KYQ4: Beinn Leoid

Beinn Leoid from Loch Dubh

Beinn Leoid from Meallan a' Chuail

Friday, 28 May 2021

Ascent: 776 metres
Distance: 11 kilometres
Time: 3 hours 58 minutes

Beinn Leoid 792m 3hrs 19mins

Route to Beinn Leoid and return via Meallan a' Chuail

The second walk of the day is always a bit of a shock, even on this occasion when it had only taken 5 minutes to drive the 3 kilometres down towards Loch More, where the path to Beinn Leoid begins. I packed my larger rucksack with camping equipment, a stove, some water and food and was ready to start again less than 30 minutes from finishing the previous walk up Ben Hee. It was warm, 18°C, and the steep path that climbs through a series of tight zig-zags soon had me on the plateau below Meall an Fheir Loch. It is a Graham, and I briefly considered making a detour to climb it but figured it might add 45 minutes to the walk; time that could be better spent on the summit of Beinn Leoid.

I continued walking across the broad bealach on a good path and then started a long traverse below the Graham, Meallan a' Chuail, towards Loch Dubh. The going was not easy, with vast peat hags, boulders, and a traverse over ragged ground that made contouring almost impossible. I had thought I could camp beside Loch Dubh, but there were no burns nearby. I had no intention of retracing my steps across this difficult terrain, so I continued and climbed another 100 metres to the bealach between Beinn Leoid and Meallan a' Chuail. I could return over Meallan a' Chuail early the next morning. It was quite windy, but the ground was reasonably flat and surprisingly dry, which encouraged me to pitch the tent and dump my stuff.

My long-held ambition had always been to climb Beinn Leoid in the evening; it is the best time of the day to be on the summit of any hill, let alone in this wild, remote and stunning location. I thought it would be an easy jaunt, with just a 200-metre ascent, but it had been a long day, including the 200-mile drive up. It was more of a grind than I expected, but the excellent visibility and prospect of scintillating views drew me to the summit. I stopped to collect some water, which meant dropping about 40 metres. I arrived at the summit, where the sun was dipping over the sea with all of the Sutherland peaks vying for attention. This was a privilege, alone and utterly content in a very special place. Beinn Leoid had always seemed like one of the remotest Corbetts; I had always hoped to visit on a day such as this. The 9-kilometre route up had been a bit of a slog in the central section, but the prize was even better than I had hoped.

There was no rush, so I spent about 20 minutes drooling over the views and was just about to begin the descent when two walkers appeared to the west of the summit carrying huge rucksacks. They had come up from Kylestrome; the route must be 13 kilometres unless they had got a boat to Glendhu cottage in the Reay Forest, an estate owned by the Duke of Westminster. They had made a previous attempt by the route I had used today, but had to turn back at the peat hags on a wet, windy day when the views were non-existent.

Patrick and Denise were from Newcastle and were climbing the Corbetts in the part of Scotland that they loved best. We chatted as kindred spirits in the evening sun; they were going to camp en route to the Stack of Glencoul, the prominent sugarloaf that attracts the eye from Kylesku. It was difficult for us to judge the best views from the summit. Ben More Assynt was resplendent in the evening sun, whereas the primaeval peaks of Quinag, Suilven, and Canisp were not as prominent looking into the setting sun. Arkle and Foinaven were flaunting their shadow sides, and to the east, there was perfect light over Meallan a' Chuail, my Graham for tomorrow morning.

I sauntered down to my tent in no hurry, just feeling privileged to be in such a wonderful location. A couple of cups of tea, a packet of Pasta Choice and an orange were all I could be bothered with. It had been a long day, and the sack was calling. I was awakened at 4:00am the next morning by the Dotterel and Golden Plovers making trance music.