Beinn Alligin...the best views EVER from a hill.

Following on from yesterday's rather enjoyable day in the hills, with another new pair of summits bagged, I enjoyed a peaceful sleep secure in my decision to change my original plans and tackle Beinn Alligin today...then I woke up to a thick mist covering the hills around me! Fortunately I could feel the heat of the sun threatening to burn through so returned to bed for an hour confident that this would allow ample time for the mist to clear and blue skies to prevail.

I left Ledgowan Lodge at around ten o'clock and drove the short distance to Torridon, arriving at the car park 3k west of the village at Abhain Coire Mhic Nobuil in sweltering heat and only high wispy white clouds.

From the car park there is a choice of start and end points...east of the bridge is a large path that takes you across the Horns before the Munro's...west path takes you to the Munro summits first and then the Horns. I had already been advised that the best route to take was west to east, as that keeps the Horns and ridge in your view far longer. I set off at my usual brisk pace, trying to shake any stiffness from yesterday out of my limbs, leaving a couple in the car park well behind. The path is very well constructed and easy to follow. The first thing you notice about this walk is the view back to Upper Loch Torridon across to Coulin Munro's, then the side on view you get of Liathach to the east, then the fact that everything around you is in such vivid colour and that mountains seem to be rising from every angle...then before you know it you are at the deer fence.

The second thing you notice on this walk up is that you are gaining height continually, from the moment you leave the car park at 61m to the moment you top out on the high bealach at around 870m there is only one short flat section to ease the ache of a strenuous climb of 800m...and because of the increasingly amazing views all around you it's not even as though you have time to notice if your legs hurt or not. I continued up the rising path into the awaiting maw of Coir nan Laogh. Steep walls of Torridonian sandstone rise up sharply either side of you as you enter the corrie, the path hangs to the right of the corrie, to the left of the stream...thankfully as the left of the corrie appeared almost ragged beyond belief. And still the views kept coming...

Little could I imagine that the best was yet to come...after all what could be better than the views I have had from the majority of my Munro climbs already this year?? The answer lay another 50m above me at the top of the bealach. I pushed on through the corrie, stopping only to drain my bottle of lucozade and refill it at the stream coursing downhill...then drinking the full 500ml and filling her back up again...at least I would be nothing less than hydrated today. The fantastic views of the Horns of Alligin had disappeared when I entered the corrie, the thought of how good they would look from the top pushed me on through the tough climb. I was anticipating something special as I neared the top of the bealach, especially as I could see the summit trig point high above me, almost taunting me to hurry up and reach her.

Unfortunately the clouds had arrived and swallowed up the sun, making me reach into my rucksack for an extra layer when I arrived at the summit, only for her to burst through and bathe the land in her radiance by the time McBaby climbed upon the summit cairn of Tom na Gruagaich 922m.

 

This is the lower Munro of Beinn Alligin and was only promoted from spot height to Munro in 1997, but can in no way be considered inferior to Sgurr Mhor. The views from here outstripped even my wildest dreams and aspirations of the area.

If anyone is ever in any doubt as to the beauty of our fair land then I implore you to get out of the city, leave the crowds and pollution behind, pull on a sturdy pair of footwear and traverse up a clear path to this fantastic viewpoint and wonder in awe at the creation that lies beneath you...Whether or not you choose to take a step further on the ridge, I challenge anyone not to be mightily impressed at the vista that greets you at the trig point.

OMG!!! I could see for miles around...the entire north-west highlands and beyond had opened up to me in one magnificent panoramic delight. Liathach and Beinn Eighe stand like giants, jealously guarding the jewel of Glen Torridon and the views that lie beyond...Beinn Liath Mhor, Sgorr Ruadh, Maol Chean-dearg steeple the far side of the Glen but pale in significance in sight of these monoliths. Far out to Strathconnon, Strathfarrer, Mullardoch, Affric, Kintail...the Cuillin of Skye...all magnificent in their own right but surely none possess views as wonderous as this!! Look ahead to Sgurr Mhor and the snaking line of the path along the ridge, beyond lies An Teallach (rightly renowned as the jewel of them all) the Fisherfield six (now sadly five) Beinn Dearg and the Inverlael and Braemore Munro ranges...I swear I drooled a little!!

