I had made plans to come up to Achnashellach station last weekend with young Michael, the plan being to attempt Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh...unfortunately the weather interceded and ruined those plans (indeed the forecast was so horrendous that I ended up unable to leave Aberdeen!!). Another downside to this was missing out on a catch up with some old friends from work, Jaqui and Gordon, and a night on the beer with Michael.
Achnashellach plan...take two; I decided that the forecast this week was infinitely better, no 70mph winds forecast for a start, and if Jaqui and Gordon didn't mind a visitor a week later than planned then all would be good. The downside to this was that Michael couldn't get off work to meet up, so I would be going it alone. The good news was that, although Gordon was working late shift, Jaqui still wanted me to come up and stay. I took the opportunity to pack two bottles of wine and raid the Easter chocolate cupboard at home prior to departure (Jaqui has two small hungry people to keep happy).
The only drawback to travelling on Friday evening was the hour I had to sit in traffic trying to cross the Kessock bridge!! I eventually arrived at Muir of Ord just before seven o'clock on the Friday night...just in time to find a nappy needing changed!!! I passed on the opportunity to assist in said nappy changing and instead introduced myself to the elder of the clan (Eva) to hand over marshmallows and chocolate for Easter. Jaqui had made chilli for tea and we managed to wash it down with some prosecco...before polishing off the oyster bay that I had taken up and making a start on the McGuigans I had bought for Jaqui. By the time Gordon arrived home from work it was futile believing that I was going to get anything like the usual early night I would have before walking a Munro or two!! I eventually retired for the evening at approximately 0130, having consumed my own body weight in chilli and a bottle and a half of wine to the good.
My alarm went off at seven the same morning and I bleerily raised the will to make it down stairs for breakfast. I knew already that there was no way I was going to make two Munro's today, so changed my plans slightly and thought that Fionn Bheinn would be the better plan for today. With that in mind there was no longer a need to rush off so I stayed for breakfast and chatted with Jacqui and the kids for an hour. I thanked them for their hospitality and promised to come back sooner rather than later...it had been too long since seeing them last and there were loads of Munro's planned for this year in the north-west highlands anyway.
Given my being full of wine from last night I drove carefully along the A835/A832 to Achnasheen, parking up in the beautiful little village green by the pond. To walk Fionn Bheinn you cross the A832, pass the red telephone box, cross the stone bridge, head up the foot path, pass through the gates, pass the water treatment hut, stay to the left of the fence until you cross the gate to gain access to the hill. Tramp across gorse for the next two kilometres (which today also involved snow) towards the shoulder of Creagan na Laogh. Locate the tiny cairn and then head northwards down a dip before climbing onto the ridge of Fionn Bheinn. Head west along the ridge all the way to the summit trig point...sit back and drink in the fantastic views of Munro's as far as the eye can see: An Teallach...Slioch...Liathach...Beinn Eighe...Fisherfield six (now five)...Strathfarrar...Achnashellach...Beinn Dearg...Fannich...Glencarron...and many many more that I have and/or will climb before I am done. Were it not for the now biting cold on my fingers then I could have stayed atop that summit until the light faded and all the Munro's dimmed from view. Instead I pulled on gloves and headed down to the car below. All in it took me a little less than 3.5 hours to bag Munro 199...a trek 6 years in the making thus far.
With 199 now in the bag the pressure is on to bag a memorable Munro for number 200...perhaps one of the aforementioned in the blog above?? Hopefully I will provide the answer in the next 14 days...
