If there is a finer sight in all the land than Wester Ross in blazing sunshine, I have yet to see it. Last weekend my wife and I enjoyed the rare collision of good weather and no work or church or parenting responsibilities and so drove North through lovely Ullapool to the Ardmair campsite, where we threw down our tent, brewed coffee and planned our adventure for the following day.
It's been many years since I have walked in The Fannish hills, that lovely range of mountains that appears to the left of the Ullapool road as it heads North through the Dirrie Mor. Countless cars see the graceful outlines of its' peaks and ridges, but very few people seem to venture up onto its spacious countours. Since completing the Munros, there have been several favourite walks which I have wanted to go back and share with my wife - and the Fannichs are right up there in the top ten.
After a fitful night (I never sleep that well in a tent), we stocked up on coffee and filled our rucksacks. I have discovered that in order to feel OK, I need to carry a lot of fluid up the hills on hot days, and so my pack was heavy. Nevertheless, we strode down the track from the A832 to Loch a Bhraoin and following the 'Walk Highlands' route advice turned east and crossed the Alt Brebaig on a precarious bridge under the slopes of Meall a Chrasgaidh - our first hill of the day. A mile or so south of the bridge we turned directly west and marched up the relentlessly steep slopes to the summit - by which I had sweated my body weight in water and replenished it from my supplies.
It was good to spend some quality time with my wife, life has been extremely busy recently with work and family travel meaning that we have spent more time apart in the last year than in the previous 25! Realising that this wasn't really that great, we prioritsed some time together and ring-fenced it from other competing concerns. It's something that is really good for us and which we should do more often!
The next one was Sgurr nan Each, which from Sgurr nan Clach Geala looks tiny, is a good little hill in its own right. But where were all the people? It was a sunny weekend in the school holidays, Scotland was basking in light, it was stunningly beautiful and almost completely empty. Has hillwalking gone out of fashion? Was the weather too hot? Or do folks here in Scotland fail to appreciate the glory on our doorstep?
With plenty of food and fuel in the rucksack, we resisted the temptation to head Northwards to the car and instead hunted for the ascent track up Sgurr Breac. I remember finding this path in appalling weather in 2006, but here in sunshine it seemed to be well hidden - and only emerged further up the steep ascent. I was very up for more hills, and combining both the walks I had planned into a single day. My wife was inspired by the fact that she was on 98 Munros and that these two (which looked tantalisingly close) would clock up her hundred. But in the heat, towards the end of a long day, it was a fearful slog! In 2006 on this ridge I had seen nothing, in truly dreadful weather, so to repeat these hills in cloudless skies was a genuine delight. We went to A'Chailleach butr returned to Toman Choinnich to use it's long NW ridge as a descent route to Loch a Bhraion- descending the WalkHighlands recommended ascent path. It's steep and in places wet and slippery, but makes for a quick way back.
Sadly the extra two Munros meant we were not back in Ullapool before closing time at the Seafood Shack - which would have to wait until the following day! Not all hill days are this good - but this was as near darn perfect as it gets. Blessings duly counted and thanks given to God!
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