KYQ4: Seana Bhraigh and the Beinn Dearg Group

Inverpolly skyline from Seana Bhraigh

During my final Munro, I had been chatting to Gavin who was keen to complete the Munros. He had passed the 150 mark but had climbed only 10 hills north of the Highland Boundary Fault: the South Cluanie ridge and the Creag Meagaidh hills. I offered to accompany him on some of the more remote peaks and when he phoned to arrange a trip we agreed to a three-day window when we were both free. I then searched for some suitable remote hills that might be possible in the variable weather that was forecast. I suggested Seana Bhraigh, arguably the most remote Munro, and the Beinn Dearg group of four Munros. We could drive up on a Saturday morning, climb Saturday afternoon, wild camp below Seana Bhraigh before climbing the Beinn Dearg four munros on what looked likely to be a wet and wild Sunday.

Gavin picked me up at 8am in Glasgow and we reached the Tarvie snack bar before Garve at noon. As always it was inundated with cyclists and motorcyclists, many of whom were starting the North Coast 500 mile road trip. It serves a mug of tea and cake for £3 and meets my criteria for not being a coffee chain. It was only another half hour to Inverlael, where we parked by the red telephone box (what good markers they are). It took us fifteen minutes to sort our gear before starting the walk.

A young couple were parked next to us and had been cooking some Orange Birch Bolete mushrooms. They offered us some but we were slightly wary. The man's enthusiasm was infectious, he had a guidebook to edible fungi to convince us that we would not be poisoned by what were very tasty morsels. In return I advised them of the route to Beinn Dearg, they wanted a 6-hour walk so that they could be down before dark. It was probably a lot more dangerous than the Orange Birch Boletes.

Saturday 8 September 2018

Ascent: 1132 metres

Distance: 16 kilometres

Time: 5 hours 32 minutes

Seana Bhraigh 927m 4hrs 50mins

The weather was pretty much as predicted, sunny periods with quite a lot of cloud and with high humidity. We were carrying larger and heavier packs than normal in warm and clammy conditions as we plodded up the interminable steep path from Glensguaib to the Druimna Saobhaidhe ridge. We stopped once for a drink and the chance to look back towards An Teallach that was visible in all its sawtooth glory. The burn was running full and we had to search for a crossing place that would keep our feet dry. Thereafter it is a gentler incline towards a series of attractive lochans that sit under the steep cliffs north of Eididh nan Clach Geala.

I was intending to camp at the head of Gleann Cadha Dearg but some walkers on the descent told us that there was a lochan that would be perfect for camping a couple of kilometres ahead. I remembered it from previous walks but we missed the lochan as the path ran south of it. We continued for another two kilometres over wild undulating pathless terrain to a hollow above the cliffs that contains a burn. I had become aware of the site on our first visit to Seana Bhraig when we climbed it on a long day that included the four munros in the Beinn Dearg group. An Australian was camping there and I have since used it on three previous visits.

We struggled to find a flattish patch to pitch the tent, the ground was boggy after recent rains so it took a while to get set up. After collecting water from the burn and unloading the rucksacks we began the short walk to the summit. Unfortunately, the sunny periods had given way to thickening cloud. It is a quick and easy ascent of little more than half an hour to the summit, made even more enjoyable by having dumped our packs in the tent. I was feeling a bit disappointed that the view of the magnificent inselberg peaks of the Inverpolly Nature Reserve would be compromised. I needn't have been for the peaks provided a frieze of sculpted beauty against the moody evening clouds.

We were in no rush, the tent was just below us and it was only 7pm. The grey cloud was ominous, and by the time we had retreated to the tent to cook a meal the rain had started. Tomorrow was looking like a tough day in poor weather. We were tired from the long drive and from carrying heavy packs and became even more drowsy after a few miniature malt Solace whiskies that we had both brought along. Sleep was easy.

An Teallach from Druim na Saobhaidhe, the path to Seana Bhraigh

The string of lochans below Eididh nan Clach Geala

Seana Bhraigh looking across Glen Cadha Dearg

Looking south from Seana Bhraigh towards Cona Mheall and Beinn Dearg

The final leg to Seana Bhraigh

Creag an Duine from Seana Bhraigh

Start of the sixth round?

