Monday, September 21, 2020

214-216. Ladhar Bheinn (111) (P600 42), Luinne Bheinn (234), Meall Buidhe (222). 19/09/2020

With some fabulous weather in store, taking in the hills of Knoydart became a possibility. In order to climb these three remote hills, one needs a boat or long walk-in to either Inverie or Barrisdale, where there are camping options (and in non-covid times, hostels). From there it's two long walks to climb the three most remote hills.

We walked along the delightful Loch Hourn in the afternoon and then lugged our camping gear up to 460m at the Mam Barrisdale, aiming to make the three hills possible in one long day. Our planning may have been assuming we were still in our twenties, but it did prove just about achievable.

The coastal walk was great and Barrisdale was a beautiful spot with ruined houses, tranquil waters and a large beach at low tide. We reached the campsite after 3h and saw half a dozen tents there, but we kept going up the wide path to our campsite in the bealach, reaching it 75 mins later. Here we ate our pasta and drank our whiskey as the sun went down.

In the morning, we were off before 8 with the luxury of one light pack between us. The grassy ground towards Ladhar Bheinn was a bit squidgy and therefore heavy going. This was compounded by some navigational inefficiency that led us to reascend on easier slopes before reaching the ridge. The walking along the ridge itself was superb, with some interest in the scrambling department and views out to Skye, Rum and Eigg. In fact, the only evidence we could see of human beings was a few houses on the southern peninsula of Skye. The only downside (so to speak) was the amount of reascent along the way - at least 200m of it.

We spent a while at the summit admiring our surroundings before heading back to the tent for lunch - a little behind schedule at just after 1pm.

Having replenished the water and food stocks, it was off to climb Luinne Bheinn, which was a straightforward pull up 500m of rugged Knoydart rock and by this time our legs were already beginning to find it tough.

From the summit, we made our way to the east top before following the undulatory path all the way to Meall Buidhe. However, the amount of rocky terrain we had to cover here made this both long and tiring and I was certainly feeling the exhaustion and needed a good rest.

There was a lot of chat in Cicerone about the route back under Lunne Bheinn, but we found a way of sorts without too much difficulty and were back at the tent before dusk, by which time a couple of other tents had been pitched nearby - not close enough to be considered poor etiquette I hasten to add.

It had been a great day, if a little on the ambitious side. After 11.5 hours, we'd walked 32.5km, including 2050m of ascent.

Walking in along the picturesque Loch Hourn

An abandoned house in Barrisdale Bay

Our campsite for two nights in the Mam Barrisdale

Ladhar Bheinn's north ridge and the snaking fjord of Loch Hourn from the summit

 Eigg, Rum and Skye from Ladhar Bheinn

Looking east to Sgurr na Ciche from the summit of Meall Buidhe

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