Beinn Eighe

Tuesday 28th May 2019

Beinn Eighe is a mountain that I have been trying to climb for the last ten years, ever since I first came to Torridon. On that occasion I had been unable to climb it both because of worsening weather and because the mountain is a long way from the youth hostel in Torridon where I had been staying. I decided that in order to do Beinn Eighe I would need a car, so a year after I came back only to be defeated when bad weather forced me to make a hasty retreat once I had reached the top of the ridge. I returned with my car again in 2016 spending several days in Torridon, but once again the weather was not nice to me. This year I tried a different approach by bringing a tent and camping in Coire Dubh Mór between Beinn Eighe and Liathach, and in the evening before the walk I had brilliant weather, which was rather annoying as it was the wrong time of day. I hoped the good weather would stay so when I looked out of my tent the following morning and saw blue skies I rejoiced, but when I looked north I saw dark rain clouds. The rain didn’t last very long and as I set off down the path towards the bottom of the valley I hoped that would be all I would get. However, before I reached the bottom, rain enveloped me again and this time it was very heavy with hail that prompted me to turn around and return to my tent.

I was really frustrated that once again the weather had not been nice to me and it had prevented me from climbing Beinn Eighe. I was very depressed with the weather that I had suffered on this holiday, and seemingly on every holiday I had taken in the West Highlands of Scotland. I have one holiday in Scotland a year, booked months in advance, so I can only hope that the weather is going to be good on those dates, and I don’t seem to have any luck. You can go up a mountain in poor weather but it is so much better if the weather is good while the least I could ask for is no rain and hopefully a view from the top. It was really getting me down that I seemed to hardly ever get good weather when I was in the West Highlands. As I dejectedly climbed back up the path in the rain I reflected that long distance walking might work better in Scotland because trails generally keep to the valleys and usually have a clear path so you don’t need good weather, and if the weather does improve then I could nip up a mountain on the way. I had already been losing interest in climbing Munros, big mountains in Scotland, because of the lack of good weather and this holiday had been almost a last chance for Munros to redeem themselves.

When I reached my tent I started to put my stuff away to break camp, but then the sun came out again, which is just typical of Scotland. This did not help my mood and in fact made me even more annoyed, but I suppose I have been very stupid to think I can rely on the weather in Scotland. Eventually I left my tent and set off back down the path determined now to do Beinn Eighe whatever the weather threw at me during the rest of the day. I passed many people coming up the path who must have thought it was time to start their walk, although I’m not sure where they were heading as I hardly saw any of them later. When I reached the road I walked along it for a while until at a small car park I turned onto a well-constructed path that climbs steeply up the hillside towards Beinn Eighe. The sunshine had been short-lived so by this point, and largely for the rest of the day, the skies were overcast, but I was not going to think about the weather and at least the cloud cover prevented me from getting too hot as I climbed the steep slopes. Before I reached the top, while in the depths of Coire an Laoigh, I stopped for a rest from the strenuous climb and ate my lunch. Another steep climb up a tricky dirt slope brought me to the ridge that leads to Stuc Coire an Laoigh.

I had an awe-inspiring view ahead of me of Liathach, while hazy views to the south over the Coulin Forest also contributed to making that steep climb up Coire an Laoigh worth the effort. Turning right I headed up the scree to reach the trig point on the main ridge of Beinn Eighe that was the furthest point I reached in 2010 only to find winds so strong I had to turn back. Now there was hardly any wind, however it was bitterly cold with snow or frost in places on the ridge that leads to the summit of the Munro. Gingerly I made my way along the narrow, rocky ridge trembling at the exposure, until eventually I reached the top of Spidean Coire nan Clach, but I didn’t go any further along the ridge. Sgurr Ban lies ahead and beyond that Sgurr nan Fhur Duibhe with the fearsome Black Carls beside it. I have never been great with heights and I seem to be getting less keen on exposed ridges as time goes by, so I turned my back on the eastern section of Beinn Eighe and carefully set off from the Munro back along the narrow ridge to the trig point where the terrain eases and I could begin to relax. Slowly, I made my way along the rocky ridge and up to the grassy dome of Cóinneach Mhór, but I didn’t reach the summit and instead turned right at a cairn steeply descending to a saddle and from there up the relatively gentle slopes to the summit of Ruadh-stac Mór, the highest point on Beinn Eighe.

Across Coire Mhic Fhearchair the infamous Triple Buttress stood in imposing splendour below the top of Cóinneach Mhór with Liathach peaking behind. I could have returned to Cóinneach Mhór and descended the Ceum Grannda (meaning ‘Ugly Step’), but I was not in the mood for exposed scrambling so when I returned to the bottom of the saddle I turned right down a stone shoot straight into the corrie. By keeping to the far right of the scree I somehow managed to ease the descent and minimise the difficulty though it still led to the top of a boulder field that had to be negotiated before I could reach the floor of the corrie. Now that I was released from the tension of exposure on the steep, narrow ridges I could finally enjoy myself as I made my way down the complex, craggy terrain into the corrie. There is a path that generally follows the stream down, but I was enjoying myself too much to rigidly follow it as I bounced across the rocks below the Triple Buttress until eventually I reached Loch Coire Mhic Fhearchair at the mouth of the corrie. Looking back, the cliff-faces didn’t look as impressive as I’d expected, though the grey, overcast skies that accompanied me for most of the walk over Beinn Eighe had not helped the view.

