Knoydart - 2010

Loch Nevis

Great weather graced our first visit of the year to the remote peninsula of Knoydart on the west coast of Scotland across from Skye. The late cancellation of Jon’s London flight threatened a hasty re-plan but as the weekend weather forecast enabled Friday to be a spare day, he was able to catch the afternoon ferry and missed nothing. Meanwhile, Gayle and I made ourselves comfortable in the best bunkhouse on Knoydart: the Old Byre. We planned to take in both Luinne Bheinn and Meall Buidhe in one long day on Saturday followed by a slightly shorter day on mighty Ladhar Bheinn on Sunday. The Monday morning ferry would take us back to the mainland – or so it always seems that way on Knoydart where you have to keep reminding yourself you are already on the mainland!

Luinne Bheinn and Loch an Dubh-Lochain

Saturday started with the customary and unavoidable hike up to Mam Barrisdale (450m), a 3-hr walk on a reasonably good track for most of the way past an old fish hatchery and Loch an Dubh Lochain (black loch). A highlight today was the sight and sound of snipe darting above us with their distinctive ‘drumming’ created by their tail feathers. Sandpipers were playing along the loch shore but deer were nowhere to be seen. The track becomes a path that climbs up to the pass that heralds the start of the actual ascent of Luinne Bheinn (939m; swelling hill). The route is fairly easy, even in mist, as a line of rusting fence posts carry you around the southern flank of the hill before you strike for the summit up steep grassy slopes. The view to the north is stunning across Loch Hourn to Arnisdale and dear old Beinn Sgritheall, a favourite and memorable wee Munro.

Sgurr na Ciche From Meall Buidhe

Below you to the south the great ice-scoured corrie of Choire Odhair (dun-coloured corrie) fills the foreground and it is around the headwall of this mighty bowl that a good path leads you around to Meall Buidhe (946m; yellow hill). In clear conditions this hill always give great views to the west out over the sea and the islands of the Inner Hebrides. As it’s generally late in the day when I’m up here, these views are always enhanced by the sun sinking in the western sky and its shimmering reflection on the water. From the summit a long grassy ridge stretches south-westwards directly towards Inverie. You can descend from this ridge at the 500m level and drop down to a footbridge in Gleann Meadail. By late June however, the ferns are rampant on the lower slopes so we elected to stay with the ridge (Druim Righeanaich) all the way until it deposited us on the flat bogland opposite the Kilchoan estate bothy. A short walk across the dry bog and a convenient (but essential) bridge carried us back to our outward track and back to Inverie. It was a long day (25km; 9½ hrs), and tiring, but it breaks the back of the Knoydart Munros and leaves you with a more straightforward day to finish with for Ladhar Bheinn.

Ladhar Bheinn From the Folach Track

The horror that is wading through waist-deep ferns influenced our route selection on Sunday too! We decided to tackle Ladhar Bheinn directly from the south via the old shepherd’s cottage at Folach. Once you can fight your way out of Inverie (the track is not clearly marked and the pier has moved) you just follow the vehicle track north out of the trees and across the open pass of Mam Uidhe before dropping down to the bridge at Folach. Ladhar Bheinn is in view from the pass onwards and it’s not too long before you are climbing up easy grassy (and fern-free) slopes of An Diollaid on a sketchy path to the skyline.

Coire Dhorrcail

Again, great views open up to the north and the steep craggy cliffs of the mountain’s northern aspect contrast strongly with the more gentle grass on the southern slopes. The almost level summit ridge of this great mountain is punctuated by 3 cairns and a trig point; the actual summit is the cairn between the trig point and the eastern-most cairn – Ladhar Bheinn (1020m; hoof hill) From here spectacular views can be had in all directions. Mighty Coire Dhorrcail falls away beneath you, the mountain’s defining feature, whilst Barrisdale Bay, Loch Hourn and the other Knoydart peaks fill the eastern panorama.

Beinn Sgritheall and Arnisdale Across Loch Hourn

We returned the same way, heavy showers ensuring we didn’t get away scot-free. It didn’t matter however, we’d stood on 3 cloud-free summits and seen a lot of what Knoydart has to offer – wild country, great peaks and the unshakeable sense of being on an island. Don’t ever change!

Check out my future plans for similar walks on: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm