Nice early start from Poolewe, where I was camped, and parked just down from the Dundonnel Hotel, near the Mountain Rescue house, the only car in the area. Crossed the road to the path and went up a clear, straightforward path (though with a couple of bouldery bits). This gradually wends its way into a large corrie between Bidein and Meall Garbh and the way forward, in good weather, was clear. Should be OK too in mist as the path is for the most part clear. The path in fact continues straight on through the centre of the corrie and straight right up onto the ridge leading to Bidein. On the ridge is the unnamed top mentioned in the book but it is unnecessary to climb it. There is a bypass path on the right (obvious on the way back but you have to search for it on the way up) which then takes you to a zigzag path up to the summit. The path is quite eroded and slippy in parts and some care is needed but is not difficult. Surprisingly there is no cairn at the top, just a trig point.
Beautiful views of the very sharp pinnacles which reinforced my decision not to try them on my own. Two guys turned up while I was having lunch. They were up in Scotland from Oxford for three days and looking to do as much as they could while the weather was good. They had camped down by Loch Toll an Lochain (you could see the little yellow dot), left at 7.00, climbed up to the pinnacles and done the two munros. The pinnacles were not quite as bad as they thought and reckoned that if I had done the Aonach Eagach I would have no trouble with these. Didn't take into account though that I'm ten years older and much stiffer. Cheese and ham sandwiches and glorious views over to the Summer Isles.
A simple, rocky descent from Bidein down to the col. You can see a path, dodgy looking, going up the edge of the sharp ridge to Fiona but there is no indication (as far as I could see) how to reach it from the col. As it is, the main path makes a diagonal bee-line across the ridge then zigzags up to the top. It is by no means an easy path as it is quite rocky and very eroded at parts. And towards the top it needs some attention to find it as it makes its way over rocks. A little problem at the very top as the path winds round to meet the path going down to the pinnacles and at that point I could not get over the rocks to reach the summit. Easy enough I suppose for someone younger but my legs just wouldn't bend enough. For a moment I wondered if this would be a summit I couldn't achieve. Making my way
back, however, along the path I saw that by stepping along one rock I was able to get up to what turned out to be a very narrow top with a small cairn. At this point I could then see a very obvious path leading off the top and going down the edge of the ridge which I followed for a steep but easy descent. It also avoided having to use the horrible, eroded path I had used on the way up. Because this path was so clear I deliberately looked to see where it started at the col as I assumed I had as usual walked past it. But the fact is that it ends on a rocky incline so that if you don't know exactly where it is when at the col it is not easy to find. Not relishing a climb all the way back up Bidein and the rocks being slabby and fairly easy to walk on I decided about two thirds of the way up to contour the hill to find the path back to the corrie. I probably started this a wee bit too early and had a longer contour than necessary but it wasn't difficult and you could see ahead to the path you were trying to reach. Down below I could see a herd of wild goats grazing (on what?) but they had no interest in me. Reaching the path I was soon back at the top of the corrie anticipating an easy descent back to the car. Well, it wasn't actually difficult but what had seemed an obvious path on the way up didn't seem quite the same on the way down. Several times I found myself pathless wondering which way to go to get back to the path and for a while was sure I was not on the same path I took going up. But it was and I eventually got back down to the car about 5.30 ( This week I seem to be taking as long to come down as go up). Still the only car in the area.
