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| Approaching Sgorr na Diolland summit |
Ascent: 754 metres
Distance: 8 kilometres
Time: 3 hours 33 minutes
Sgorr na Diolland 818m 1hr 51mins
After a restless night close to the bridge across the river Cannich at Muchrachd, I decided to face the midges. I gathered my sleeping bag, thermarest, and water bottle and bolted for the car but still managed to take in a few thousand midges with me. I drank some water and ate a banana whilst I devised a plan to take down the tent and escape. A midge net and hands covered in midge repellent were my instruments to protect and survive. I have never taken down a tent so quickly, ten pegs pulled out, the pole withdrawn and the tent loosely wrapped for dumping in the boot of the car in less than 2 minutes. My hands were black with midges and my pullover looked like mohair with thousands of them seeking ingress. I drove 100 yards to the other side of the bridge, threw a water bottle, a jam roll, and an orange into the rucksack, and began the climb. It was not yet 7:30 a.m. and the whiff of a breeze was the answer to my prayer.
I had assumed it would be an easy outing, just 3 or 4 kilometres up a fairly steep hill to the rocky summit. There was a path twisting through the bracken for the ferociously steep lower slopes to Carn Doire Leithe and then a flat boggy section before the next steep section to the 496-metre rocky outcrop. I stopped for ten minutes for a drink and to admire the views up to the dam at Loch Mullardoch. I have had some memorable walks on Sgurr na Lapaich and the hills to the north of Mullardoch. The next section is to the next rock band at 652 metres and by this stage, I had lost the narrow path so it was slog through the heathers. It is a splendid location and would have been an ideal bivvy site away from the midges. The next outcrop is at Coire Gorm at 786 metres and from here a short climb to the twin rocky summits of Sgorr na Diollaid.
Unlike the ascent, which had been less easy than expected, the summit was perfection. I scrambled to the higher east top and settled on a perfect rock seat and whiled away 15 minutes having a late breakfast, a drink, and then taking some photos and sending some messages. I went over to the west top and took more photos. The light wasn't as clear as yesterday but the Strathfarrar four Munros were just across this splendid glen. I could see Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard further down the glen, my mountain for later in the day.
It was time to leave, it is seldom that I spend so long on a summit but I doubt I will ever be here again. I found a path for the early part of the descent and then lost it as I bounded down the heather. I met two young walkers from Wiltshire and we had a discussion, they said that they had abandoned their grandad who had given up lower down, I doubted that grandads do not give up easily. And so it proved, I met him climbing easily about 150 metres lower down the hill. He had lived in Lenzie and his wife had been in my GP practice in Kirkintilloch the 1970s, although I had never met her. We also shared a surname and for fifteen minutes or so we reprised our common acquaintances and mountain days. He was off to climb Ben More on Mull at the weekend with his wife's partner in the GP practice, who was finishing his munros. The same doctor who had looked after me when I broke my leg in a parachute accident and had been screwed together with five titanium screws. The hospital had warned me that my sporting activities would be heavily curtailed but the GP had told me to look on the bright side. I was able to send my regards to him. I had followed his advice, 31,000 miles of running and 5 Munro rounds would suggest he was right.
I had assumed it would be an easy outing, just 3 or 4 kilometres up a fairly steep hill to the rocky summit. There was a path twisting through the bracken for the ferociously steep lower slopes to Carn Doire Leithe and then a flat boggy section before the next steep section to the 496-metre rocky outcrop. I stopped for ten minutes for a drink and to admire the views up to the dam at Loch Mullardoch. I have had some memorable walks on Sgurr na Lapaich and the hills to the north of Mullardoch. The next section is to the next rock band at 652 metres and by this stage, I had lost the narrow path so it was slog through the heathers. It is a splendid location and would have been an ideal bivvy site away from the midges. The next outcrop is at Coire Gorm at 786 metres and from here a short climb to the twin rocky summits of Sgorr na Diollaid.
Unlike the ascent, which had been less easy than expected, the summit was perfection. I scrambled to the higher east top and settled on a perfect rock seat and whiled away 15 minutes having a late breakfast, a drink, and then taking some photos and sending some messages. I went over to the west top and took more photos. The light wasn't as clear as yesterday but the Strathfarrar four Munros were just across this splendid glen. I could see Beinn a' Bha'ach Ard further down the glen, my mountain for later in the day.
It was time to leave, it is seldom that I spend so long on a summit but I doubt I will ever be here again. I found a path for the early part of the descent and then lost it as I bounded down the heather. I met two young walkers from Wiltshire and we had a discussion, they said that they had abandoned their grandad who had given up lower down, I doubted that grandads do not give up easily. And so it proved, I met him climbing easily about 150 metres lower down the hill. He had lived in Lenzie and his wife had been in my GP practice in Kirkintilloch the 1970s, although I had never met her. We also shared a surname and for fifteen minutes or so we reprised our common acquaintances and mountain days. He was off to climb Ben More on Mull at the weekend with his wife's partner in the GP practice, who was finishing his munros. The same doctor who had looked after me when I broke my leg in a parachute accident and had been screwed together with five titanium screws. The hospital had warned me that my sporting activities would be heavily curtailed but the GP had told me to look on the bright side. I was able to send my regards to him. I had followed his advice, 31,000 miles of running and 5 Munro rounds would suggest he was right.
I returned to the car as a local arrived from Cannich for his regular hill walk, he was 80 years old and had muscular dystrophy but still managed to climb the hill most weeks in 2 hours 30 minutes. He was worried that there had been birds of prey killed during lockdown when the gamekeepers thought they could get away with it. Time was getting on and I was anxious to drive over to Strathfarrar for my next Corbett so I wished him well.
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| Loch Carrie and the Mullardoch Dam |
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| The twin peaks |
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| Strathfarrar and Beinna' Bha'ach Ard in far distance |
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| West Peak and Loch Monar Munros |
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| Stratfarrar Munros |
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| Route |
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