KYQ4: Aonach Shasuinn, Glen Affric

Glen Affric Pine

After lockdown, I began to consider how best to tackle the remaining Corbetts, my plan to finish them in April and May having been thwarted. I had a double problem, lack of hill fitness and a knee that I had badly twisted when out running in May. It was much improved but would it stand up a couple of days on pathless Corbetts when the vegetation was at its highest in August and after several weeks of rain? There is only the trying and, spotting a couple of days of fine weather forecast for the north, I planned an attempt on the three remaining singleton Corbetts in Glen Affric and Strathfarrar.

I left at 6am on a Sunday morning and made reasonable time up the A9, despite the 40mph restrictions for the section leaving Perth where the dualling was taking place. There was little traffic and I made it through Inverness before 9am and arrived at what I thought was the nearest car park at Chisholme Bridge, 10 miles beyond Cannich, the notice said car parking for hill walkers so I dumped the car and began to walk westwards at 9:45am. I had been panicking because I had been told by several people that the highlands were stashed out with visitors and the parking areas were full of camper vans.

Sunday, 9 August 2020

Ascent: 926 metres
Distance: 23 kilometres
Time: 6 hour 55mins

Aonach Shasuinn 888m 3hrs 31mins

I realised after crossing the bridge a couple of hundred metres beyond the car park that the original car park was 2 miles ahead but I had already changed and packed my rucksack so decided against returning to the car, a mistake because it meant an extra half hour walking at each end of the outing. The compensation was the glorious copses of birch and scots pine sculpted against the azure blue sky with Sgurr na Lapaich's rugged profile behind. I reached the original car park, which was half empty and crossed the bridge over the river Affric and began the walk along the Affric Kintail Way on an excellent track above Loch Affric with superb views down to Affric Lodge.

Just after a new stone building, hydro station?, there is a narrow path to the left that is signposted to Cougie. It follows the Allt Garbh river, twisting and climbing its way through heathers, scots pines, bogs, rock bands and climbing steadily for a couple of kilometres until it arrives at the Cougie track. I turned right and lost some height before following the Allt Garbh until a new hydro water intake on the burn. It had taken almost two hours and the real climbing had yet to start.

I took sighting for the 873 metre north-west top of Aonach Shasuinn and spent the next hour and a half flogging my way through deep deep heather, it was only when above 750 metres did the underfoot conditions improve. There was a couple of other walkers ahead tramping in the same general direction and I eventually caught them as they stopped for a break. They must have been as surprised as I was to find anyone else daft enough to attempt this route on a day when the vegetation, insect life and high humidity conspired to make it such an antidote to climbing. As always the summit made it worthwhile, a stony plateau with outstanding views in all directions. I spent ten minutes or so absorbing the views before making the simple jaunt across to the 888-metre summit with the nearby stone shelter providing an excellent place to have some lunch.

I decided against a return by the ascent route and instead to follow the long ridge to Carn nan Coireachan Cruaidh and then over Cnap na Stri before dropping to the Cougie track. It was easy going along the ridge but new planting below Cnap na Stri made the final couple of kilometres another exercise in perseverance. After this, even the Cougie path seemed like a GR highway. I marched back along the Affric Kintail Way and then the road to my distant car park.

The intention had been to see if I could fit in another walk in the early evening. My legs and feet were telling me not to bother. The answer came when I reached Cannich, parched from the day in the heat and desperate for a pint. It was only just gone 5pm but I managed to spin it out for an hour or so by sitting outside for a fish tea. I set off on the road from Cannich to the Mullardoch dam to find a suitable camping place at Muchrachd below the start of the route up Sgorr na Diollaid. I found a track just before the bridge and there was space for a tent on a grassed over parking spot but unfortunately under the tree camouflage. The midges were in full mob mode so I had little option other than an early night so that I ould start the walk first thing in the morning.