Munros 2024 : Kinlochewe Loop

Munros this section :

Beinn Liath Mhor

Sgorr Ruadh,

aol Chean-Dearg

Spidean a' Choire Leith

Mullach an Rathain

Tom na Gruagaich

Sgurr Mhor (Beinn Alligin)

Ruadh-stac Mor (Beinn Eighe), Spidean Coire nan Clach (Beinn Eighe)

The little bothy there was a pleasant respite from all the water.

Kinlochewe seems to consist of a hotel with a bar / restaurant, catering entirely to tourists, plus a village shop and a rather nice petrol station plus shop and cafe that do likewise.  Seems the place is a popular stop for people touring Scotland in various ways - cycles and motorbikes, campervans and even supercars are common sights on the roads around here.  Well, I am not the only one turning up on foot, and between the bar and the two shops there is everything I need, and despite my not doing much the day seems to pass quickly.  Next morning I wake to find my tent in a puddle, of course it has rained heavily all night, ah well, I pack it up, and note the strong wind blowing around Kinlochewe - I am sure this in no way bodes ill for the situation higher up - and head to the petrol station cafe for a fortifying bacon roll.  Then off, on a truly awful 'path', muddy and overgrown, no fun at all in the rain.  Of course I could have taken the road, I only didn't to avoid going the same way twice as this is a circular section.  Some respite two hours later, a gravel track, it is dry, there's even a bit of sun.  Then up to a pass, it's getting windy and wet, I walk packless up Beinn Liath Mhor, enduring the crazy weather, and yet again my reward is a wet pile of rocks in a cloud.  Down a bit, then up Sgorr Ruadh, an easy enough ascent but not fun in these conditions.  After that a long descent, it's my own route but it's OK.  Time to camp, of course it is still raining...

Maol Chean-Dearg summit - they will all be selfies in clouds from now on.

And still more of this, I start another day by walking straight up Maol Chean-Dearg, on a good path, but the weather remains grim, wet, windy and horrible.  Down the other side, once again a 'special' route of my own devising, so steep, it's very good to finally reach a well built trail, this is a nice walk although of course it is still raining.  Down to sea level, indeed I pass Torridon, on the loch with the same name, which connects to the sea.  I eat a late lunch here, at 2pm, according to my plan I still have two Munros to do, Spidean a' Choire Leith and Mullach an Rathain, and I decide to carry on, how bad can it be?  Haha.  A little bit of road to the trail head, then up, steps, they seem endless, into a cloud of course, it is wet and cold, the climb keeps coming, it does get a bit dryer, I can even just about make out the sun from the summit.  On the minus side it is 6.30pm, and I manage to faceplant taking a photo with the self-timer.  I probably should backtrack now, but the next summit is only 1km away... of course, there turn out to be many rocky pinnacles in the way, I bypass most of them on a path following a contour line, but that means a terrifying drop to one side.  Somehow I make it, then it's a long way down, I chose this way because it descends over several km, thinking it should be easy, in fact the path is rarely visible and of course there are many crazy steep bits.  I camp at past 9.30, still nothing like all the way down, and my sleeping bag is wet...

The first, and pointiest, of the horns.  I did clamber all the way up.

Ok, an easy day in theory, only two Munros, Tom na Gruagaich and Sgurr Mhor - both part of the Beinn Alligin mountain complex - and a mere 18km, however I make a late start, and then have to descend from the camp spot, there's no path, and the route is still crazy steep of course.  I walk a bit of road, then paths leading up, I have to be careful navigating now, my GPS is not happy with the weather, it is showing the map, my position, and the location of the Munros, but not my planned route.  Well, the way up is obvious, there are more steps, so many steps, although at least it is dry for a change.  I see a lot of people, mostly passing me on the long climb, but still I make it up by 1pm.  From here it's an easy ridge walk to Sgurr Mhor, now I just have to get down - ah.  Various people had mentioned something about 'horns' hereabouts, I was thinking maybe those mountains I climbed yesterday - but no, rather my route down today involves clambering over a series of aptly named rocky pinnacles - well to be fair I find a contouring path to avoid the worst of the second two.  I get through it, am briefly rewarded by the sight of the sun, of course I haven't actually lost much height so there is still a steep descent, but then some good trail and I'm in the tent before 7pm.

Haggis!

Another supposedly easy day, again only two Munros, and this time just 16km, and there's even good trail to start with, though unsurprisingly I then have to turn uphill.  It's a well walked path, but long, and of course wet, and then I get to an insane scree slope, it just keeps getting steeper, eventually I am clambering up to reach a ridge.  I can at least drop the pack here, for an easy enough climb up to Ruadh-stac Mor, then back to get my pack and oh joy, lots of bouldering up to Spidean Coire nan Clach, all the while battered by a brutal wind, it is just so horrible.  All this for two selfies in cloud.  The way down is OK but long, it is 3pm by the time I am low enough that I can pause for lunch.  Then down even more, so good to meet a road, from here it is not far back to Kinlochewe, where I retire to the Stag Highland Restaurant for, well it has to be haggis.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.