It was still misty when we got up but this cleared quickly and we could see how beautiful the scenery was. A quiet, smooth loch looking over to the mountains. I think Roy was becoming blasé about the scenery but he seems to have been impressed by Scotland. Not seen much in the way of animal life though. The odd deer but no birds, certainly no eagles, not even any hares. Breakfast was my first attempt at porridge - what a disaster. It was so thick you could have used it to build houses. Roy pretended to enjoy it but Graeme had about two mouthfuls i.e. two slices and gave up. For the rest of the trip he stuck to soup for breakfast. It was about this time we fully realised we would get no help from Roy on cooking, not even a cup of coffee as he seemed unable even to boil a kettle. But he was good at washing up which took away a chore for us, though even that had its mishaps. "I've lost a dixie" came the cry while Roy was down at the lochside cleaning up. How can you lose a dixie I thought, making my way down, only to see the dixie floating out to sea. Just as well it was a small loch and the wind blew it easily to the opposite shore where Graeme collected it. Things tend to happen when Roy is around.
Didn't take us long to get packed though everything was still damp and the ground around the tent was beginning to get like a quagmire. Off and up alongside Loch Gorm, this time using the shore as much as possible which was much easier and we soon reached the slopes at the top of the loch. A slow climb up and we were soon at the little lochan halfway up to the ridge. It would after all have been ideal as a camping spot, but we were not to know. Filled up with water and away again, all of us taking different routes. Graeme and Roy reached the ridge long before me, but I was getting used to that, the old guy slowing everyone down. On the ridge at the col between An Coileachan and Meall Gorm we decided we would do the former. It looked so easy so we dumped the packs and went. And it really was easy, just a gentle climb up grassy and then stony ground to the cairn. Some nice views up here looking back to Ben Wyvis. A special handshake for Graeme for his 50th munro. Not a very special hill to do it on but still congratulations.
Down we came from An Coileachan. On the way we passed a sole walker who would have just gone past without even a grunt except that Roy collared him. Once collared he seemed quite happy to chat to Roy, who was telling him we were doing a coast to coast walk. Not sure he was interested but he was pleasant and out for a day's stroll. At the bottom we picked up our gear once again and then up towards Meall Gorm. The walking was easy. The ridge is wide, grassy and pleasant with no problems at all. Just before the top we came across the stalkers cottage Muriel Gray mentioned on her video, all fallen down now unfortunately. I had forgotten it was there so it was a pleasant surprise to come across it. We had lunch there, soup and a power (energy ) bar. The soup as usual was lovely but the energy bar - Yughh. Shortly after this we reached the summit. Not a lot to shout about, it's a particularly featureless summit with not a lot to it. We could see the route back to the road, emphasising the fact that we would have been better coming up the valley rather than going over the hill with the long name. Actually we seemed to go a long, long way before we got rid of this view. It made us feel we were not getting anywhere as long as we could see the road and the place we had camped the night before. Looking over at the other side we could see Sgurr nan Clach Geala and Sgurr nan Each both of which looked to be powerful climbs. We had already decided we could not take them in which was a pity. Still there will be other days.
It was also nice from this summit to look down at the place we had camped earlier. We were now standing at the place we could see from the campsite. Looking ahead we could just determine Meall a' Chrasgaidh our last hill of the day. It hardly looked like a hill from this angle. We were not unduly tired at this point but knew we still had quite a walk to the bothy so had decided to take the easiest way, which was via Meall a'Chrasgaidh. Besides it looked as if this hill would have good views of An Teallach, now visible ahead.
Coming off the steep slopes of Sgurr Mor is not too difficult and we were very soon down in the col leading to Carn na Criche. Once up this I was saying how easy the climb to Meall a'Chrasgaidh was. The others gave me funny looks. "This isn't it, this is only the top going towards it ." Sure enough the real hill loomed ahead, by now looking much more like a mountain. What we were on was just the turning point on the Fannichs ridge. Go left and you are on to Sgurr nan Clach Geala ( it really does look to be a hard, interesting climb). Go straight ahead as we did and you are on to Meall a'Chrasgaidh. Actually it is a pretty straightforward climb up to the summit, especially at my speed of twenty paces, stop, twenty paces, stop, etc. The top was worth it for the view of An Teallach, showing it at its spikiest best. I gather that you get the best views of it from this side of the hill and it looked good. A bit cloudy on the top although the weather was now excellent.
With this summit we had completed the Fannichs for now. Not the most exciting of hills as they are quite easy to walk, with no dicey bits at all. Perhaps the ones we missed will provide more excitement. - We came down the side of the hill, a long drop but not too difficult. Lots of peat bog and tummocks but by taking a diagonal line we could avoid most of the really bad stuff. It also helps when you can see the bottom where a river flowed and knew just how far to get down. I was ahead again with Roy struggling manfully. He does not like coming down and takes it slowly. Going up he is as fast as anyone and on the flat he left us all standing. But going downhill! - at least I could beat him on something. At the bottom a reasonably easy walk up the glen on to a path which led to the edge of Loch a'Bhraoin.
