It was always an ambitious outing for four young teenagers and an eight-year-old – but there was a good forecast and plenty of daylight, so along with us three adults, we gave it a go.
These two fine munros in the southern Torridon area make a fine horseshoe of the beautiful Coire Lair, in the high ground above Achnashellach.
I’d run through here and walked the so-called Teahouse circuit that passes the entrance to the coire plenty of times but hadn’t yet tackled the two summits on the list.
For the record, I had suggested the nearby single munro of Maol Chean-dearg – still a long walk but without quite as much climbing – but Kristina, a self-confessed optimist, threw in this suggestion!
I worked out the timings and we reckoned the children could handle the long day, not to mention be inspired by the spectacular scenery – and we were right.
There was always the obvious escape route, which involved skipping the second munro completely and returning down the path through the coire. For some time, I’d assumed that’s exactly what we’d end up doing. But late in the afternoon, dipping feet in the cool water of the lochan, everyone was keen to climb Sgorr Ruadh as well as Beinn Liath Mhòr – and we still had plenty of light left in the day.
It was going to mean a very late finish, but what better way to spend a Saturday evening than in the stunning hills of the north-west Highlands? With tired legs and sometimes using even more energy to help keep the kids motivated, I was smiling from ear to ear on the descent, knowing that the hard work was done.
The route starts at Achnashellach, where there’s a small roadside parking area opposite a red phone box and the track up to the railway station. Technically it’s possible to do this route using public transport but the timings of the trains can make it very difficult.
We walked up the track and over the railway, going left at a crossroads of forestry tracks. Further up this track there’s a marker post that directs you left onto a path that meanders through the woods closer to the river.
The blaeberries made for good snacks before we made our way out onto the open hill beyond the forest boundary. The stalkers’ paths in Torridon are invariably excellent, and we made our way up to the coire entrance – with Matthew, the youngest in our party, leading the way.
Any early cloud hanging over the hills was starting to burn off now, leaving a largely clear sky and requiring copious amounts of suncream. Our route took us past a couple of cairns before taking the left fork at a third one, to head steeply up Beinn Liath Mhòr’s eastern top, at point 876m.
The rocky quartzite shone brightly in the sunlight but a series of false summits made it a struggle for some of the youngsters. We enjoyed a good sit down and feed when we finally reached the top, however, before taking on the ridge to the munro summit, which is the westernmost of the mountain’s three high points.
The ridge is narrow in places and on one or two sections I went ahead of Matthew to ensure he kept to the safest route, but he managed the undulating and exciting route with excitement and fun, reaching the summit first.
All the guidebooks warn of an awkward down-scramble between this summit and the bealach, and while it was steep and required some care, it was easy enough to find in the clear conditions and straightforward to negotiate with a bit of assistance for those who were less certain.
There’s a lovely lochan tucked at the bottom of that steep drop before the path rounds a knoll to descend to the Bealach Coire Lair itself, where another larger lochan sits. The children all wanted to cool off their feet here and we spent a bit more time just enjoying the experience of being out. We even found a newt in the water, as well as several large tadpoles.
There was no disagreement about continuing onto Sgorr Ruadh and, despite the dry conditions, we found a trickle of a spring to fill up our depleted water bottles as we made our way up a grassy rake above the lochan to reach the north-west ridge of this second munro of the day.
We stopped for a snack after getting onto the ridge, where we sat again briefly to admire the view over Maol Chean-dearg and Beinn Damh. It was such a beautiful place to be, we just wanted to soak it all up.
Continuing up the hill, the ridge steepened and we could see a rocky stretch where it narrowed just below the summit. Matthew and I walked together and I stayed close to him during the short scramble up the rocks, a short chimney giving us shelter from the breeze for a moment.
One narrow section near an edge gave him a healthy dose of fear, just enough to ensure he listened carefully and followed my movements. I looked back to make sure Clara was comfortable with this section and she was right behind me, unperturbed by the situation.
We reached the summit, where a wind shelter has been fashioned out of the red sandstone, and tucked down while we waited for the others.
This second munro of the day took me, by my slightly hazy calculations, to the halfway point in the munros, being my 141st. These two are among the most impressive, and I’d shared it all with the family on an enjoyable and long day in these magnificent surroundings.
Now we had to descend the grass and rocky slopes to Loch a’ Bhealaich Mhoir, which we easy enough but tough on the legs at this stage of the day. It’s possible to add the Corbett of Fuar Tholl onto this round of the coire but we certainly wouldn’t be doing that today!
Led by Jennifer, who by now was determined to reach the easier ground and get back to the car, we plotted a route across the hillside until we set foot on the path. It was still a long walk down to the River Lair, which has to be crossed to reach the path we’d followed up to the coire much earlier in the day.
That crossing was problem-free following weeks of dry weather, but in spate this river can be uncrossable, necessitating a lengthy detour upstream across pathless country.
Thankfully for us, we now just had the walk down to the woods and back over the railway. The light was starting to fade but we wouldn’t need the headtorches we had as an emergency backup in the rucksacks, although it was soon dark as we drove home after a truly memorable – and very long – day.
Route details
Beinn Liath Mhòr & Sgorr Ruadh
Distance 11 miles / 19 km
Terrain Good mountain paths, with some easy scrambling in steep, lightly exposed terrain; pathless sections with navigation skills required throughout
Start/finish Achnashellach, parking area opposite railway station access
Map OS Landranger 25; OS Explorer 429
A long mountain day over two fine Munros in the south Torridon area
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
