I spent a great but tiring weekend recently in the west with Peter Evans, staying in
Suardalan Bothy in Glen More, near Sheil Bridge, then in the Kintail Lodge bunkhouse.
On the Saturday we ventured up Beinn Sgritheall from its more dramatic north side, which has a much less demanding gradient than the roadside route from Arnisdale. We had a beautiful clear day – before all the snow arrived this week – so enjoyed views from the summit over the Knoydart and to the Cuillin ridge on Skye.
We walked in and out to the bothy in the pitch dark, so I’ve no idea what the route through the forest from Moyle looks like. We struggled to find the bothy late on the Friday night when we arrived, in fact. In hindsight, we should have taken a bearing from the bridge where you emerge from the forest, but thankfully there’s a wall which we followed round until we found our beds for the night.
There was no-one else there that weekend, and we found the bothy well looked after and in excellent condition. It even had some candles and firewood and coal waiting to be used. It was a cold night outside but I slept well in my down sleeping bag, and that was without us lighting the fire.
After doing Ben Sgritheall, we headed to Skye on the Sunday, to do another long walk (around 10 miles) around Elgol and above the cliffs from Camasunary.
In the lodge, we had the company of a chap who was cycling around Scotland for three months and climbing Munros as he went. And he was 60! Happy retirement – I hope I’m doing something like that when I’m 60.
I love combining a bike ride with a mountain outing, even if it’s just for a few short miles. Starting from Inverlael near Ullapool, you get get quite a way into Gleann ns Squaib on two wheels.
That’s exactly what Meg, Peter and myself did when we did a round of three Munros, Beinn Dearg, Meall nan Ceapraichaen and Eldidh nan Clach Geala. We’d planned to add Cona Mheall to our route as well but decided to skip it, and we’ve still not got back up there yet, despite at least one attempt since!
The full route is described in the latest TGO magazine – that’s the December 2010 edition.
Now I’m looking forward to some more winter trips in the Scottish mountains. I just hope this wind will calm down soon, as we’ve got an interesting bothying trip planned for the weekend…
I’ve been out in the Fannichs today, going up two Munros – An Coileachan and Meall Gorm – from the Lochluichart road. We took the bikes up the access road for Fannich Lodge and walked from a couple of miles before there, heading up around the incredible Garbh Choire Mor onto the ridge.
John on Meall Gorm, with Sgurr Mor in the background (centre)
It’s a pretty steep start but, once we had gained the ridge, it was easy walking for the rest of the day. The old stalkers’ path down from Meall Gorm isn’t in good nick, though; it could do with some drainage being done.
The tops stayed clear for us and we enjoyed some magical views of Slioch, Sgurr Mhor, Ben Wyvis and many more!
Once down at Fannich Lodge, it was a couple of miles along the tarmac track back to the bikes, then a superb descent of around 5 miles back to the road. What a fantastic day!
I enjoyed a soggy ride up
Glen Strathfarrar yesterday for a route I’m doing for the
Inverness Courier on Friday. I would have liked to see some of the mountains (the weather was that bad) but it’s a great ride in itself, and the tarmac road really opens up access to the Strathfarrar horseshoe, as well as Sgurr na Lapaich, which you can also climb from Glen Cannich.
The road is really quiet, as the number of cars allowed down there each day is restricted, so it’s perfect cycling country. The views, even with the cloud this low, were magnificent, so they must be amazing on a clear day.
You can just about spy the very tops of the Fannichs from my office window – on a clear day – so it’s great to get out and about for a walk there.
A fantastic route is from the Loch Droma dam on the Inverness-Ullapool road, taking in Meall a’ Chrasgaidh, Sgurr Mor and Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich. I’ve written about this in the November 2010 issue of TGO Magazine, so pick up a copy in the shops now!
The weather’s looking ok the next few days but, as I’ll be stuck in the office, I’ll have to settle for staring out of the kitchen window for a glimpse of these magnificent mountains… for now, at least!
John Davidson's Guide to Walking and Cycling in Inverness and the Highlands
I'm a journalist in Inverness in the Highlands of Scotland who specialises in the great outdoors - including walking, cycling and mountaineering. I write a regular Active Outdoors feature for the Inverness Courier as well as contributing to other publications, including leading hillwalking magazine TGO.
