Moruisg: a suitable epitaph

Moruisg, the way up is not that inspiring

Nearly there

The ex Munro - Sgurr nan Ceannaichean

Moruisg - end of an era - note the colour coordination

Moruisg summit

Glen Cannoch and the Torridons

Friday, 15 May 2015
Ascent:      795 metres
Distance:   7 kilometres
Time:         2 hours 46 minutes

m   Moruisg      928m   1hr  34mins

The final day of the excursion to Torridon was limited by Mark having to meet a friend in Fort William in the late afternoon, the incoming weather system and my sore hip following the descent of the Horns of Alligin. We had intended to climb Slioch but the skies were grey and I was unsure whether it would be wise to subject my hip to more jarring on the descent, and besides Slioch deserves a good day.

My fallback was Moruisg in Glen Carron, just half an hour away and capable of being climbed before noon when the rains were due. I knew that Mark would fall for it because my threatened alternative was Fionn Bheinn which is the mountain equivalent of a tub of lard. Nevertheless, I was amused at what would possibly be Mark's last Munro being such a mundane hill and with rain imminent, a suitable epitaph for days like this on the Scottish hills. They are far more typical than the wonderful mountains and clement weather of the last two days.

We parked on the A890 crossed the river and railway and began the slog through the bogs. There was a faint footpath and the slope began to steepen at an altitude of 400 metres. We were ratcheting our way up when we came across a walker who had had to give up; he had succumbed to the steep slopes and feared that he would damage himself if he continued. He was diabetic and he asked if we could watch him descend to the safety of the flatter ground. We were at about 500 metres and it gave some respite from the climb. Then just the drudgery of climbing a hill that lacks any noticeable feature, unlike its near neighbour Sgurr nan Ceannaichean, which has real mountain qualities but has recently been deleted from the Munro list following a resurvey of its height. This negates the need to tramp across the undulating ridge between the two hills, which to be fair is a splendid walk.

We arrived at the summit, Mark wishing and hoping that this would not be his last Munro before emigrating. We had captured the full extremes of Scottish mountains in the past few days: the magnificence of Liathach and Beinn Alligin and the insignificance of Moruisg. I returned down the grass and heather slopes to avoid further strain on my hip. It was steep but the ground was soft and there was no pain. I made good time and I would be down before the rains started.

I met an enthusiastic couple from Edinburgh who were beginning the climb as I neared the end of the descent. They too had had a great day yesterday on Luirg Mhor and Bidein a' Choire Sheasgaich and we took some solace from the delights of yesterday and the knowledge that hills like Moruisg just have to be persevered on days like this. If anything they act as reminders of how good are mountains such as those in the Torridons.

Mark had decided to follow the high-level ridge across to Sgurr nan Ceannaichean, the Munro that is no longer. It took him an extra hour and ensured that he arrived back in the rain, a suitable nemesis for the two glorious days in Torridon. We returned to Fort William to meet Mark's long-time climbing friend who had driven up for the weekend. They had two days in the rain and wind to look forward to whilst I had a leisurely drive home spinning it out so I could listen to the news quiz. After a soak in the bath, there was a meal fit for someone who had completed three consecutive days in the hills.