3 Munros or 2?

Last blog entry was called "Finishing off the Fannaichs."  Certainly, I had now visited all of the main range, but lonely Fionn Bheinn on the south side of Loch Fannich still remained.   A few days of not so good weather gave tired limbs a rest, then ....

26th July   Fionn Bheinn


An easy grassy heathery climb from the centre of Achnasheen.  2hours 40 minutes to the top.  Looked down on huge herds of deer to the north.  Rather than a direct descent, we strolled along the broad grassy ridge to the east, then followed an amazing, well-built, but now largely grassed over, stalkers' track back to the road about a mile east of the village.  Munro 212


Sgurr nan Clach Geala, Sgurr nan Each and Sgurr Mor Fannaich from Fionn Bheinn (right)

30th July   Moruisg and Sgurr nan Ceannaichean

Our holiday was drawing to an end.  We packed up our tent and camping gear and set off towards home.  There was a lot of low cloud around so we decided to see how the weather looked as we passed two final target hills on the road east:  if they were cloud-covered, we would drive on by and be home that evening;  if clear, we would do the climb, and then scrounge a floor from relations in the Black Isle.  When we came in sight of the hills, it was a marginal decision, but we decided to go for it!

Parking by the A890 in Glen Carron, we headed straight for the hill.  Moruisg means "big water" in Gaelic, and it is well-named!  We crossed the railway (by the bridge under it) then squelched across boggy moorland, and up water-logged slopes, with evidence of flash floods recently down some of the stream gullies (above).  As the ground got drier near the top, the rain came blowing in on a strong westerly wind.  Moruisg indeed!  

2 hours after leaving the car, we ate our sandwiches "cooried doon" behind the summit cairn (above, right).  Does it look like July?!

Next we headed south west along the broad ridge, then down to the bealach before the short easy climb to Sgurr nan Ceannachean (left), the lowest Munro -promoted to that status only in 1981 - but since resurveyed and demoted again to become the highest (?) Corbett, (along with Beinn Dearg in Torridon)!  

It's a shame, as it is the more attractive of the two hills, with a nice wee summit and crags below, whereas Moruisg is simply a big "lump".  

Good views - spent 30mins on top, before heading down the north ridge, across the stream to join a good path on the east side of an attractive ravine, then across the bog back to the car!

And so ended the 2007 Munro season (as we were in Spain rather than Scotland in the October holiday), with only 70 left to go.  4 more seasons to compleation?