KYQ4: Maol Chean-Dearg

An Ruadh Stac from the slopes of Maol Chean-Dearg

Monday 29 March 2023

Ascent: 990 metres

Distance: 19 kilometres

Time: 5 hours 15 minutes

Maol Chean-Dearg 933m 2hrs 52mins

The weather was kinder than expected, which meant another day on the hills. Maol Chean-Dearg has always been a favourite for its wonderful panorama of the Torridons, across to the Applecross hills and Skye. The walk along rippling Fionn Abhainn is also a serene but wild take on Scottish scenery. What I had forgotten was the steep, loose stony path to the bealach and then the boulder field to the summit. I had suggested to Gregor that he go ahead and climb the magnificent An Fuar Stac, a Corbett that sits alongside Maol Chean-Dearg. He took my advice and set off in his trail shoes whilst I was changing into boots and gaiters.

The walk up the glen in the morning sunshine was all I hoped for, although we had probably started later than we should have, the rain was predicted by lunchtime and we had not planned to walk until we saw the blue skies. I was blowing a bit but managed a reasonable pace of 5kph, across the wooden bridge, past the bothy and ready to start the steep path up to the bealach. I stopped for water and to gather my thoughts, was I ready for a second hardish walk in 2 days? I had agreed to meet Gregor on Maol Chean-Dearg but knowing his speed I was concerned that he would be up and down An Fuar Stac before I reached the bealach.

I battered on using all the bloody-mindedness that had seen me crank my way up 1700 Munros, they never used to be this hard! Arriving at the bealach, I saw someone ahead and, assuming it was Gregor, hailed him and waved, he waved back. I reached a large boulder, a perfect seat for a coffee before I started to climb the last 350 metres of ascent. Why was Gregor coming back down, surely he had not climbed Maol Chean-Dearg as well. It turned out to be an elderly plumber from Helensburgh on a Munro round. He had decided to try and complete a round before his knees went. We chatted for a while, he had climbed over 200 Munros and told me I looked well for my age. Patronising me doesn't work so I told him I was on my sixth round. I wondered where Gregor was and then we saw a figure coming down the rocky ramparts of An Fuar Stac, it was Gregor. I waved across and as I was getting cold set off for the final climb and to get a bit of a lead on Gregor.

The loose path of mainly quartzite is steep but I made good progress and I sauntered across the plateau before the final red sandstone boulder field as Gregor caught me and we entered the clouds. Sadly, there were no views or goats, I have encountered them on 3 previous occasions at this summit. We finished the flask of coffee that we had sweetened with some syrup having both reluctantly given up sugar recently. There was no wind but the damp seeped into us so we wasted no time before beginning the descent. Even finding the cairn that marks the start of the route down through the boulder field was difficult to find in the mist.

The rain had started as we began the descent through the boulder field, several pairs of Ptarmigan entertained us and Gregor went chasing them, something I have done on many occasions but it was a chance to get ahead. At the bealach, Gregor decided to run down. It is 7 kilometres back to Coulags and would be a 90-minute walk for me. I had waited too long before putting on my Goretex jacket and the rain was showing no sign of abating. It was after 3pm before I was down but with a quick 25-minute drive back to the cottage and the prospect of a shower and some soup, this was a big advantage over the more normal couple of hours of driving. Two Munros in two days used to be a failure, it now seemed a major success.