Into Glen Affric

It is worth sitting through the whole slideshow...honestly it gets better!



Well the idea was to go into Glen Affric, walking in over A'Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire, stay at the hostel, do Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan & Mullach na Dheiragain on the Saturday and then come out on sunday over Ciste Dubh. Big Plans. I'd done all these before, except for Mullach na Dheiragain - (Jerry?) - so that was my real target, but.....

The forecast was not great - it has been rubbish weather ever since the rain of Gulvain - but I've got a thing about Kintail and Glen Affric. There are certain places in Scotland that I try to get to each year: Lochcarron, Applecross, Ullapool......and the hostel in Glen Affric. Granted it has been about 5 years since I was here last, but it is a special place and I have no concerns about spending time in this area, getting new hills or just doing old ones.

So, dodgy forecast or not we went in. It would be a good place to doze and mooch around, miles from civilisation even if we didn't get the hills.

First off we went to the 914 Outdoors shop at Dornie - Marian needed some new waterproof trousers after shredding a pair on Skye the week before. Kitted out we drove back up the Glen, parked in the lay by just past the Cluanie Inn and headed in.

It was still just clear on the tops as we turned off the main track after only a few metres at a little cairn and began the long slog to the ridge, weighed down with 2 days food and extra clothes. The extra weight was a burden and it took a while to get up, the climb interrupted by excuses to look at the views.

By the time we were approaching the summit of A'Chralaig the cloud had rolled in. It was still warm and there was a path along the ridge so navigation was not an issue but we missed an exquisite ridge - twisting back and forward with rocky sections eventually giving out to the summit of Mullach Fraoch-choire - the peak of the heathery corrie.

That was when I began to be happy to have taken so long on the walk, any faster and we would have missed the views.

As we approached the top the cloud blew away and the northwest highlands exposed themselves like girls on a cheeky hen night. The cloud pulled back and you could see it all - Kintail, Affric, the rough bounds. Glorious.

Our route down to the hostel was clear, along a curving shoulder then straight down a steep grassy slope and over a couple of deer fences.

Last time I'd come in this was in about 2 and a half hours. This time with 2 munros it was a 7 hour walk (!) but it was worth it for the views. Clear and green.

In the hostel a group of 3 - a Dad his twenty something daughter and his mate - who were playing dominos before they retired early. Their plan was for An Socach, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan & Mullach na Dheiragain the next day before heading out to Cluanie and driving to Skye. Our plan was similar except for the fact that we were not planning to leave at 5 am!

There was another guy too who had walked in from Loch Affric and was planning on three munros further down the glen. Plus two Israeli guys who had wandered in. 7 miles from the nearest road Alltbeithe is remote, but those who get there love the hills and whatever their background, they are always good to chat to.

We all agreed that tomorrow's walks were contingent on the weather. The forecasts were rotten and we didn't really fancy a soaking.

Lots of cups of tea, good chat about hills then bed.

More to come.....