Stac Polly to Suilven from Seana Bhraigh

Seana Bhraigh Summit ridge

Sunday, 9 September 2018

Ascent: 1015 metres
Distance: 21 kilometres
Time: 9 hours 1 minute

Eididh nan Clach Geala 928m 1hr 46mins
t Ceann Garbh 967m 2hrs 56mins
Meall nan Ceapraichean 977m 3hrs 6mins
Cona Mheall 980m 4hrs 24mins
Beinn Dearg 1084m 5hrs 59mins

Sunday morning started with showers and they continued for most of the day. We held off starting so that I could pack the tent and rucksack between showers so it was almost 9am before we heaved our packs on for the slog over the boggy tricky ground towards Eididh nan Clach Geala. For the first time this year, it was gloves, hat, and waterproof jacket. In the low cloud, we had to stop on a few occasions to check our position by GPS as we negotiated the complex terrain. My optimism that the weather might improve meant I had left my waterproof trousers off. It was a bad mistake, it took a full ten minutes in freezing conditions to put them on in the gale-lashed rains at the summit of Eididh nan Clach Geala. Visibility was no more than thirty metres at the summit and as we began to follow some cairns down I realised that this wasn't the right direction so I had to retrieve the OS map on my mobile. We had to make a 90° turn to follow the ridge down and then had to make another adjustment before reaching the bealach to the south-east of the hill.

The climb up to the top of Ceann Garbh was a lot easier with a clear path cutting through the rock bands and even though steep we began to make better time. The cloud had cleared by the time we reached the top and from there it is a quick gallop across to Meall nan Ceapraichean, the Munro. Gavin was elated at progress but I looked across to the cloud covered Beinn Dearg and Cona Meall ahead and figured that this was going to be even tougher than anticipated. The rains had returned and we had slipped behind the notional schedule that I had set so that we could be down for 5pm. There is a narrow notch at the bottom of the gravity-defying wall that provides the route up Beinn Dearg. We went through the notch, dumped our sacks and had some food before starting to climb Cona Mheall. It is a hundred metres of ascent and, in the miserable conditions, it seemed a preferable climb to Beinn Dearg. Perhaps things would improve later.

Cona Mheall overlooks Choire Ghranda, one of the most impressive but foreboding corries enclosed between the rock walls of its two adjoining munros. The walk up is a steady climb with a path discernible most of the way, certainly a lot more so than twenty-five years ago when it was a case of hopping over the boulders to gain the summit. It had cleared by the time we reached the summit but the adjacent hills were still in the cloud. On the descent, we met a lone French walker from Alsace who was attempting to climb the Munros by taking a two-week vacation in Scotland every year. He preferred the wildness of Scotland to the pristine path overload of happy wanderers in the Alps.

We headed back to the rucksacks, moved them a couple of hundred meters to the bottom of the wall leading to Beinn Dearg and then followed the amazing wall ever upwards. What a monument to its builders, massive stones piled to a height of six feet and still mainly erect after well over a hundred years. It is difficult to see how it could be replicated today, it would be extremely difficult to get plant and equipment on site and there would be few takers for manual wall building of this magnitude.

We made reasonable time up and down to the summit, it was clear but again with the views were limited in the grey cloud that enveloped the northern highlands. We started the long descent thinking a couple of hours would see us back at the car. The path down Gleann na Sguaib is at a good gradient and runs alongside the rippling burn with an attractive lochan. It was tiring nevertheless and 6pm before we arrived at the car park. Needless to say, it was raining as we stripped off our waterproofs and shoes for the forty-minute drive to the Achilty Guest House now under new management and much improved. We were, hopefully, in time to head out for some decent food but the Strathpeffer restaurants were closed on a Sunday evening apart from the big hotel that serves canteen food to coach parties. We drove to Dingwall where we were found an excellent bar/restaurant serving good traditional food.

The two days had been pretty much as I expected but had I made the fatal step of climbing five Munros. This is the temptation that can prompt another round but I doubt it as I was hobbling for the next 24 hours with sore feet. Our intended quick sortie up Ben Wyvis on Monday morning was aborted by gale force winds, minimal visibility and -4°C on the summit, we didn't even bother attempting the walk, which was a welcome relief for my feet. The Munros are still there for the taking but the summer is over for this year and I doubt I will have much free time in the next six months as we move to a new house.