Thursday 3rd June 2010
After my wind-swept walk of the day before I drove further up the west coast of Scotland as far as the ferry town of Ullapool, however I didn’t catch the ferry to Stornoway. Instead, after spending the night in Ullapool, I drove to An Teallach, which is considered by some to be the greatest mountain in Scotland. The usual starting point for a walk up An Teallach is Corriehallie, and indeed when I passed the parking spot there were already a relatively large number of cars, despite the early hour. I was following Ralph Storer’s instructions and after parking near the Garbh Allt I set off beside the burn through a dense rhododendron thicket. If you ever wanted a demonstration of the problems that rhododendrons cause, then you just have to look at that path. Underneath the rhododendrons it was totally lifeless as all that was able to grow was rhododendron. The only compensation was that most of the rhododendrons were not in flower yet after our harsh winter.
I emerged from the rhododendrons to perfect weather and crossed the vast terrain under a warm sun. After my poor weather of the last two days I was being rewarded with fantastic weather at just the right moment as nothing less than perfect weather will do on a mountain like An Teallach. On this walk the wind would not put a stop to my adventures, only my fear of heights. After following the Coire a’ Ghlas Thuill burn along a muddy path I left stream and path behind in order to make a direct ascent up the massive bulk of Glas Mheall Mòr. Slowly I climbed up to the top of this northernmost top of An Teallach picking my own way up the interminably steep stone-covered hill. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, I reached the summit of Glas Mheall Mòr where I was greeted with stunning views of the coast and of the steep rock faces of An Teallach ahead of me. After a tiresome climb I joyfully crossed over the gap and climbed the steep stony hillside opposite to the top of the northern Munro of An Teallach, Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill, where I had my lunch.
It was really enjoyable sitting on my own at the summit in such fantastic weather while gazing out at the awesome scenery around me, except for the terrifying sight of the pinnacles of An Teallach on the other side of the corrie. From the summit I descended once again on a delightful rocky path to the deep col and while keeping as close to the top of the ridge as I dared, I climbed up to the other Munro, Sgùrr Fiòna, where the pinnacles could now clearly be seen in all their terror. I probably should have at least tried to go up the first pinnacle, Lord Berkeley’s Seat, which Ralph Storer claims is an easy scramble, but for some reason once I got to the foot of the pinnacles I really didn’t want to go up any of them. The masses of people who had gone the other way round the mountain were quite happily climbing the pinnacles and making moves that I could never dare to make as I don't have a head for heights, so I quite happily missed out all of the pinnacles. Instead I walked along one of the many bypassing paths to the right while staying as high as possible so that I could peek through the gaps between the pinnacles. I like paths that cling to the side of a steep mountain, along a narrow ledge, as they test my nerves while still being quite safe so I quite enjoyed exploring the many paths that have been made to bypass these challenging peaks.
After my wind-swept walk of the day before I drove further up the west coast of Scotland as far as the ferry town of Ullapool, however I didn’t catch the ferry to Stornoway. Instead, after spending the night in Ullapool, I drove to An Teallach, which is considered by some to be the greatest mountain in Scotland. The usual starting point for a walk up An Teallach is Corriehallie, and indeed when I passed the parking spot there were already a relatively large number of cars, despite the early hour. I was following Ralph Storer’s instructions and after parking near the Garbh Allt I set off beside the burn through a dense rhododendron thicket. If you ever wanted a demonstration of the problems that rhododendrons cause, then you just have to look at that path. Underneath the rhododendrons it was totally lifeless as all that was able to grow was rhododendron. The only compensation was that most of the rhododendrons were not in flower yet after our harsh winter.
I emerged from the rhododendrons to perfect weather and crossed the vast terrain under a warm sun. After my poor weather of the last two days I was being rewarded with fantastic weather at just the right moment as nothing less than perfect weather will do on a mountain like An Teallach. On this walk the wind would not put a stop to my adventures, only my fear of heights. After following the Coire a’ Ghlas Thuill burn along a muddy path I left stream and path behind in order to make a direct ascent up the massive bulk of Glas Mheall Mòr. Slowly I climbed up to the top of this northernmost top of An Teallach picking my own way up the interminably steep stone-covered hill. Eventually, after what seemed like forever, I reached the summit of Glas Mheall Mòr where I was greeted with stunning views of the coast and of the steep rock faces of An Teallach ahead of me. After a tiresome climb I joyfully crossed over the gap and climbed the steep stony hillside opposite to the top of the northern Munro of An Teallach, Bidein a’ Ghlas Thuill, where I had my lunch.
It was really enjoyable sitting on my own at the summit in such fantastic weather while gazing out at the awesome scenery around me, except for the terrifying sight of the pinnacles of An Teallach on the other side of the corrie. From the summit I descended once again on a delightful rocky path to the deep col and while keeping as close to the top of the ridge as I dared, I climbed up to the other Munro, Sgùrr Fiòna, where the pinnacles could now clearly be seen in all their terror. I probably should have at least tried to go up the first pinnacle, Lord Berkeley’s Seat, which Ralph Storer claims is an easy scramble, but for some reason once I got to the foot of the pinnacles I really didn’t want to go up any of them. The masses of people who had gone the other way round the mountain were quite happily climbing the pinnacles and making moves that I could never dare to make as I don't have a head for heights, so I quite happily missed out all of the pinnacles. Instead I walked along one of the many bypassing paths to the right while staying as high as possible so that I could peek through the gaps between the pinnacles. I like paths that cling to the side of a steep mountain, along a narrow ledge, as they test my nerves while still being quite safe so I quite enjoyed exploring the many paths that have been made to bypass these challenging peaks.
An Teallach may be a favourite of many people, but as I walked back to my car I was not so keen. Is An Teallach the greatest mountain in Scotland? I don’t think so, I think the giants of Torridon, Liathach and Beinn Eighe, which An Teallach shares many characteristics with, must hold a greater claim to that title. Maybe this walk was not as enjoyable as it should have been because I allowed myself to become too nervous due to the vertiginous nature of the mountain. The weather for this walk was perfect and An Teallach really is a truly awe-inspiring mountain, but I still wasn’t overjoyed by the walk. The fact that I didn’t go to the top of any of the pinnacles shouldn’t made made a difference; they are a really difficult scramble after all. I went to the top of the Munros and I had a fabulous walk; that should be enough.
No comments:
Post a Comment