Beinn Fhada via the Sgurr a' Choire Garbh Ridge.
A superb route to Beinn Fhada - spotted this in the Highland Scrambles North SMC Guidebook.
A very steep pull up to Beinn Bhuidhe from near sea level brought us to the crest which gives lovely easy scrambling all the way to the Bealach an t-Sealgaire (The Hunters' Pass), where there is a tricky descent of about 15m down a slab. The rock was beautifully dry but I decided to use my ML ropework skills to lower Marion down to the grassy ledge just above the pass. The rest of the ascent is a wonderful contrast in character, easy walking across an extensive plateau of Racomitrium and Mat Grass which would not look out of place in the Cairngorms.
A notable occurrence on the descent which could have significant environmental consequences should it become more common: we came across a group of 4 young people riding trials motor bikes up the path towards the plateau. Leaving aside the noise, which shattered the tranquillity of a great mountain experience, the bikes were causing obvious damage to the fragile mountain vegetation. I reported the incident to the landowner (NTS) via the Kintail ranger service, and received an immediate reply, viz they were aware of the problem and were trying to "educate" the individuals. My Facebook Post on the "Ground Conditions in Scottish Mountains page" , which included a short video , resulted in over 60 comments - not all of which were supportive!
Total Distance 16.8km Total Ascent 1316m Elapsed Time 8hrs 23 mins
Area :
Glen Affric and Kintail
South of Loch Mullardoch you will find the Glen Affric and Kintail area whose southern boundary is the A87 road to Inverness. The Five Sisters of Kintail, Beinn Fhada, Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and Carn Eighe are just some of the impressive peaks in this area, and all have their own unique selling points such as remoteness, size, steepness or height. As a result, peaks in the list are all over 900m.
