Bothies, Munros and Sunshine

It was 5 pm when I stepped off the train at Glenfinnan station and set off up the glen for a twelve mile walk to the bothy at A'Chuil. The forecast was for rain which fortunately never arrived. After three miles I reached the bothy at Corryhully where I brewed up and sternly resisted the temptation to stop there for the night. A steady plod up to the bealach below Streap (at 909 metres a fine mountain that just misses Munro status) and then a slow descent down the almost pathless Gleann a' Chaorainn to Glen Pean. I just about managed to get through the forest and onto the forest track before night fell. The track seemed interminably long and it was a very tired walker who finally stumbled into the bothy at A'Chuil in Glen Dessary.

The bothy is roomy and clean and I had a good night before opening the door in the morning to clear blue skies and a sunwashed Upper Glen Dessary. The three mountains, which it was my intention to cross, Sgurr nan Coireachan, Garbh Cioch Mor and Sgurr na Ciche were hanging high above the glen in the sunlight.

I was soon on my way and arrived at the bottom of the south ridge of Sgurr nan Coireachan. The SMC guide refers to the next bit as a 'relentless 750 m grind' which is a fair description but slow but steady ascending brought me to the summit soon enough.

The ridge now lay before me in the sparkling sunlight. The traverse of these three Munros must rank among the top ten hill walking days in Scotland. Rocky and winding, it is always interesting and culminates on Sgurr na Ciche which is one of the finest shaped mountains and fully deserves it's name. Due to some rather tired navigation the descent was slightly more adventurous than I had expected but I eventually arrived at the beautifully located bothy at Sourlees.

This small bothy is located a few yards from the shore at the head of Loch Nevis and in the morning, as I sat outside drinking my tea with the sun shining down the glen of Mam na Cloich Airde it was one of those moments which you wish would last for ever. But, sadly, it cannot, so I shoulder my pack and set off on the final leg of my trip to Inverie. The walk round the point to Carnoch, which can be very boggy, was almost dry, due to the long spell of dry weather the area has experienced this year, and I soon reached the ruins at Carnoch where the long climb up to the bealach of Mam Meadail commences. However it has one of those beautifully graded stalkers tracks so, in spite of the sun beating on my neck, it was soon accomplished.

Leaving my sac at the bealach, I climbed to the summit of Meall Buidhe which is a very fine viewpoint for Knoydart and the surrounding hills. Then down to the bealach for my sac and the final walk down Gleann Meadail. A very welcome cup of tea was provided by a family staying at a recently renovated bunkhouse (marked as 'ruin' on the OS map) about two miles from Inverie.

When I reached Inverie, I discovered that the next ferry to Mallaig was not the next day but the day after that. This was a bit of a blow. I booked into the bunkhouse and then went down, next morning, to the hotel for breakfast. While there, somebody came in and I heard him tell the landlady that he was off to Mallaig to meet some 'suits'. I asked if he would take me with him and he agreed. So I after a delightful trip across the sea to Mallaig, I finally caught my train home.

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	Swaledale Outdoor Club

Bothies, Munros and Sunshine

Peter Dyson