A pleasant day

Refreshing rain this morning, so gentle that, to the eye, the leaves are undisturbed by it. But it is getting heavier, the cloud is dropping further down the southern slopes of Meall an t - Suidhe. A chap from Roy Bridge, met on Stob Ban the other day, told us that it was invariably his morning walk. Lucky him.

Yesterday the need to check out a campsite took us to Arisaig, always a wonderful journey by road or rail. The latter is finer, in my opinion, though obviously there is no opportunity to stop and savour a particular scene as we did by Loch nan Uamh. A basic information board tells briefly of the historical importance of this bay on the Arisaig coast, but the story is told better elsewhere. (It is also inaccurate regarding the engagement between English and French frigates).

The armed brig Du Teillay arrived from France on 25 July 1745 and anchored in the bay. Aboard was Prince Charles Edward Stuart, who was twenty-five at the time. While summonses to the rising went out he moved to Kinlochmoidart House and, on 18 August, was rowed up Loch Shiel where he spent the night at MacDonald of Glenaladale's house.

Moving to Glenfinnan the following morning with a small contingent of MacDonalds, he was joined some time later by MacDonald of Morar who brought with him a hundred and fifty Clanranalds. In the afternoon numbers were swelled with arrival of Cameron of Locheil bringing with him seven hundred men. The Stewart banner of white and crimson, the Bratach Bhan, was unfurled and raised by the Duke of Atholl, William Murray. The Stewarts of Appin, the MacDonalds of Keppoch and others arrived in the evening bringing the numbers to five thousand.

The Glenfinnan Monument was built in1815, on the very ground where they stood, by Alexander MacDonald of Glenaladale. The bearded stone Highlander on top does not represent Prince Charles Edward but his clansmen.


It was also from Loch nan Uamh that, on 20 September 1746 the prince sailed for France on board L'Heureux, some five months after the disaster of Culloden. He was in hiding at Cluny's Cage on remote Ben Alder, a fugitive with a price of £30,000 on his head, when word came that two French ships had arrived in the loch. A cairn marks the spot where he embarked.

On to Mallaig and we noticed there are new pontoons in the harbour, with yachts moored alongside, and a Marina Reception building. In the last few years there has been a 50% decline in the number of fishing boats using the port, so diversification is essential. It will be a sad day, if and when, Mallaig ceases to have a working harbour.

Historical information - W H Murray.

Alan R - I note you are off now with a busy schedule of backpacking, gear testing and marshalling! Looking forward to reports. Have a great trip with the best weather. Cheers.

Sorry I can't add a comment on your blog with BB (and I can't even do it on my own blog - not even using the 'Name/URL' option) but I can on M&Gs for some reason). Can't account for it.




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Monday 28 May - Stob Ban

Plans to go to Rum have been postponed so yesterday we wandered up the familiar path by the Allt Coire a' Mhusgain and through the quartzite blocks to the lovely summit of Stob Ban. The views were extensive but soon those to the north will be blighted by the Druim Fada wind farm. The work of mad people.

Weather thundery today with some cloud over the tops, but it might lift later.

Virtually everything has gone to plan on this first part of the trip, but what now? I'll let you know, though it's going to be hard to match the Inverie days. Is it really only a week ago today we boarded 'The Western Isles'?

Alan R - a bit to go to match Martin's long posts - don't think my fingers could take it! As it is I usually notice glaring errors (punctuation, spelling eg in the last post, Loch Bhraomasaig instead of Bhraomisaig) after I've posted using BB, but I can't access my blog to correct. Anyhow, I hope you both had a great time in Dumfries and Galloway.

Alex - It sounds as if you have an interesting story to tell following your encounter. 'Following' is,obviously,optional! No offence if my blog doesn't come up to your standards and you change your mind :-). Good Corbetting.

D+D - thanks for continuing to look after the house. Cheers!
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Thursday 24 May - Beinn Bhuidhe

(This post has been put together in bits and pieces so apologies if it is a bit disjointed.)
The most western top of the long ridge running eastwards to Beinn Bhuidhe, is clearly seen from Long Beach and although this Corbett is often climbed from the east, via Mam Meadail, we opted to gain the ridge from Loch Bhraomisaig fearing that we would be cooked alive
in Gleann Meadail.