Then when you think you have seen all you are going to see from here a cloud inversion (a colder band of air trapped beneath a warmer layer) rolls in across the inner sound (the fourth pic down above).

And then I see my first people since leaving the car park, a distant figure on the summit of Sgurr Mhor, followed shortly after by another one, both appearing to have traversed the route in reverse meaning I should pass them between Munro's. I dropped down to the bealach on a rather rocky path that would prove hazardous in misty conditions, but was obvious to pick out in these clear skies. I passed both the other walkers I had seen coming towards me earlier, stopping to speak to an elderly gentleman, just before the climb back up to the minor peak in between Tom na Graugaich and Sgurr Mhor. He informed me that there were three other walkers ahead of me, at the summit and getting ready to head for the Horns. We wished each other well for the remainder of our day and headed off in opposite directions. I didn't get a chance to speak to the other walker heading towards me, he turned off the path and trudged down through grass to bypass the minor peak...perhaps he caught a whiff of me on the breeze in my second day old walking gear (anything to save on washing too much gear when I get home)!! I walked on to my next target of the day...Eag Dubh (the black cleft)!!

I stood on the edge of the right hand face above and wished that I had someone with me to take dramatic shots like that...but until Jelly McBaby learns how to use my Xperia Z then I guess that's something I have to live with as a lone walker. From here the pull to the summit cairn of Sgurr Mhor is not far and flattens out somewhat to reveal a sizable cairn to the left of the cliffs 986m. The view from here was possibly even better than on Tom na Gruagaich, specifically the view across Loch a Bhealaich to Baosbheinn.

We sat here a while and wondered if we had had a better day on a hill before...then conceded that perhaps not. All eyes then turned to the traverse of Na Rathanan (the Horns of Alligin), three rocky prominences that lie between the walker and home. Having no head for heights, and mindful of my collapse in Tenerife only two weeks earlier, I admit to having doubts about going out on them alone (a slip on wet rock or grass could prove fatal, a recurrence of my Tenerife blackout whilst on a pinnacle would undoubtedly prove fatal) but the pull was too strong to resist. You only get one chance to live, it's not a rehearsal for something else, so risks must be taken and consequences cast aside at times...this felt like one of those times.

I could see the three other walkers ahead of me now for the first time, heading up the first Horn as I was heading down from the summit cairn. There is a faint path around the Horns, on grass, but is actually considered more dangerous than a traverse over the Horns (possibly due to the steepness of the drop and it being grass) so the only logical decision was to go across the top...simples!

What I failed to admit to myself at the time was that I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and felt a little light headed, I actually dismissed this and put it down to my reticence of heights. Thankfully I stopped on the top of the first Horn and consumed an oat bar before negotiating the second Horn. The scramble up the first Horn was rather airy and the drop down the other side was surprisingly easy. The second Horn proved airy on the way up and more difficult to negotiate a way down from...I found myself over to the right and balanced precariously on a boulder above a sheer drop whilst trying to reach the next boulder down...a grab on a rock above my head and a swing out and lunge forward saw me land safely on the large boulder at the side of me. When I stopped shaking I could see the three guys ahead of me had stopped and were watching me from the third Horn. They later told me that they had found an easier drop down further to the left, which had initially looked too tough, but were glad they hadn't gone the same way as me. The third Horn was far easier to negotiate and before I knew it I was heading down a clear path that would lead me back to two bridge crossings over rivers and eventually the car park. 

Once back at the car I made my mind up to head home, after a brief stop for a shower at Ledgowan Lodge, rather than stay another night and push myself too hard on a third day. Everyone has limitations, I found mine earlier than usual on this particular trip, but with a build up of fitness I will be back to my peak in a couple of weeks (hopefully with no further episodes of blacking out).

 

Beinn Alligin is perhaps my new favourite hill...although that may have had a lot to do with the views as An Teallach and Creag Meaghaidh were done in mist and I still have Liathach and the Saddle and much of the Cuillin to do.

 

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