Maol Chean-dearg in the April sunshine...

Typical...you wait months for a Munro then two come along at once (well almost). It was less than a week since my 200th Munro exploits on Beinn Fhada and I had the opportunity to add to the total. A day off work and my girlfriend working late shift...what was a Munro bagger to do but go bag another one!! I have been relatively lucky when venturing into the north-west previously, indeed I can only recall Beinn Eighe being done in any inclement weather, so decided that was going to be my destination today. I knew it would be an early start and long drive so wanted to pick something that I could realistically do in 5-7 hours. Maol Chean-dearg fitted the bill perfectly. I set off from Aberdeen this morning just after six...any later and I would have hit the wall of morning traffic around the airport roundabout! I also knew that roadworks on the Kessock bridge in Inverness would slow me down considerably (I was sat in traffic almost an hour the last time I crossed it three weeks ago) so reckoned that with all that considered I should make it for a ten o'clock start at Coulags bridge.

I arrived bang on schedule after a three and a half hour drive, with one pit stop at tesco, and set off from the car park at quarter past ten. A short walk back on myself along the A890 and across the Coulags bridge brought me to the start of the walk proper. A beautiful walk in along the Scottish rights of way path to Glen Torridon would take up the first hour or so of my day. I meandered along an excellent approach path, snapping away at various Munro's and Corbetts on the way. I got some snaps of Sgorr Ruadh in particular, which I am planning for my next jaunt away in a weeks time. The path follows the route of the Fionn-abhainn as it winds it's way through the glen, and involves one bridge crossing.

Thankfully the bridge was sturdy enough to take my weight and I didn't have to resort to getting my feet wet. The weather was threatening to improve as I continued further into the glen...I had dispersed of my light jacket and hat within feet of leaving the car as it proved to be rather warmer than it originally felt...blue skies were starting to break through the high lying cloud cover. The wind at this level was minimal and, although it had clearly been raining the past few days, it remained dry. Sgorr Ruadh absolutely dominates the skyline to the right as you head into the glen, looking almost impregnable from this side, forming a wall of rock with Fuar Tholl (Corbett) to shelter you from any prevailing easterly winds. To the left is the hulk of Meall nan Ceapairean, which can be crossed in conjunction with the Corbett An Ruadh-stac on a longer day out. Further ahead in the glen I came across a memorial attached to a rock, commemorating the life of a Breton (as far as I am aware this refers to someone who lived in Cape Breton, America, and whose ancestors travelled originally from the highlands or islands of Scotland following the highland clearances) and his Son who have had their ashes scattered nearby.

Further along the glen, beyond Coire Fionnaraich (the mountain bothy) there stands a lonely stone, Clach nan Con-fionn (the stone of Fingal's dog), which legend states was used by the giant Fionn to tether his hunting dogs. It looks like a finger pointing up at the cliffs of Sgorr Ruadh from certain angles.

The weather was continuing to improve and, unbeknown to me at the time, my head was starting to burn slightly.  The path continues towards Glen Torridon, until a small cairn 400m further on signifies the detour up to the slopes of bealach a' choire ghairbh. The slope starts at 200m and climbs in a series of zig zags to a height of around 600m in just under 2k. As you approach the bealach the views just keep improving with height...the Corbett of An Ruadh-stac looms into view ahead...the slopes of Meall nan Ceapairean soar above you initially then taper away to form a fine connecting plateau with An Ruadh-stac.

An Ruadh-stac may not have the height of a Munro but it certainly has enough character to be climbed along with one...if only I had enough time today! Instead I turned my gaze towards the scree slopes heading up towards Maol Chean-dearg, with a faint path zig zagging up through the loose stones. There are a number of possible faint paths up but I stuck to the one just east of the ridge point. Once up this obstacle I found myself on a grassy plateau and followed the ever fainter path across it, towards the very obvious reason for the name Maol chean-dearg (it translates as bald red head). Ahead of me stood a slope of bright red rocks leading eventually to the summit of Maol Chean-dearg. I knew there was a faint path heading up the slopes but on occasions like this you know that any route up will suffice. I clambered up through the varying sizes of red rocks strewn across the slope for a further 150m or so until I spotted the large cairn lying in wait ahead of me.

A gentle walk across the summit plateau brought me to a large summit cairn at 933m. Maol Chean-dearg became my 201st Munro summit. The views on such a clear day were breathtaking...obviously Torridon dominates any Munro baggers eye...Beinn Eighe...Liathach...Beinn Alligin...but there was so much more to admire about the area than I had previously imagined. Views out to the inner sound and Raasay...Applecross and Skye peninsula...a host of, until now, Corbetts I had never heard of...the Munro's of the Glenuig forest and Strathcarron...Loch Torridon...snowy topped peaks too many to mention here...fabulous!!

I sat Jelly McBaby down on the summit cairn and rattled off a couple of pics of him celebrating our latest triumph...until a gust of wind blew him off (not in a good way) and I had to rescue him from a gap he got wedged in. Once out of that he settled down on a far safer rocky prominence until I finshed my lunch.

I stopped at the summit for almost half an hour, basking in the warmth of the midday sun, hoping that the group of four walkers I had passed at the bealach a' choire ghraibh would arrive and I could get my pic taken with McBaby. Unfortunately they were still some distance back and I would have to depart pictureless. I returned via the same route, making some exceptional time on the way back, passing all the same landmarks I had passed on the way out. I stopped to take a pic at the Coire Fionnaraich bothy as I realised it had a second building behind it (not sure if this was the original bothy or not).

When I saw the bridge I realised that I coudn't be more than half an hour from the car park, at the rate I was going. This was going to give me a pleasing time of four and three quarter hours from start to finish, including the half an hour I spent on the summit, clearly all my recent gym work was paying off!! As I approached the final section of the path I spotted a handy sign for those disorientated walkers not sure of which direction to take...

A few hundred meters further on and the "main road" was reached and I crossed back over the Coulags bridge and heaved a sigh of relief that my car was still where I left her (I wouldn't imagine the area is over-run with petty criminals, but one can never be sure nowadays!). I have another weekend away planned next weekend and am hoping to increase my tally by at least another two, if not four. I will keep my fingers crossed that my good spell of luck with the weather in the north-west highlands extends until then at least...until next time folks, keep bald red heads covered in sunshine or risk them getting redder!!

 

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I have hopefully resolved the access issue for the Facebook link to my pictures. If that is not the case then could someone leave a comment letting me know please and I will see what I can do about it. Thank you.