The burn from Coire nan Gobhar provided a welcome water suppy for pouring over heads, as well as for drinking and filling water bottles, before the pull to ridge and Sgurr Coire nan Gobhar. The Knoydart ticks were out in force and we spent some time removing the tiny brutes from arms and legs (and in my case, feet). Lynne sympathised: "Serves you right for wearing shoes". From the moment we'd taken to the hill after crossing the bridge over the Inverie River, the going had been harder - steeper, rougher and hotter than on Beinn na Caillich, but I felt none of the weariness of that day. I'd put it down to temperature alone but I suspect it was a lack of calories. For me, hot weather and eating don't go well together. Also that day I couldn't get the Quest adjusted as a day pack and was constantly stopping to re-adjust. It was a frustrating experience and a painful one. Two paracetamol taken by the cairn!

Anyway, Sgurr Coire nan Gobhar was eventually reached and in a light breeze we made our way to the Bealach Bhuidhe. Food.

We were quickly over the intervening 786m top and up to the trig point (pic). Sgurr na Ciche jutting skyward(pic); Ben Aden above the River Carnach, still to be done. Too many to name. Go see if you haven't been there. The ridge continues down to the Mam Meadail and Meall Bhuidhe could be linked with our hill of today (a hard day out I would think) but most will include it with Luinne Bheinn as we did from Barrisdale with our young border collie Mist, as eager to explore the hills as we were. We'd walked in from Kinloch Hourn, hurriedly pitched the tent and climbed both Munros. The following day we did Ladhar Bheinn, walked back out in the cool evening and drove back to Invercoe and the caravan. We'd had temperatures similar those on this trip while snow had fallen in the Cairngorms and mountain rescue teams had been in action. By morning it had arrived in Glen Coe. It was 2nd June.

As we left the summit we met the same lone walker encountered on Beinn na Caillich. More or less just starting the Corbetts, he was fourteen Munros away from his second round and looking forward to the peace and quite of the Corbetts. I recalled a light-hearted magazine article from many years ago titled "You'll meet a better class of walker on the Corbetts", wished him well and went our separate ways.

The lower slopes leading down to the River Inverie were a tangle of old bracken and new, the air fragrant with the perfume of wild hyacinths.

Sitting back at the tent removing ticks from legs (covered all day) a passing walker stopped "Are you Afootinthehills", he asked. "Certainly am. Are you Alex?" Fellow blogger (but not a Follower! Ed.- generously, he is now) he also was here for the Corbetts. Good to meet you Alex and I hope you enjoyed Beinn na Caillich. I think your suggested route via the Mam Li might have been a better choice than ours, so I hope you weren't cursing us too much yesterday! To be honest I don't know why we didn't go that way. Phillip Tranter eh? What a man.

Later we met Gus and Jess (I think that was their names) who'd just completed their East to West coast crossing having started from Aberdeen. We had a coffee with them in Inverie before catching the boat. Have a wonderful trip to Peru, Jess.

And so we are now back at Glen Nevis enjoying coffee in the sun.
"For Knoydart you will want many more days than you ever have avaiable. Knoydart is a far country as well as a rough one". Hamish Brown.

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Friday 25 May - Mallaig

Now back at Mallaig after an idyllic sail, courtesy Bruce Watt. Reluctant to leave Inverie and The Rough Bounds after four unforgettable days on and off the hills. We met some interesting people at the site including blogger Alex, aka 'Scotland's Mountains', but more of that later and of yesterday on Beinn Bhuidhe.

Conrad - Knoydart always stirs strong memories, either of days like those we've just experienced, or of battling with unfordable rivers, thick mist and navigational nightmares!

PhilR - are you roasting alive in Torridon yet?
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Wednesday 23 May - Beinn na Caillich

We were off by 7.30am to get some distance and ascent done before the temperatures climbed.

Snipe were heard, then seen, just as we took the track to Gleann na Guiserein and so to a crossing of the Abhainn Inbhir Ghuiserein. We got across easily but in spate the bridge near Folach would be required.

