Parked at the curve in the A832 road near Loch a'Bhraoin.  Easier to find than I expected and there were a few cars already parked there.  This was the point of our 1995 walk across Scotland where we finally left civilisation so this walk was bringing back a few memories.  A short walk down the track to the ruined boathouse at Loch a'Bhraoin, across the bridge and then a long trek along the path up to the pass between Sgurr Breac and the Sgurr nan Each ridge.  Quite a few walkers with us at the beginning though they disappeared soon after.  We soon found out why when we realised we were yet again on the wrong path.   The guidebook tells you to cross over the river at one point and continue the climb on the other side.  I missed this and we ended up on a faint, very boggy path contouring the river and giving us a difficult walk.  Especially Graeme who seemed to be having a lot of trouble today.  He wasn't too happy when I mentioned my mistake.  Cutting our losses we headed across the river and over boggy land to reach the easier path and then up to the pass.  All the way the climb to Sgurr Breac looked fearsome.  At the pass a path went up the ridge and was quite prominent and I went ahead.   The first part of the climb was rocky with one or two minor difficult bits, mainly because of the wind which was now quite fearsome.  Once past this it just became a simple slog all the way to the top.  No problem in the clear weather (and probably easy in mist).  However, finding the summit on this hill is actually a problem as it is a plateau with 2/3 cairns and there is a separate top about 200 yards further on.  Same old story where it is always the other cairn that looks higher but in the end it looked like the tiny cairn at the beginning of the plateau that won, it must be the worst cairn I have ever seen on a summit - well nearly.   The wind was too fierce for stopping and there was no shelter here but I had already found a relatively sheltered spot on the next top.    Strangely, we had seen almost no-one on this climb since the beginning but now at the top they appeared from all angles, though we had cornered virtually the only bit of shelter.

31 May 1999
The walk from Sgurr Breac to A'Chailleach is dead easy.  Down a rocky slope onto the ridge and a stroll over the top Toman Conich.  From a distance the top looks high but you are over it quickly, then another drop which when you look back at the top makes you feel you've got a long way to climb.  But there is no difficulty and the only interest was looking at the snow patches.  Before you know where you are you are at the summit.  What an easy way to get a munro.   Lovely views again from this summit, particularly of Slioch, Sgurr Ban and of the bothy we had stayed in at the end of Loch a'Bhraoin. We watched where other
people were going on the ridge down as the book warns not to go to the end, because of crags.  A fairly easy descent until we reached a crossing of paths which we assumed was the start of the way down.  It was but it still didn't stop us going the wrong way.  The wrong way duo they will soon be calling us.  The path we took led onto steep, grassy slopes which worked their way down and around crags.  If we were avoiding the end of the ridge crags what must they be like compared to this.    On the way down we saw some others coming down further up the ridge and at the bottom we could see that while we had left the ridge at the right point we should have continued more to the right on the way down.  We went left, hence the problems.  Our way led us down onto boggy ground and we then had to contour a hill round towards Loch a'Bhraoin.  Easy in clear weather but I imagine there would be a bit more work in mist.  Actually, although we came down the hard way I'm not sure it made all that much difference in the end.  Whatever way you come down you end up contouring the hill and walking across some pretty rough terrain.  At Loch a'Bhraoin we passed a family (grandparents I think) with three little children who were doing great guns over the poor terrain and seemed to be thoroughly enjoying themselves.  As you have to walk along the wrong side of Loch a'Bhraoin and can see the boathouse from a distance you think you are never going to get there, but of course you do and after the sting of the trackway back to the car you are home.