19,18,17,16: Strathfarrar Four

The Strathfarrar Four (29th July 2011)


After a few days over in Lossiemouth waiting for the wet westerly winds to abate, we headed back towards the hills on Wednesday 28th, encouraged by a better forecast for the next day.  Once more, we pitched the tent at Cannich, and marvelled at the arrival of "das Rollende Hotel"- a bus with a sleeping trailer, fold-out dining shelter, and about 40 passengers - a truly bizarre sight (below)!

Das Rollende Hotel at Cannich camp site

Next morning, we were up early to get to the gate at Struy for 9am.  The road up Glen Strathfarrar is a private one, with locked gates, open from 9am to 8pm in the summer months, and by arrangement at other times.  As a further restriction, only 25 cars are allowed up at any time.  We found three other cars waiting, so that was fine.


It was a lovely drive up the glen, and we soon reached the starting point for the walk just beyond the top of Loch Beannacharan.  I dropped Anne off here at 9.30am to begin the walk, then drove another 7km up the road, to the planned end point of our walk.  Leaving the car there, I cycled back down the glen, and set off up the path at 10am.

An initially good track turned into a boggy squelch for a mile or so up the Allt Coire Mhuillidh.  I walked for a while with another solo walker, and soon we were heading up to drier ground on the broad south west ridge of Sgurr na Ruaidhe ("reddish peak").  About half-way up we caught up with Anne, then overtook another solo lady walker (who turned out to be from Gattonside, only a few miles from Selkirk).  Soon the ridge began to ease off, and 2 hours from the car, we reached the summit cairn.   A sociable lunch spot ...

summit of Sgurr na Ruaidhe, with Carn nan Gobhar in background

We didn't remain long, though, as the air felt quite cold and damp.  After 15 minutes, the chap in the blue cagoule set off  westwards towards the next Munro, Carn nan Gobhar.  We followed son after, and made quick progress down grassy slopes to the intervening bealach - where we caught up with him and handed over the lunchbox he had left behind;  pity - I was looking forward to the chocolate biscuit!


From the bealach, more easy grassy slopes led us up toward the boulder-strewn top of Carn nan Gobhar (992m), the second Munro of the day.  Hang on a second - weren't we on Carn nan Gobhar (992m) this time last year?  Yes!  Bizarrely enough, there are two Carn nan Gobhars, exactly the same height, and only 14km apart - one in the Mullardoch range, the other one here in the Strathfarrars.   Maybe they were named after the same goats!  (we didn't see any).

Anne on Carn nan Gobhar, with Sgurr a'Choire Ghlais, Creag Gorm a'Bhealaich and Sgurr Fhuar Thuill in the background

Anyway, we lingered a few minutes on this one before heading off down the grassy highway to the next bealach, then up the steep curving ridge of Sgurr a' Choire Ghlais, the day's highest point at 1083m.  The mist was coming and going on the twin tops of this peak, so we didn't linger for long (but made sure to visit both cairns), before continuing westwards.  After skirting around the initial boulder field, we were soon back on springy mossy turf - a joy to walk on. Yet another bealach lay ahead, and a scalloped ridge leading up to Creag Ghorm a'Bhealaich, a fine peak in its own right, although only designated as a top.

Creag Ghorm a' Bhealaich from Sgurr a 'Choire Ghlais

looking back to Sgurr a'Choire Ghlais from Creag Ghorm a'Bhealaich

Another 10 minute rest here before continuing.  Each of the last sections had taken just under an hour, easy walking, but the final two tops were much closer together.  

Twenty minutes after leaving Creag Ghorm a' Bhealaich, we passed over the top of the 4th Munro, Sgurr Fhuar-Thuill (peak of the cold hollow) without stopping, and 15 minutes later we were on Sgurr na Fearstaig, the most westerly top - little more than a rounded hump at the end of the ridge.  Job done!

the final stroll to Sgurr na Fearstaig

We sat on the final top at 4pm, enjoying the view, but mindful of the "locked gate", we didn't linger too long, and were soon headed down the fine stalkers' path towards Loch Toll a' Mhuic.

the start of the route down past Loch Toll a' Mhuic below Sgurr na Muice

In less than 2 hours, we were back down to where I had left the car, and all that remained was to pick up my bike, and enjoy the run back down Strathfarrar to Struy.

Summary:

4 Munros + 2 tops

17 km walk + 7 km cycle

1560 m climb

8 hours 

Log:

left bike	09:55
Sg.na Ruaidhe	11:55 - 12:15
C. na Gobhar	13:05 - 13:15
Sg. a Ch. Ghlais	14:10 - 14:20
Cr. Gh a' Bhealaich	15:10 - 15:20
Sg. Fhuar-Thuill	15:45
Sg. na Fearstaig	16:00 - 16:10
road	18:00

posted 15/04/11  D. Bethune

22,21,20: the Conbhairean group

Carn Ghluasaid, Sgurr nan Conbhairean and Sail Chaorainn,   23rd July 2010


After 7 Munros yesterday, a rest day might have been in order.  However, the weather dictated otherwise!  It's not often you get two blue-sky days in a row up the west coast, and when the opportunity comes along ...


