Moruisg (928m) and Sgurr nan Ceannaichean (915m), Wester Ross
This was the first walk of a long August weekend based at Strathpeffer for four of us - Michael, Alastair, Les and myself. We set out from Dundee around 7.30 a.m. and by 11.30 we had parked in a layby on the A890 (Map Ref 082520) just a couple of km before Glencarron Lodge.
It was bright and warm but not sunny outside, and as soon as we stepped out of the car we were engulfed by a cloud of midges. Les and Alastair were quick to deploy mosquito head nets to protect themselves whilst they put their boots and gaiters on. Along with Michael, they had Avon "Skin so Soft" to spray around exposed parts, whilst I was relying on my little bottle of DEET. A rich variety of curses split the silence of the mountains (see the Gallery for pictures of this and other points of interest on the walk).
We could see our objectives clearly: the wide wall of mountains facing us to the south. The higher summit, Moruisg, rose steeply from the moorland to a flat top and without much evidence of exposed crags. The slopes to the right flanking Sgurr nan Ceannaichean looked rockier.
The start of the route was clear, down to the left along a path to a nearby footbridge over the River Carron, then under a low bridge carrying the West Highland Line to Kyle of Lochalsh. It was a bit awkward opening the gate in front of the railway bridge without putting a foot into the large pool of water beneath it, but we managed it. Then the tallest member of the group failed to judge the (low) height of the bridge correctly as he passed under it and emerged on the other side with a sore head!
The hill rose up gradually ahead of us, then steeper towards the top. There was little to break up the wide expanse of the grassy hillside except for a couple of gullies cut by small burns. Although we had a bit of a path to begin with this soon became indistinct, but it wasn't really a problem. We just had to head upwards! We went to the left of one of the deeper gullies then bent around above it as the incline became steeper.
It was just a long hard slog with little of interest, apart from a few summer flowers, until we stopped for a breather and turned round. We had been gaining height steadily and the view to the north-west had opened up as the higher mountains appeared beyond Glen Carron - particularly those at Torridon. The mountains of Wester Ross and Sutherland are rugged and dramatic, but I haven't done any serious climbing that far north, unlike the other three who vied with each other to name individual peaks.
The weather was still warm and sticky, even on the higher slopes. The sun still hadn't really broken through the thin high cloud but we could see a long way.
We reached the top of Moruisg just after 1.30 pm - a couple of hours after setting out. Like the climb, the broad summit plateau lacked interest, but it still seemed to attract plenty of midges as we tried to enjoy our lunch! Les soon had his mosquito net on again and even though it made him look a bit like a bee-keeper who'd lost his hive, I began to think I ought to take one next time.
We set off again, turning south for the two-mile (3km) hike to Sgurr nan Ceannaichean. Alastair was striding off ahead. The hilltops were clear of cloud so there was still no problem route-finding - we just followed the high ground. It was easy going underfoot and enjoyable now with the views all around us. The slopes down to the right into Glen Carron had become steeper now, curving round to the south-west ahead of us as we descended to a dip, climbed to a low top, then went down further to the main bealach at about 730m.
From here it was a straightforward climb of less than 200m - about 600ft - up to our second summit. It became steeper and stonier and some care was required, but there was no real difficulty. We had taken about 55 minutes after leaving Moruisg. Although slightly lower, and only just making it into the "munro" category, Sgurr nan Ceannaichean has more character to it, with a more distinct summit and crags to the north and west. As we were to find on each of our three climbs over the weekend, we had picked a section of the Highlands where the lines of hills all seem to go through a similar transition, from grassy lumps at the eastern end to steeper and craggier summits just a couple of miles further west. This must have something to do with the way that glacial action carved out the landscape, with the weight of ice moving down towards what is now the west coast.
We could see the effects of all that glacial activity for ourselves, out to the west where the sun was lighting up the sea, interrupted by the blue-grey shapes of islands. Not only the mass of the Isle of Skye, but the Small Isles as well - Alastair pointed towards Eigg away in the distance.
Looking back, the grassy hills close at hand looked quite imposing now with the sun catching them from the side - great big rounded lumps! (See the Gallery for panoramic views).
The midges seemed less of a problem here even though there was little wind - comfortable enough for a bit of a lie down in the warm sunshine.
Then we were off again, back down towards the bealach and then turning off to the north, negotiating a way through the thin line of crags and dropping quickly down the steep grassy slope into the Coire Toll nam Bian. This could be a trickier descent in mist, as the crags seem to get more severe at the bealach itself and further round the head of the corrie. The safest route starts before you get to the lowest part of the bealach, but make sure to head north-east, not north-west, if you want the more attractive way down.
It's a steady, steep descent on a grassy slope with the mass of Moruisg rising up ahead. We stopped for another breather to enjoy the view of the mountains to the north, then continued. The last part of the descent into the corrie was down one of the heathery ridges cut out by tributaries of the Alltan na Feola burn.
At the bottom we crossed the burn onto a track which soon entered an enclosed area where natural regeneration of the vegetation was being encouraged (as we'd seen the previous year in Glen Affric). Lots of small rowans and birches were poking out from the heather, with a few fully-grown specimens down beside the burn itself which was tumbling over rocks in a little gorge.
It was sunny now and sheltered and the sweep of hills rose up beyond the trees - very imposing and quite idyllic. I kept stopping to take photos - you don't get views like this on every walk in the Scottish Highlands (see Gallery) - and then having to hurry to catch up with the others. We'd started the walk late, and although we hadn't booked a meal at our guest house we were keen to find it and get cleaned up before looking for somewhere else to eat.
The narrow path continued to the right of the burn, gradually descending for a couple of miles then crossing another burn before bending to the north-east near to the railway line. There were a couple of hillocks followed by boggy sections here, but it wasn't long before we were back at the low railway bridge with just a short walk on the other side up to the layby. The walk down from Sgurr nan Ceannaichean had taken two hours - the entire walk requiring 6 hours including several breaks adding up to an hour.
This last part of the walk was outside the fenced area and we were in a treeless landscape once again. It shows how the scenery of the Scottish Highlands must once have been much different, before the trees were cleared and the peatbogs developed.
Contributed by Andrew Llanwarne - March 2009
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