|
I was up well before 5am, up early for a
trip that saw Colin Macleod up his 200th Munro. We were
going to Glen Carron/Torridon area for a few days - a weekend in the
northwest was what I needed to take a holiday from end-of-year
university work, although guilt make itself known.
Colin picked me up from mine, and we headed out to Kilsyth and onto the
A9. It was an amazing morning, the sun illuminated the mountains all the
way up. We stopped at Inverness for breakfast in Tesco then
headed westward to our mountains of choice today: Moruisg and Sgurr nan
Ceannaichean. The latter used to be a Munro but it's summit is a matter of centimetres
below 3000
feet.
The drive down Glen Carron started well - through a break in the trees
at Achnasheen, I caught sight of Liathach briefly, swore aloud, and then
apologised to Colin and Faye. It had been just a brief view, but it was my first proper
view of that huge mountain and I was instantly stunned. What a giant.
Pictures are impressive, but the real thing is just magnificent.
Further down Glen Carron, Moruisg swung into view. It's eastern corrie
throws an attractive profile from the road, although access to this side
is difficult and consequently everybody else, including us, starts
further down the glen where the mountain resembles a pudding than a
sculpted, rocky mountain.
Moruisg
We parked west of Loch Sgamhain, where a footbridge crosses the River
Carron to gain access to Moruisg's long north flank. It's hardly a
mountain face from this angle,
sadly one of the more shapeless sides to this hill. We'd heard about
people calling this hill a dull slog, which I could imagine: if the
storms were doing their havoc, it would become a very dull and tedious
ascent through mist and rain.
But we had no such problems today: just dry, sunny weather and a breeze
to keep the heat off. (The wind had been very strong at
the lay-by where we parked, but fine on the hill.) The angle of the face
is usually steep enough to make solid progress, but not so steep as to
be tiring. As we gained height, the mountains of the north opened out
bit by bit: Liathach, Beinn Eighe, and most special of the lot, A'
Mhaighean, the elusive Fisherfield. It's light grasses shining through
the haze gave the impression of a summit of white sand.
The face steeped briefly, then angled backward to form a summit plateau
of thin grass and rock. We arrived at a large cairn although the real
summit was another cairn a few hundred metres further on. Like Maoile
Lunndaidh, it's summit plateau is strange for this part of Scotland.
Southward are the remote Loch Monar hills: grassy hills but with steep,
craggy corries. Northward is bare rocky Torridon, but Moruisg is the
accommodating grassy hill in the middle. Glen Carron carves a great
slash through the north west of Scotland marking a geographical shift
from the a huge grassy mountains of the south to serrated, bare rocky
mountains further north.
And one of the nicest parts of the day was to finally see into the Loch
Monar area. I realised that as remote as they are, they could be out of
Bridge of Orchy. They can't be that hard, surely? And maybe it wouldn't be so difficult to climb them
after all, so long as I can travel up here again some time.
We had this all in view as we sat by Moruisg's summit, sheltering out
of the wind.
Sgurr nan Ceannaichean
I thought the next summit, Sgurr nan Ceannaichean, was the more
interesting of the two. It's broad arms rising to meet the summit table
top made an interesting and picturesque hill. The connecting ridge gave
an uncomplicated walk. Bidean a' Choire Sheasgaich has an unmistakable
profile at the back, a real landmark mountain which I'd imagine is
visible from far around.
We dropped our rucksacks below the summit of Sgurr nan Ceannaichean and
walked to the top unencumbered. All should climb this hill with Moruisg,
it's a beautiful second half. I imagine that many still do (owing to
it's old Munro status) and will continue to do so for a while at least.
A stony path brought us to the top, a flat summit with double cairns.
Like Moruisg, the largest probably wasn't on top, the other instead on
the edge of the plateau overlooking Monar.
Descent
Happy with the time we'd spent at the top, we walked off the summit
and collected the rucksacks, went down the north ridge into Coire Toll
nam Bian. A path follows Alltan na Feola back towards the car - when we
reached it's fresh waters we took a break on the rocks and drank plenty.
A path leads out by the river bank and crossed the peat to arrive near
the railway. We cut across to the railway and crossed the bridge to the
car.
Our day continued further down Glen Carron at Coulags bothy and on the
Munro behind, Maol Chean-dearg, in time for sunset.
Panoramas
180° panorama from Moruisg, looking north
180° panorama from Moruisg, looking south
360° panorama from Sgurr nan Ceannaichean
|