We parked at Lundie on the shores of Loch Cluanie at 10am.  We started up the old road as far as a communication mast, then off it on to an excellent stalkers' path which climbed steadily up the hillside avoiding the worst boggy bits.


To our left, a marvellous view of yesterday's hills opened up across the loch.

Carn a'Mhaim and Druim Shionnach across Loch Cluanie

We followed the path across a shallow coire, then up a series of wide zig-zags on to Carn Ghluasaid's SW ridge.

on the way up Carn Ghluasaid

The zig-zags opened out on to a broadening shoulder of rocky outcrops, leading up to Carn Ghluasaid's remarkable flat summit plateau.  A couple of hundred metres across to the far side, a large cairn marked the summit - only 2 hours from leaving the car at the lochside.  Carn Ghluasaid means (possibly) "hill of movement", but there was nothing moving up there except for us!

on the summit of Carn Ghluasaid, with Sgurr nan Conbhairean behind

the summit plateau of Carn Ghluasaid

It was a bit early for lunch, but a grassy ledge behind the cairn, overlooking the deep coire Toll Creagach Beag, proved irresistible.  We sat there for half and hour, enjoying the dramatic view spread out before and below us, before heading off towards the next Munro, Sgurr nan Conbhairean.


This took exactly one hour:  a short, gentle descent from the plateau, then round the edge of the coire, then up on to the intervening top, Creag a' Chaorainn (Anne by-passed the top by cutting across to the left).

Sgurr nan Conbhairean from Creag a' Chaorainn

Another slight descent around the rim of the next coire to Glas Bealach (above, left), then 140m of steady climbing, up a series of grassy solifluxion lobes, to Sgurr nan Conbhairean's impressive summit cairn.

Anne looks happy to be on the summit of Conbhairean!

We'd already had some lunch, but it was a nice spot, so we sat a while to admire the view.  Despite the blue sky, we had to sit behind the cairn to get some shelter from the cool breeze.


After half an hour or so, we decided it was time to make for Sail Chaorainn, the third Munro.

Sail Chaorainn from summit of Conbhairean

From Conbhairean, Sail Chaorainn was an easy 2km walk - down the broad ridge from the summit around the tops of two further deep coires (above) to a bealach at 913m, then a short rise to Sail Chaorainn's broad whaleback ridge, with the summit a rocky outcrop at the far end.  45 minutes and we were there.

view from Conbhairean across A'Chioch to Mullach Fraoch-choire and Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan

Anne waited patiently on Sail Chaorainn for half and hour, while I made a quick detour out to Carn na Coire Mheadhoin, Sail Chaorainn's north top (and only 1m lower than the main top).  This proved to be a great viewpoint - into Glen Affric, and as far as Torridon to the north and the Moray Firth to the east.

on Carn na Coire Mheadhoin (looking worried that the camera might fall off its perch!)

There is another top, Tigh Mor na Seilge ("the big house of the hunt") another mile beyond.  Despite its intriguing name, I decided that I had gone far enough for the day, so headed back towards Sail Choarainn.  Will I ever get to that outlying top, I wonder?

looking back from the north top to Sail Choarainn (rocky top of green lump in middle distance), Sgurr nan Conbhairean's pyramidal summit (centre),  Carn Ghluasaid's flat top (left), and Drochaid an Tuill Easach (just off to the right)

Back at Sail Chaorainn, Anne was feeling a bit chilly, so we quickly set off back towards Conbhairean.  Part way up its north ridge, we struck off to the right and contoured across the west flank to join the path leading down the SW shoulder, saving ourselves 100m or so of climbing.    Another short descent and ascent, and we were on the final top of the day, Drochaid an Tuill Easach ("the bridge of the watery hollow").  Two ravens were sitting on the cairn, looking like two old hags, but flew off as we approached.


It was cool and breezy on top, so we didn't linger there, but stopped for a final rest part way down the south ridge, overlooking Coire Lair.  Suitably refreshed, we pushed on down the ridge by an intermittent path, which brought us down to the road at the lochside at 6.10pm.


The car lay 2km away along the road, so I left Anne and my rucsac at the pretty little waterfall, while I made a quick march along to fetch the car.


Only 20 more to go - a productive two days!!


Summary:

3 Munros + 1 top

19 km walk

1300 m climb

8 hours 45 mins

Log:

left Lundie	09:55
Ghluasaid	12:00 - 12:30
Conbhairean	13:30 - 13:55
Chaorainn	14:40 - 14:45
north top	15:00
Chaorainn	15:15 - 15:20
Drochaid TE	16:25
road	18:10