The Inaccessible Pinnacle of Sgurr Dearg

My first two attempts to climb the famous "Inn Pinn" ended in dismal failure. On the first go, we made it to the top of Sgurr Dearg and were taken aback by the enormous queue snaking from the base of the Pinn al the way back to the ridge. We sat for hours in a shelter tent waiting for a go - and then it snowed and our day was over and we trudged back to the Youth Hostel feeling deflated. That is except for the two climbers in our party who managed to defy the queues by shimmying up the front.... The second attempt went even worse, the guide simply said, "it's far too windy, we're not going up' and our day was over before we'd left the campsite. (It got worse for the friend I was with - she drove off with her phone and wallet on top of her car...)

This Christmas, my wife bought me and our eldest son vouchers for a climbing guide - to have another go at the Pinn. Then after looking at the climb online, joined us too. After we grabbed the last patch of available grass in the Glenbrittle campsite, and had a bad night's sleep - we met Tim our guide at the Glenbrittle Mountain Rescue Base at 8AM

He led us up the track which is s straightforward ascent - with one little scramble, all the way up to the point where the Inn Pinn comes into view. Climbers love this stuff - hillwalkers like me draw breath and say things to each other like, "it's very big, isn't it?" It's also very steep, and very exposed.

Tim the guide led us down from the ridge to the base of Pinn and talked us through the procedure. My son and I were on the end of his rope. He climbed first up four pitches, and we climbed together to him . About three -quarters of the way up he made us stop hurrying, and take time to look around and soak in the view - the Cuillin, the sea, the cloud inversion over the lochs, the island.. and look down (arrghhh!) - and before we knew it we were on the top - for a simple abseil/lower back to the ridge Then we sat and watched while he took my wife around the same route we had just done.

Exhilarating does not begin to describe the Inaccessible Pinnacle. Doing it on a clear day, with no wind, on dry rock was perfect, and unlike my first trip there it was incredibly quiet, hardly anyone about at all. I'm so glad that I've managed that, and while I dreaded doing it, I equally understand how people get addicted to climbing and push themselves further and further!

The day ended with a swim in a river and then fish and chips at The Inn at Carbost before the long drive home. What a day!

Am Faochgach

Am Faochgach is a hill completely overshadowed by its neighbours, on virtually every side. The rocky magnificence of the Beinn Dearg Group seems to tower over it on one hand and the beauty of the Fannaich's on the other. Am Faochagach is a grassy domed moorland with few dramatic features, and a river crossing to negotiate which has a reputation for ruining walkers days out! For all these reasons I have climbed all the hills surrounding it, I have never been up this one - until today.

My wife and I were driving back from the far North today - having had to abandon our attempt to climb Ben More Assynt & Conival yesterday because of extremely high winds and took the opportunity to have a look at Am Faochagach. The weather forecast indicated that we would see nothing, and might get wet...

As we drove past Ullapool, unforecast specs of blue sky began to appear - "Looks encouraging" we nodded. By the time we found the car park betwen Loch Droma and Loch Glascarnoch, the clouds had lifted and the surrounding hills looks stunning. 

Another lovely surprise was that the much vaunted river crossing was.... easy! Dry weather over the last month meant that it was little more than stepping across a series of boulders and feet stayed dry throughout. 

A scratchy path leads all the way from the roadside high up onto the ridges, where it comes and goes a bit - but re-emerges to lead to the broad flat stony summit. This hill will never be on the front of a Colin Baxter calendar - its a big green lump - but the views from the top were great!

Blà Bheinn

Bla Bheinn is a truly magnificent mountain - worth saving for a clear day. The route from the car park near the head of Loch Slapin is straightforward, but very steep over shattered rock. The view from the top however is....

Sgurr na Banachdich

Sgurr na Bannachdich is the mountain that sits right in the middle of the Black Cuillin of Skye, and was one of only two Cuillin peaks I didn't manage on the walking and climbing week I did there back in 2005. Poleaxed by a migraine, I spent a wretched day languishing in the Glenbrittle youth hostel. Back on the island for a family holiday, gave me the opportunity to make amends for that disaster of a day!

The walk begins at the youth hostel and follows the attractive burn past a series of pools and waterfalls. As we ascended the sun broke through the early morning mist and lit up the ridge before us - which looked as intimidating as ever. On my previous two ventures up the corrie "Coire a Ghreadaidh" we have ascended up to the notch in the ridge known as An Dorus, an airy little scramble up onto the summits. This time however we turned up the path to the right heading for the An Diallaid ridge. The walk is straightforward until just after a pleasing grassy meadow, the ridge bars the way with a wall of scree. A scrathy path is etched into the loose rock, but it presents an awkward challenge. 

We were accompanied on this walk by two of out three children - our middle one, was in Cornwall rock climbing. Our eldest had done this route earlier in the Summer with a load of uni-pals and so knew the way up; our daughter had never climbed anything as hard as this before and found it quite intimidating. 

Above the scree, the ridge narrowed and solidified, but still presented a series of awkward steps, before the summit ridge offered an exhilarating sense of height, exposure, and incredible views along the ridge, (North and South) and down to Loch Coruisk below. We sat on the top for ages - it was just too good a view to squander, before pulling out the walking poles and edging back into the scree.

It was a scorching hot day. and by the time we were down we couldn't resist jumping into the river for a dip. A quite magical day!