Saturday started with the customary and unavoidable hike up to Mam Barrisdale (450m), a 3-hr walk on a reasonably good track for most of the way past an old fish hatchery and Loch an Dubh Lochain (black loch). A highlight today was the sight and sound of snipe darting above us with their distinctive ‘drumming’ created by their tail feathers. Sandpipers were playing along the loch shore but deer were nowhere to be seen. The track becomes a path that climbs up to the pass that heralds the start of the actual ascent of Luinne Bheinn (939m; swelling hill). The route is fairly easy, even in mist, as a line of rusting fence posts carry you around the southern flank of the hill before you strike for the summit up steep grassy slopes. The view to the north is stunning across Loch Hourn to Arnisdale and dear old Beinn Sgritheall, a favourite and memorable wee Munro.
Sgurr na Ciche From Meall Buidhe
Below you to the south the great ice-scoured corrie of Choire Odhair (dun-coloured corrie) fills the foreground and it is around the headwall of this mighty bowl that a good path leads you around to Meall Buidhe (946m; yellow hill). In clear conditions this hill always give great views to the west out over the sea and the islands of the Inner Hebrides. As it’s generally late in the day when I’m up here, these views are always enhanced by the sun sinking in the western sky and its shimmering reflection on the water. From the summit a long grassy ridge stretches south-westwards directly towards Inverie. You can descend from this ridge at the 500m level and drop down to a footbridge in Gleann Meadail. By late June however, the ferns are rampant on the lower slopes so we elected to stay with the ridge (Druim Righeanaich) all the way until it deposited us on the flat bogland opposite the Kilchoan estate bothy. A short walk across the dry bog and a convenient (but essential) bridge carried us back to our outward track and back to Inverie. It was a long day (25km; 9½ hrs), and tiring, but it breaks the back of the Knoydart Munros and leaves you with a more straightforward day to finish with for Ladhar Bheinn.
Again, great views open up to the north and the steep craggy cliffs of the mountain’s northern aspect contrast strongly with the more gentle grass on the southern slopes. The almost level summit ridge of this great mountain is punctuated by 3 cairns and a trig point; the actual summit is the cairn between the trig point and the eastern-most cairn – Ladhar Bheinn (1020m; hoof hill) From here spectacular views can be had in all directions. Mighty Coire Dhorrcail falls away beneath you, the mountain’s defining feature, whilst Barrisdale Bay, Loch Hourn and the other Knoydart peaks fill the eastern panorama.
Beinn Sgritheall and Arnisdale Across Loch Hourn
We returned the same way, heavy showers ensuring we didn’t get away scot-free. It didn’t matter however, we’d stood on 3 cloud-free summits and seen a lot of what Knoydart has to offer – wild country, great peaks and the unshakeable sense of being on an island. Don’t ever change!Check out my future plans for similar walks on: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm
No comments:
Post a Comment