Ben More (Mull)

6 miles, 950m ascent, 4 hours

It felt like the end of an era to be finishing Ben's round.  13 of us made the ascent in drizzle and a strong wind.  The ascent certainly qualified as our slowest and our most sociable.  Ben took a pebble from the ocean and placed it on the summit, then took a stone from the summit which he cast into the ocean, a symbolic end to our journey together. Its been a great adventure.

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Meall Dearg, Sgorr nam Fiannaidh (Aonach Eagach)

6.5 miles, 1200m ascent, 5 hours 30 mins

We'd been looking forward to this and I don't think it disappointed Ben.  He was breezing the ridge, then suddenly became unsettled on the pinnacles after which he needed a bit of encouragement, although it didn't take long to recover from his bout of nerves.  In any event, we were down by 2pm and had plenty of time to drive to Oban for fish and chips before catching the 6pm boat to Mull.

Stob Coire Sgreamhach

7 miles, 1430m ascent, 6 hours

Our first good day of weather on the hill this trip.  It felt good to be back in the Coe with its acres of rock.  We took the first gully up to the Beinn Fhada ridge.  This has its moments as does the scramble up to Sgremhach if you don't take the easiest line.  I recounted past climbs to Ben as we passed over Bidean and Stob Coire nan Lochan.  At the car park, Ben also learned that Japanese tourists take pictures of anything that moves and if it doesn't move they take a photo anyway.

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Tom a Choinneach, Toll Creagach

10 miles, 1080m ascent, 5 hours

An easy day which left us lots of time for catching up at the bunkhouse.

Carn nan Gobhar, Sgurr na Lapaich, An Riabhachan, An Socach

19.6 miles, 1800m ascent, 9 hours 50 mins

I struggled to enjoy the day for some reason, although Ben seemed to do so.  On the top the wind was just too strong to sit around for any period of time and down in the valley it too midgy. Ben and Simon chatted the day away, but I was too weary to engage.

Ben Wyvis

9 miles, 910m ascent, 4 hours 45 mins

We seemed to do more driving than walking on this day.  Firstly we had to drive from Tongue to Dingwall to drop off Alison and pick up Simon.  After shopping at Tesco, we drove to the car park at the foot of the mountain, did the walk, then drove to Cannich.  Simon entertained Ben admirably which made for a swift ascent.  We passed maybe 100 people including many children.  They had clearly been celebrating on the top, but the exact occasion we never did ascertain.  The midges kept us moving.  Its a fairly dull mountain from this direction and the mist obscured any views until we descended.

Ben Hope

4.5 miles, 930m ascent, 2 hours 45 mins

Ben Hope is a nice hill.  In the interests of a sort of rest day, we went up and down the easiest way which really didn't take long.  In fact we were back at the hostel in time for lunch and an afternoon at the beautiful beaches near Tongue. 

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Ben Klibreck

8.6 miles, 730m ascent, 4 hours

A truly testing day of weather, which happened to coincide with my last Munro.  The rain didn't relent on the ascent and the wind funnelled up the valley, trying to knock us over ont he summit cone.  I had to hold on to Ben in the 60mph wind and we didn't hang around to celebrate with Alison.  I can see why I left this until last.  The short route is a slosh through the bog followed by a nice bit of ridge but the ridge doesn't make up for the bog.  Wanting to complete a second round on Ben Wyvis in two days time, I left Alison and Ben on the descent and ran down then back up again whilst they had a drink in the pub.

Seana Bhraigh, Eilidh nan Clach Geala

18.9 miles, 1360m ascent, 8 hours 30 mins

Seana Bhraigh is well-known as one of the more remote Munros, but its actually quite an easy walk.  We made good time, seeing just two people camping near the summit. 

Ben More Assynt, Conival

13.5 miles, 1430m ascent, 7 hours 45 mins

Alison dropped us off by the Bone Caves and we didn't hang around as it was midgy.  The Bone Caves were fantastic and provided shelter from the rain.  Both Ben and I had fun crawling through the passage from one cave to another, then it was into the rain for the ascent of Breabag, a bonus Corbett for me.  The ground between here and Ben More Assynt is very rough with boulder strewn slabs and no clear path - its wonderfully wild.  It was no surpise that we saw no-one until descending Conival.  Due to arriving early for the bus back to Lochinver we got eaten alive by the midges and in the end managed to hitch back.

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Beinn Dearg, Meall Ceapraichean, Cona Mheall, Am Faocagach

17 miles, 1630m ascent, 9 hours 30 mins

Another longish and breezy day, this time with heavy rain showers and a deadline to pick Alison and my Mum & Dad up from Garve Station. Once the initial slog up Beinn Dearg was over, Ben found the rest of the day quite reasonable.  This is wild country which I love and where you are unlikely to see anyone once you've left the usual Munro bagging routes.  I had forgotten my maap so I made a makeshift one in the bunkhouse, consisting of a sketch and rough compass bearings.  The cloud more or less lifted, however, so I didn't really need it.  The descent of Cona Mheall toward Am Faocagach is incredibly rough and majestic.  I had intended to cross the outlet of the lochan but it was clearly a no-go since a huge curtain of spray was being blown several metres in to the air as the wind funnelled up the valley.  We therefore went round the lochan and hurried up the hill to make sure we were on time for the pick-up.  In the end we had plenty of time and the river crossings proved innocuous.  Ben was almost disappointed as I'd built them up a bit.

