Sgor na h-Ulaidh and Beinn a' Bheithir and I had cast admiring glances at it during recent ascents of these hills. And at 75 miles from home, it was the second nearest unclimbed Corbett.

I was under no delusion that Fraochaidh was an easy hill, it is a long walk from Ballachulish and the path once you cross the river is muddy and waterlogged, assuming you can find it. I drove past the school to find a parking place that I had used a few times when climbing Beinn Bheithir in winter but new developments had removed the places so I returned and followed the road past the St Munda church and a clutter of new houses and found a spot beyond the turning place. I then followed the track southwards through the forest until I came to the local archery club from where there is a rough descent to the river Laroch. The crossing was not easy but with some help from my walking pole and some precarious leaps onto wet rocks managed to reach the other side with still-dry feet. I climbed 70 metres to the track above and began the long 3.5 kilometres on a gently rising path.

The map and the SMC guidebook show a river crossing and a path up to the Mam Uchdaich bealach at 390 metres. I crossed at what I took to be the right place but could find no path. Instead, I set out on a rising traverse for the 626m top. It was the sort of ascent that is dispiriting, wet long grass, unkempt heathers and dwarf birch and alders making every step difficult. My default style for such climbs is to make direct for the summit and not to take the enticing simpler less steep traverses. It was an unmitigated slog with the odd crag to bypass and a couple of fences to contend with as well. Arriving at the summit, I needed some food and drink before I took photographs in all directions. The hazy sun of the morning was giving way to a more subdued light and a front seemed to be moving in from the southwest.

The wind had picked up and it would be in my face for the next 4 kilometres as I followed the long undulating ridge round to the summit of Fraochaidh. I found the last 150 metres of steep ascent hard with the wind as strong as I could recall on any walk in recent years, the path zig-zagged upwards next to the fine remains of the cornice. There are a few hundred metres of fairly level walking across the summit plateau to reach the summit cairn. It had been decorated with old fence posts, so I added one to the collection. There was a chance to hunker down and get some lunch, it had taken over three and a half hours for what the guidebook sets out as a 4-hour walk. I normally manage to walk at 25% - 35% quicker than the guide time so this had been a slow ascent but I was relieved to have kept going after my layoff.

The return journey was not much easier despite the wind at my back, there were a lot of minor ascents on the return and the day had become changeable with spots of rain and grey skies. At least on the descent from the 626m top, I found the path to the bealach separating the Glen Creran from Glen Laroch. Then a slippy descent down a muddy path during which I had a couple of banana skin moments and lost my prized Stirling Cycle Club litre water bottle that I had been gifted and has been my companion for the last 6 years. I did not realise this until I crossed the river Laroch and then stopped for a drink from one of the many fast-flowing burns that cascade down Beinn a' Bheithir. I was too tired to climb back and attempt to find it.

The path back down the glen and beside the river, Laroch was reasonably quick, I had gravity assistance.  The only diversion was when a young lamb decided to come and play with me; well it was election time. I decided against crossing the river again to get back to the car and walked past the school over the footbridge and then back up to the car, which added 10 minutes to the outing. It had been a tough day but I was walking well by the end and undoubtedly it was the sort of outing that I needed to break out of the lethargy of the past two months.