95. Sgurr a'Mhaoraich (104) (P600 20) 24/04/09

I was very pleased that mum decided to join me for a couple of days at the end of my trip and I set about looking for some maternally suitable hills. Some walkers like dark ominous crags and narrow twisting ridges for maximum excitement, but mum has a different agenda. The hills would have to be not too steep, with nice views and plenty of interesting flora and fauna and obviously not too strenuous. So I set about finding such a hill. The one I settled on was at the far end of Glen Garry on the borders of Knoydart. A nice area, but notorious for drizzle. When we arrived at midday, there was a fair amount of mist around, but it was not altogether inclement. There was a good path which climbed steadily up the grassy slopes of Sgurr a'Mhaoraich's west shoulder. I believe there were good sightings of ptarmigan and deer on the way. After the first subsidiary top, the way looked to get more narrow and tricky, but this proved not to be the case and in fact all the rocky obstacles and steep drops were easily avoided by the path. At one point near the summit, we had to climb a steep grassy slope to avoid a snow-covered path, but this was no problem. We reached the top without too much trouble, but unfortunately by this time the drizzle was well set in and although we could make out a few hills around us, our view was somewhat unimpressive. Not to worry, it was still an achievement to reach the top and the drizzle wasn't too persistent so as to be an impediment to our descent. A nice walk that fitted well into an afternoon.

The dark and ominous summit, before the drizzle set in.

A slightly chilly mother at the summit cairn.