Munros + Corbetts - 2009
30 May 2009 .......... Ben Aden + Sgurr na Ciche + Garbh Chioch Mhor + Sgurr nan Coireachan
This was a bit of an epic - I initially set off to do the corbett Ben Aden right up beyond the head of Loch Quoich. I canoed from the stub of track at NN 004 032, which was not a good launching place, as the loch was rather low, so the access was very steep and rough. I paddled right up to NM 932 990 - which took the best part of 2 hours. Then headed up Ben Aden, which was quite a good climb, as it is quite scrambley in places, so it was good fun - better than a boring trudge.
When I had set of for the paddle, the weather had been a bit iffy, and I wasn`t sure which way the weather was going to head - but by the time I got to the top of Ben Aden, the weather was fantastic - mostly clear sky, and superb visibility. So the views were amazing.
I had had it in the back of my mind to see if I could also do Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mhor - at the top of Ben Aden I looked across to Sgurr na Ciche - and decided to go for it.
As the crow flies, its a short journey across to Sgurr na Ciche - however being human, I couldn`t do it that way, and had to go the long way round in a tight horseshoe almost over Meall a Choire Dhuibh - to save time and energy I skirted round the side of Meall a Choire Dhuibh, but probably didn`t save much of either - it`s still a long way round. Eventually I got to the top of Sgurr na Ciche.
And if the views from Ben Aden were amazing, then the views from Sgurr na Ciche were out of this world. A camera really can`t do them justice - here`s one looking out to sea, looking out across the southern part of Knoydart and the Mallaig peninsula to Muck, Eigg, Rum and Canna, and the Point of Sleat on Skye.
Looking across to the northern part of Knoydart, with Meall Bhuide, Luinne Bheinn, and Ladhar Bheinn, with the Cuillins in the background.
A bit further round and we are looking at Ben Aden in the foreground, the corbett Sgurr a Choire Bheith in the middle, and Loch Hourn and Beinn Sgritheall, and the two corbetts Beinn na h-Eaglaise and Beinn nan Caorach just visible in the background.
And finally, looking across to Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr nan Coireachan, with Ben Nevis dominating the distant skyline.
The descent from Sgurr na Ciche is very steep, but otherwise it is a fairly easy trek across to Garbh Chioch Mhor.
Once on the summit of Garbh Chioch Mhor, it was decision time again. It is quite a long haul across to Sgurr nan Coireachan, and involves a serious amount of climbing down, and back up again. I didn`t really need to do it, as it is fairly easy to do it from Glen Dessary, and there is a corbett right beside it anyway, Sgurr Cos na Breachd-laoidh, and they are connected by an easy ridge. I was going to have to do the corbett some time anyway, so doing Sgurr nan Coireachan at the same time wasn`t going to be much of a problem.
On the other hand, there isn`t an easy way down to Loch Quoich from Garbh Chioch Mhor - there is a ridge down from the next summit, Garbh Chioch Bheag - but it is a rather steep and not very easy ridge to descend, and I would then have a rather tedious walk back down the valley, which would have been rather midgey. And to add to the parameters to be considered, the ridge down from Sgurr nan Coireachan is a much nicer ridge, and would drop me straight down to the head of the loch.
So I went for it. And yes it was a fair trek, and yes, right at the end of the trek, just before you think you`ve got to Sgurr nan Coireachan - the ridge takes a nose dive down a very steep descent down to a coll. So you have to climb all the way back up again.
Eventually I got there - I think it was then about 8 o`clock, so the sun was dropping, and produced a rather interesting view of where I had come from, of Garbh Chioch Bheag, Garbh Chioch Mhor, Sgurr na Ciche, and Ben Aden -
The coll between Garbh Chioch Bheag and Sgurr nan Coireachan marks a big change in the shape of the mountains - the ones to the west of the coll, ie, Garbh Chioch Bheag, Garbh Chioch Mhor, Sgurr na Ciche, and Ben Aden, are all very rocky mountains with many steep sides. However the ones to the east of the coll are more rounded and green, with really nice easy ridges interconnecting them.
So looking eastwards from Sgurr nan Coireachan, there is a superb ridge walk from Sgurr nan Coireachan down to An Eag, across to Sgurr Beag, then up to Sgurr Mor. It would make a great horseshoe, to do the two munros Sgurr nan Coireachan and Sgurr Mor, by landing at NM 953 993 or somewhere thereabouts.
After a fast descent down the ridge, I got back down to my kayak a bit after 9, and got back to my van sometime after 11, by which time it was just about dark.
It was an incredible day - the three munros and a corbett, fantastic weather and views, and four hours of paddling.
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