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Maol Luinneadh, Moruisg

19 miles, 1690m ascent, 10 hours

Another long and breezy day which started with a steep ascent up from the river.  Like the previous day's it was unrelenting but didn't seem as long.  Once on the plateau we entered the mist, but it didn't take long to drop down to a track descending to the valley.  We had a spot of lunch in the sunshine by some ruins, before the steep ascent up the zig zags toward Moruisg.  Playing games saw us up this top, then we could enjoy the fine ridge to the demoted Munro which we duly bagged in strong wind and later rain.  All that  remained was to pack up the tent and walk out to our car for a welcome bit of comfort at the Aultguish bunkhouse.

Bidean a Coire Sheasgaich, Lurg Mhor, Sgurr Coinneach, Sgurr a Chaorachain

22 miles, 2400m ascent, 10 hours 40 mins

By the time we set off down the track from the bothy, the burn had subsided and the path was no longer a river.  We then drove to Craig and walked up the forestry track to camp near the wire bridge.  At 11:40 we set off for the walk proper, starting with the wire bridge.  To my surprise Ben loved the bridge so much that he repeated the crossing the next day just for the fun of it.  Wet trudging ensued until we hit the path proper, then it was into the wind for a breezy traverse of Beinn Tarsuinn.  Wet scrambling on Bidean a Coire Sheasgaich (cheesecake) relieved the toil and from there we were in and out of the mist for the rest of the day.  Lurg Mhor flet quite a long way from anywhere, but Ben was up for descending all the way to the bootom then re-ascending what looked like a very steep slope opposite to Sgurr Choinneach.  The river crossing was easy enough but the same couldn't said for the ascent of the slope which was long, tedious and unrelenting.  I took a fairly direct line which brought us out fairly near the summit.  We were both glad to get there but the ridge to the next top was far easier and before long we were descending steep but straightforward ground to the river and our home for the night.  A tough but satisfying day.

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Maol Chean Dearg

8 miles, 930m ascent, 4 hours

It rained all the way from Kendal to Coulags where we left the car.  Then it rained a bit, then it rained some, then it rained more still.  The burns were in spate making for tricky river crossings and by the time we had returned to the bothy where we had left our gear on the walk up, we were soaked to our skin - literally.   Ben showed great resolve in bagging the hill in such miserable weather after a long drive.  Fortunately some kind soul had left a large log and firelighters to boot.  This was an unexpected blessing and we burned most of the log over the course of the evening, thus drying our gear nicely.  Ben found a golf club in the bothy.  next time we must set up a pitch and putt course.

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Sgurr Eilde Mor, Binnean Mor, Na Gruagaichean, An Gearanach, Stob Coire a Chairn, Am Bodach, Sgurr a Mhaim, Stob Ban, Mullach nan Coirean

18.5 miles, 2400m ascent, 10 hours 40 mins

We set off early as Ben wanted to drive home afterwards and I didn't want to arrive home too late.  On the first hill, we met a man and his late teenage son who be bumped in to twice more before getting ahead of them later on.  The Mamores are always enjoyable and Ben romped round without any real problems, although the video shows that he was a little weary at the end.  The tree felling has devastated the track off Mullach nan Coirean.  What a mess!  Clambering over contorted branches is not the best way to end a walk, but we still made the car by 6pm and had a rare siting of a pine marten in the woods.

Carn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mor, Aonach Beag, Binnean Beag

12.5 miles, 2420m ascent, 9 hours 40 mins

We didn't set off until 11:30 due to driving down from Ratagan.  By that time it was sultry and the slog up beside the Waterslide was immense.  Both of us felt it, so it was a relief to get to the CMD arete which Ben skipped over.  On the top of CMD, a couple of Scots remarked that they'd got further than us to go (as they were about to cross the arete to the Ben) to which both of us retorted, 'well, actually no'.   A long afternoon of steep up and down over the Aonachs and then finally up Binnean Beag followed, finally camping at 8:20pm on the way to Sgurr Eilde Mor. 

A Ghlas Bheinn, Bheinn Fhada

14 miles, 1500m ascent, 7 hours 25 mins

Two good hills on what turned out to be a good and warm day.  The abiding memory is of mist rising up one side of Beinn Fhada with the other perfectly clear.  Back at the hostel we bumped in to Marilyn baggers for the annual 'do' in Portree.  This really is a welcoming place with a most friendly Australian couple running the hostel.


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Carn Dearg, Carn Sgulain, A Chailleach

16 miles, 1030m ascent, 6 hours 40 mins

We set off to do Carn Dearg, with the possible option of adding the other two.  Despite lots of wind and rain from the start to the end, we made all three.  They aren't the most interesting of hills so if we had to do hills in the rain, they might as well be these.  Needless to say we didn't see anyone until back at the car.

Geal Charn, A Mharconaich, Beinn Udlamain, Sgairneach Mor

14.5 miles, 1270m ascent, 6 hours 35 mins

We didn't start the walk until 11:30 having driven up from home, but the ground makes for easy walking so we added the Corbett, the Sow of Atholl, before returning along the cycle track.  The highlight was finding a baby chick in the long grass, although the views were also good.  An uplifting day to be out (and my birthday)

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Luinne Bheinn, Ladhar Bheinn

13.5 miles, 1650m ascent, 9 hours

Another glorious day, this time with a bit less wind.  Again we saw plenty of refugees from the Royal Wedding (this being a holiday in honour of the wedding of William and Kate).  I'd intended to camp by the sea on the path out to Kinloch-hourn, but was tired enough by the camp site at Barrisdale so we stopped there, which was a blessing as we had use of the bothy and Ben was entertained by the chickens.

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