Moments of magic as the veil lifts
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
IT was just like a veil parting to reveal the face of a blushing bride. I had left Inverness full of optimism for a good day on Bac an Eich, a Corbett above Strathconon, but a thick mist doggedly refused to budge as I drove down the strath heading for the car park at Loch Beannacharain.
Then, as if by magic, I emerged from the mist to mountains bathed in sunshine. My mood immediately improved and I couldn’t wait to get started.
Donning boots rapidly to avoid a voracious midge attack, I set off west along the road that passes Scardroy Lodge. Swallows wheeled around, feeding on the midges and other insects on the loch.
Set on a knoll to the left is a memorial stone to Major General John Frederick Boyce Combe, a decorated British Army officer who spent over two years as a prisoner of war in Italy during World War Two.
After a kilometre the private road turns into a track, and in another kilometre I arrived at a bridge crossing the River Meig, which leads to a couple of ruined buildings on the other side.
Time for a brief stop to check my route for the day. The steep west ridge of Meall Buidhe lay ahead and I made my way painstakingly up, with the hot, windless conditions making the ascent more of a struggle.
A rough track offers some assistance at first but continues into bog, so it’s best to desert it for the ridge crest, even though this means picking a way through heather and small rocks.
It’s energy-sapping stuff, but the contours widen out as height is gained and the walking is mercifully easier.
The effort was definitely worth it on arrival at the summit for an incredible view down the plunging north face of the hill to the strath below and west towards the Torridon giants. My next objective, Loch Toll Lochain, lay out of sight, set in a bowl between Meall Buidhe and Bac an Eich.
The best line of approach is a path leading from Meall Buidhe which drops into a shallow dip before the ground rises again and the loch comes into view. I descended to its northern shore where a burn feeds in from the watershed above.
The south-eastern edge of the loch is rimmed by peat hags so access to Bac an Eich is most easily gained by skirting the south shore. This looks more difficult than it actually is and I was soon heading up Sgurr Toll Lochain, the south-east ridge of Bac an Eich.
Care is needed here for the terrain is rough and very steep. I found myself clinging on to bits of heather for support and being especially careful to get a good foothold each time I moved up.
The ground is marginally easier to the left but I burnt off a lot of nervous energy before the angle eased and I reached the much more amenable upper section of the ridge.
From there it’s steady going to the trig pillar on the 849 metre summit of Bac an Eich, where the view to Torridon opens up again. I could see rain clouds obscuring the tops of Liathach and Beinn Eighe and guessed some precipitation was on its way to me – hopefully not before I was back in the strath.
One option from here is to continue along the west ridge of Bac an Eich, over the top of Creag Coire na Feola, though the way down from there needs to be chosen carefully since the ground is steep.
Instead I took a bearing on the bealach at the head of Coire Mhoraigein, from where a path leads north-west, beneath Creag Coire na Feola, to the ruins and the bridge across the Meig.
On the way to the bealach I came on a shallow depression in the grass containing six broken egg shells. Consulting with wildlife expert Ray Collier, he reckoned it was most likely a ptarmigan nest. And a successful brood in this case too, it seems.
The path from the bealach is a little messy in places but is easy to follow, finally rounding the nose of Creag Coire na Feola and passing above an impressive waterfall on the river below.
Light rain began to fall just before I reached the ruins, but it was no hardship after such an exciting walk full of interest.
SIGN OF THE PAST
Near the start of the walk I was disturbed to see a stalking sign like those that existed in the bad old days before the Access Code, deterring walkers from going on the hill.
I complained to both the Scottish Ramblers and the MCofS and action from Highland Council’s access officer brought agreement from the stalker at Scardroy to remove the sign.