There is a very good path that leads up to Loch Coire Mhic Fheachair for people wanting to take in the view of this impressive corrie and the Triple Buttress, which must have been where the people I saw at the beginning of the day were headed. I appreciated the well-made path as it effortlessly took me around the broad slopes of Sáil Mhór with views north across broad, boggy valleys punctuated with sheer sided peaks that reminded me of the Sutherland area of Scotland. Considering I had wanted to do this walk for ten years it is a shame I didn’t enjoy it more. The weather wasn’t brilliant, but the main problem was that the mountains of Torridon have very steep slopes that make me rather nervous because of the height. Even though the Triple Buttress failed to impress me, I did enjoy walking through Coire Mhic Fheachair, but ultimately this was a great walk that was almost ruined by my frustration with the Scottish weather.

Coire Làir

Monday 27th May 2019

To start my second week in the Scottish Highlands I caught a train from the city of Inverness to the tiny, remote station of Achnashellach where I was happy to find sunshine after enduring a weekend in Inverness that was filled with rain. I was hopeful for some good weather as I set off north into Coire Làir heading towards Torridon and initially passed dense rhododendron groves in the Achnashellach Forest before taking a path that follows the River Làir up fabulously craggy terrain high above Glen Carron. The good weather tempted me to come off the path and cross the river to climb the steep slopes of the Corbett, Fuar Tholl, which I had not visited previously, however the river was fast flowing so crossing it would not have been easy. Prudently, I stayed on the path and continued to climb, and soon it started to rain, which prompted me to put my waterproof cover over my rucksack, but as I was doing that I was attacked by a squadron of midges, the first I had encountered on this holiday. Hastily, I put my waterproofs on and set off up the path soon leaving the midges behind as I climbed the steep path only for the rain to end before too long. This was no help as I was already the sweating in my waterproofs with no wind and nothing to cool me down.

This is a stunning path through fabulous scenery, but I was very hot from the exertion and humid conditions that were distracting me from what should have been a tremendous walk. Finally the terrain eased and a slight breeze appeared that cooled me down so I could enjoy the awesome surroundings before me of Coire Làir. I have been through this valley several times in the past, though the only time it was in ascent was in 2014 when I diverted off the main path to climb Beinn Liath Mhòr to the north of the valley. On the southern side is the higher Munro of Sgòrr Ruadh, but the former is the more appealing having also taken that route in 2009, and it was very tempting for me to be lured that way again as there is fabulous walking along a thrilling two kilometre ridge leading up to Beinn Liath Mhòr. Sunlight was gleaming on the white quartzite stones of the ridge, while in contrast, the red sandstone on the steep buttresses of Sgòrr Ruadh looked dark and unappealing. Beyond the top of the pass between these mountains I could see blue skies that promised good weather to come while Coire Làir sat under dark clouds that kept the temperature down as I made my way through the valley.

In the past I had always gone over one of the two Munros and so I had never before taken the path in the middle of the valley, therefore I ignored the paths that branch off to either side of Coire Làir and headed straight towards the top of the pass. Gradually, as I climbed, the sun reclaimed the valley while beyond Glen Carron I could see that rain was falling on the area where I had been walking during the first week of my holiday, which seems typical of the Scottish Highlands where the weather is often highly localised. Slowly I made my way up a heavily eroded path to the top of the pass before descending steeply into Coire Grannda where my knees complained painfully all the way down. Once the terrain mercifully eased I was able to enjoy the stunning views ahead of me towards the Torridon giants, most notably Liathach, which was looking very dark and ominous as low cloud covered the summit of the Munros. During the first week of my holiday I had followed the route of the Cape Wrath Trail as far as Strathcarron and now on this walk I was continuing that trail north, so on the edge of Coire Grannda I came off the excellent path that turns east to head over Bealach Bàn and headed north.

Initially there was no path across the stony slopes although occasionally I came across small cairns that I assumed marked the route of the Cape Wrath Trail, until eventually I found a clear path that slowly descends into Glen Torridon while ahead of me were excellent views towards Beinn Eighe. While Liathach remained shadowy, Beinn Eighe shone in the sun with its cap of quartzite, similar to Beinn Liath Mhòr, making a striking sight that drew me irresistibly on. The increasingly well-made path was a joy to walk upon as it passed lovely streams where small waterfalls in tranquil settings provided delightful spots for me to stop and enjoy the surroundings. Eventually I came down to the bottom of the valley, passing the private Ling Hut and over the road onto the path that climbs into Coire Dubh Mór, between Liathach and Beinn Eighe. Despite a cold northerly wind, the weather was improving all the while with almost clear blue skies overhead by early evening, but by then it was too late to start to climb either mountain. It was frustrating to come so far and then have to wait before climbing Beinn Eighe, but until then I could bask in the awesome mountain scenery and enjoy the surroundings while camped between the amazing mountains of Torridon.