The wonderful thing about Scotland in August is that you never know
what's around the corner. While last weekend had us sweltering at
25C, the approach to the Bank Holiday Weekend was heavy rain and high
winds in the West - just where I was planning to go. Checks of the
various weather forecasting sites confirmed that Sunday was going to be
a complete washout, so the plans were curtailed, meaning a Sunday drive
up and a Monday walk.
Arriving at 7pm, the priority was to get food, so it was into the Inn
at Balmacara for some liquid refreshment and steak pie. The campsite at
Reraig is just behind the Inn, so we decided that would do us for the
evening. Despite the still high winds, we managed to find a very
sheltered spot for two tents and it was rather cosy to hear the mayhem
outside while being snug in your little nylon home.
Monday am and the clouds were beginning to break up a little, but it
was still very, very windy. After a short breakfast, it was in the car
at NG940303. The gate was soon reached and, though not locked, the
various accompanying signs made it clear that unauthorised vehicles
could go no further. The bikes were unpacked and off we set through a
rather lovely estate. All the buildings at Killilan were very well
looked after and the tarmac road, which continued on to around NG969280
was in better condition than most of the public roads I drive on.
Although the tarmac becomes more intermittent after that, the surface
was still OK(ish) for my thin, 80 psi tyres. There also seemed to be a
lot of downhill on the way in - which didn't bode well for the
return journey.
The bikes were locked up at Carnach as that was our planned descent
route and we walked on to Iron Lodge and up the track towards Loch an
Droma. The amount of water we'd seen coming down the various falls
and streams was giving us some concern as we knew there were a couple
of river crossings on the route around NH068282. In fact the SMC guide
warned that one might be unpassable after spate. On the way up, we met
two stalkers here in their AgroCat and they told us that the two
crossings had been bridged - which was met with some relief.
Approaching the North end of the Mullach na Dheiragain ridge presented
a multitude of approach routes, we decided on a zig-zag approach up the
North end following the line of some grassy terraces. The exit from the
terraces turned out to be a bit steeper than it looked and we had to
indulge in a spot of grassy scrambling.
The whole ascent was, in any case, made incredibly hard by the wind,
which we'd been protected from at lower levels. By the time we made
the top of the ridge, we were beginning to really struggle to make any
progress. However, through a bit of determination, and a couple of
rests, we eventually made the summit of the Mullach. The hardest thing
now was to decide on our route onwards. Although the tops were mainly
clear of cloud, and it was dry, we decided that the wind was going to
prove just too much for a 15km ridge walk. It was therefore a case of
backtracking to Iron Lodge.
We chose a more direct descent route, basically straight down from the
col between MnD and Mullach Sidhith. This was a bit of a knee-killer,
but the route was visible all the way down and we knew we'd be out of
the wind sooner. So successful was this ruse that, by the time we hit
the floor of the glen, it was jacket off and the pleasure of a bit of
sun all the way back to the car.
The cycle out proved to be not as much uphill as we'd feared - it
was hard enough having to pedal into that wind, though my bottom was
regretting the lack of padded cycle shorts and the high tyre pressures.
In summary - a bit of a battle for a single Munro, but a route through
some wonderful countryside. A return journey to complete the ridge walk
is very much looked forward to.
Six to go.
druidh
PS (for Stuart) - The car park near Killilan is well away from any
houses. There's a nice flat field next door to it too. Bridge at Loch
na Leitreach is fine - we met a family who'd cycled and walked into
Glomach. Carnach is a small collection of (used) buildings - but I'd
not call it a village. As above - cycling in and out is a doddle.