The route from here is rough as only Knoydart can be. The scent of myrtle was in the air as we walked through a veritable forest of it brushing the leaves as we went. The temperature soared; slopes steepened; upward progress slowed. As always, a steady rhythm brought us to the broad, rocky and complex ridge, but Beinn na Caillich's summit looked no closer. In fact it didn't look part of the same hill - but we knew it was! Ladhar Bheinn with plunging slopes of An Diollaid dominates the immediate scene and, across Loch Hourn, Beinn Sgritheall. Pure wildness.

The descent seemed no easier, the temperatures still high. Back at Inverie, pints of iced ginger beer from The Old Forge finished off the day. What a scene - what a day. Mutual tick removal back at the tent!

I'm sending this from the Beaach Bhuidhe looking at some the finest hill country to be found anywhere in the world.
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Sgurr Coire Choinnichean

Seen from the 'Western Isles' as she sails in to Inverie Bay, this is an impressive hill. Beinn na Caillich and Beinn Bhuidhe are the other two peaks making up the 'Inverie Corbetts', and this trio, together with a dozen others, have peered out at us from the Tables for about eight years now. Other ploys always seemed to take precedence over completing 'the list': climbing; picking up those remaining Munro 'Tops' we missed out on the round; hills on nobody's list but ours; exploring the great headlands of NW Skye; bird watching at Neist and so on. Now though, we have resolved to finish what we started!

So here we are in Knoydart; at Inverie campsite on the shores of Loch Nevis.(We seem to have brought everything including the kitchen sink with us). The walk to Long Beach from the village is a lovely one with primroses, wild hyacinths, bistort and lush greenery lining the roadside. The view from the tent door is of Rum

By the time we'd disembarked, walked to Long Beach, pitched the tent, packed the sacks etc it was 1pm and a perfect afternoon for an ascent of Sgurr Coire Choinnichichean. In our haste to get going we missed the start of the track which leads to Mam Uidhe, so much faffing took place (as Gayle would say). Once clear of the forest the ascent to the spectacular Allt Slochd a' Mhogha gorge is trackless but on the ridge it's good all the way to the summit.

To the north across wet and peat hagged Coire Choinnichen and Glean na Guiserein lay our hill for tomorrow, Beinn na Caillich, and to our north west was Ladhar Bheinn. It's a wild and special place, The Rough Bounds.

I'm sending this sitting at the cairn on Beinn na Caillich - no signal from the camp site.

Conrad - your exercises sound a bit unpleasant to say the least, but it'll be worth it I'm sure. So far the trip is living up to expectations.

Geoff - when you get a decent forecast you just have to go somewhere like Knodart.

Alan R - enjoy your jaunt north.











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Blair Atholl - Alan and Sheila

I can't use 'comment' on BB but I was about to post that Struan doesn't do camping any more when I reveived your second comment. It's years since I stayed at Blair Atholl, but I imagine it will be fine - if big - and expensive.

Hope the weather keeps up for you. Enjoy yourselves!

I've had a failure message so this post might appear twice if the first eventually makes it through!
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Knoydart bound

We've made our usual stop at Bruar before heading on for an overnight stop in Glen Nevis. Then, tomorrow it's the train and boat to Inverie for four days in Knoydart with Beinn na Caillich, Sgurr Coire Choinnichean and Beinn Bhuidhe on the list of things to do.

Situated as they are, these planned Corbetts don't really lend themselves to any logical backpacking trip so we'll be camping at Inverie and exploring them as day excursions. And are we looking looking forward to that!


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May trip to Kintail and surrounding area

For anyone interested I've put some photographs here on SmugMug. All in all we had mixed weather as the mobile posts indicated, but it was an enjoyable trip

Home again

Back home after a really enjoyable trip to Kintail and surrounding areas, getting just about everything the weather could throw at us. I'll sort out photographs and put them up on SmugMug in the next few days, in between getting ready for our next foray.

Thanks for all the comments on the mobile posts: Martin B, Alan R,Andrew W, David L, PhilR