Great Mountain Days in Scotland. Dan Bailey
and follow a track roughly E alongside the River Tirry, which runs almost dead straight past two big pine plantations. Once level with the second plantation the path climbs the left flank of a vague corrie to reach the remote Bealach Easach, a historic cross-country through-route.
Hitherto gentle and rolling, the terrain to the east now becomes more rugged. Ahead stretches a broad crag-rimmed trough cradling two connected lochs. The fine old track descends gently into the glen, following the north bank of Loch a’ Bhealaich to reach the shore of the larger Loch Choire. With sandy beaches, crags and scatterings of native woodland, this is an attractive spot. Beyond a patch of tall pines by the shore and an adjacent forestry enclosure is a wooden bridge over a gorse-flanked river.
On the hill 13km
Looking east into the Flow Country from Meall Ailein
Beyond the bridge split left from the track, climbing N up a seemingly never-ending grassy slope. There is no path, but since the hillside is also free of the usual Scottish duo of tussocks and heather the going is fairly easy. Pass a small cairn to reach a broad rocky ridge, and a while later a stone memorial to the victims of an air crash. This long ascent eventually gains the little rugged peak of Meall Ailein, a grand viewpoint from which to survey the enormous emptiness that stretches to every horizon. To the north is Loch Naver; to the west the distant peaks of the Atlantic seaboard; to the east nothing much at all.
Follow the ridge W. At first the going is gentle, then a rougher climb through peat hags leads over Meall Meadhonach. From here it’s grassy again, the well-defined crest of the main peak’s northeast ridge rising airily to Meall nan Con, Klibreck’s sole Munro summit. Descent requires care in the mist; drop steeply almost due W to the crest of A’ Chioch, which then swings southward to a broad col (spot height 688m).
Continue S on the gradual ridge climb to Creag an Lochain. From here briefly head S before bearing SW and then, lower down, W, descending a steady slope cut with peat hags to reach a low col – there is a path, although it’s easily misplaced. A last climb now gains the minor summit of Cnoc Sgriodain. Descend the vague south spur, bearing rightwards across the tussocky lower slopes to pick up a wide 4WD track.
Return 2km
The track blazes through the peat, leading (muddily in parts) back to the A836 just north of the Crask Inn – a welcome sight.
Meall nan Con from Strath Vagastie
WALK THREE
Foinaven
| Start/Finish | Junction of the Srath Beag track and the scenic A838 Tongue–Durness road; parking space is limited (NC 393 539) |
| Distance | 27km (17 miles) |
| Ascent | 1600m |
| Time | 11hrs |
| Terrain | Hard walking from start to finish, with a mix of rough paths and long stretches of pathless ground. With its angular rocks Foinaven itself is hard going, and there is some short-lived easy scrambling. The lower glens and passes tend to be boggy, while major river crossings in Srath Beag and Srath Dionard require care in wet weather. |
| Maps | OS Landranger (1:50,000) 9; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 445 covers most but not quite all the route |
| Transport | There is no public transport provision beyond the Lairg–Durness bus |
| By Bike | Bulldozed vehicle tracks up Srath Dionard and the Bealach Horn may be regrettable from the point of view of wild land conservation, but they do facilitate quick approaches to Foinaven by mountain bike. Srath Beag is not bike friendly, however. |
| Accommodation | Tongue YH (01847 611789); Durness YH (01971 511264) |
| Summits | Foinaven (‘wart mountain’); Ganu Mòr 911m (‘big head’) |
| Sleeping Out | Strabeg bothy (NC 392 518) is excellent, but too close to the road to be of much advantage as a base for Foinaven. A wild camp near Loch Dionard or on the Bealach Horn would seem more logical, although the ground is either hummocky or boggy, or both. |
| Seasonal Notes | Winter walkers would be unlikely to complete this entire route in daylight, but the first/last 4km could be done in the dark. Under snow Foinaven’s ridges offer challenging walking, nudging towards winter mountaineering. |
| Short Cuts | A linear out-and-back dash is the quickest way to bag Ganu Mòr, although it’s missing the point somewhat |
Foinaven is a mysterious hill, a complex range-in-miniature (not that miniature) with an almost primeval feel. High point Ganu Mòr was long a borderline case for Munro status, but a recent survey has shaved a fraction from its erstwhile 914m altitude, sparing it from the list-ticking hordes. Secreted away in its eastern folds, the hill’s most impressive corners take effort to reach, and a full traverse of the mountain is a strenuous and memorable expedition. Geological decay is writ large everywhere, the shattered crests crumbling into vast, stark scree skirts. Add the long miles of approach, the serious emptiness and the occasional scrambly moment, and it’s clear that this is no ordinary hill walk. Of several possible angles of attack perhaps the best (and least popular?) is this route starting from sea level at Loch Eriboll. This has a satisfying aura of obscurity, leading through glens and passes walked by few.
Cranstackie (left) and Foinaven from the Kyle of Durness
Approach 7km
Head S into Srath Beag on a farm track running below rambling crags. This soon dwindles to a boggy path leading to Strabeg, a spacious bothy in a scenic setting. Continuing up-glen the going gets tougher, and the path is sketchy in places as it weaves through woods and giant boulders at the foot of the cliffs of Creag Shomhairle, an under-appreciated climbing venue. About 1.5km beyond the bothy cross the river at a gravelly shallows (may prove interesting in spate) and head W across the glen-floor marsh to pick up a path along the foot of the far slope. At a sheep fank (stone-walled enclosure) turn diagonally uphill, climbing the now-faint trail onto rocky Bealach na h-Imrich, where an inspiring view of Foinaven’s complex eastern side is revealed.
From a cairn overlooking Srath Dionard descend rough pathless slopes W into the glen, with the huge wall of Creag Urbhard ahead to spur you on. Ford the major river at some braided shallows just north of Loch Dionard (in wet weather a safe crossing might require a detour south of the loch).
Approaching Stob Cadha na Beucaich from Lord Reay’s Seat
On the hill 10km
Cross the 4WD track (its construction here was controversial), then strike NW up a long, grassy pathless incline passing below the formidable prow of A’ Ch’eir Ghorm. The ascent leads to a broad saddle between Cnoc Dùail and Ganu Mòr. Follow the corrie rim leftwards, climbing rocky ground above the crags. As it ascends, the slope narrows into a steep scree-covered spur which cuts SW onto the top of Ganu Mòr. The first cairn reached is the official high point – note that the previously estimated height of 914m has been revised down to 911m.
Keep going W along the summit ridge to a second cairn and turn left, descending