By this time we were quite tired and looking forward to an easy walk to the bothy at Lochivraon. This is the point where you really start to go into the wilderness. This corner of the loch is not far from the A832 and from now on we were walking away from the roads. The walk along the loch was pretty but also pretty awful as a) the path followed every bend in the loch thus doubling the journey, b) it often went across the shingle shore which was purgatory and c) the loch was longer than we had thought. Probably about two miles against an anticipated one mile. The bothy too was not at the edge of the loch and we thought we would never reach it. Graeme and Roy got there first and I could tell from their faces they were not too happy. The place was a bit of a wreck but I had expected no more so was easy with it. What they expected from a ruined cottage I don't know but Graeme at first was for camping outside. There was a couple in the kitchen and we looked upstairs for bedding down. A couple of old bedsteads and some rotting blankets or whatever. The floor in one room was unusable but the other I was prepared to accept. Anyway the young couple decided to camp outside and we took over the kitchen. A funny couple, we had seen them at the Aultguish Inn the night before last. I was convinced one of them was a girl but the others said it was a boy, probably the brother of the other one. I accepted what they said but even looking closely at him he still looked like a girl to me. Not even sure if he could speak, as he did not utter a word. His brother/companion at least was polite enough to talk when spoken to. Apparently they had climbed all of the Fannichs and were absolutely dead on their feet. Can't blame them - all of the Fannichs plus I believe Sgurr Breac and A'Chailleach. Thinking back over it they probably omitted Meall a'Chrasgaidh and Beinn Liath Mhor Fannich, the two offshoots, but even so. Anyway they went out and we camped in the kitchen. It was dark but someone had left candles which Roy lit - made it feel like Christmas. A huge fireplace enabled us to set up stoves and cook our first delightful Raven pack. We all had different meals but we all agreed they were foul. Occasionally when eating mince you get a little lump of gristle. With these packs it is like eating a whole plateful of mince gristle. At least the coffee tasted good. Roy set up string across the ceiling and we hung clothes everywhere. Although the place was dark and possibly dirty (we couldn't see) the wooden floor was comfortable and people had left items like washing up liquid and candles. There was also a good table, stool and bench and with a bit of tidying up it could have been OK. Outside in the other rooms and shed it was really uninhabitable as people had dumped all sort of things and it was filthy. One curiosity about the place was the electric light and light bulb in the kitchen. For a place probably 10 miles from an electric wire this was strange.
Down from Meall Gorm the way was pretty obvious along the ridge, down then up over a top called Meall nam Peithirean which I cannot now even remember doing. Again we met a couple of walkers who would have passed us but for Roy engaging them in conversation. Again they were just day trippers and again Roy let them know we were on a coast to coast walk. I'm not sure how much they were interested but they seemed to enjoy the chat. I'll give you one thing about Roy, he'll talk to anyone. Actually one guy ( I can't remember which of the Fannich hills he was on when we met him) was interested in our trip but could not understand how we came to be on the Fannichs when doing a coast to coast via Ben Wyvis. "You would have to come south to do that" he claimed. He still did not seem to understand when I explained it was for the sake of getting in the Fannichs we had come this way. After all if we had simply walked west from Evanton we would probably have reached the other coast in a couple of days. The guy himself was walking the length of Scotland from south to north but we don't know if it was one continuous walk or done in bits. The view on the way up Sgurr Mor took in the side mountain Beinn Liath Mhor Fannich which did not look to be difficult but which we declined because it meant going off to climb it and then having to come all the way back to Sgurr Mor. Too much effort for us but one we can bag another time.
The last part of the climb up Sgurr Mor is interesting but tiring. Muriel Gray again mentioned it in her video as being a series of steps caused by erosion - not a place she says for siting a caravan park. Not a place for climbing either. It is really strenuous stepping up two or three feet onto a relatively flat area, a bit like crossing a road, then up another two or three feet and so on. This went on and on and it gets weary. But then so does all the climbing to me, I'm getting slower and slower. Some lovely views at the top, this being the highest summit in the Fannichs, though Sgurr nan Clach Geala across the glen runs it a close second. Lovely views of Slioch and, I think, of the hills of Knoydart. Somewhere around here I managed to cut my finger. I think it was when I tried to pull the water container out of the bag and rubbed my finger up the cutlery knife. I had not realised just how lethal those things are. Only a minor cut but by jings did it bleed. It wouldn't stop and I had to keep a handkerchief on it for ages. Graeme or Roy thought it was because my blood was thin after taking aspirins but I reckon it was pressure from fat fingers. I always get swollen hands when coming down hills but usually it is just the left hand ( exercise on the walking stick seems to help the right hand). This week, however, the hands had swollen since the Aultguish Inn and never came down until we stayed overnight at Poolewe. I'm just surprised the blood didn't spurt out with the pressure.
Slioch from An Coileachan
Old Stalkers Hut on Meall Gorm
