An Riabhachan seen on the way
down from Sgurr na Lapaich

My camp was a fine place but I distinctly remember last year when I was booted out of the wilderess via this Glen. If I was to be booted out again then I would be faced with exactly the same walk so I keen to get these summits ahead of me mopped up. I chilly wind blew all the way down the glen against me and I was faced with a rough trackless heathery ascent up to Garbh-Choire and on to the main ridge. The wind down here came in exhausting gusts and so I worried about how the weather would be to me higher up. My anxiety on this matter was reinforced by the prospect of negotiating the potentially tricky east ridge.

Some of the Easter '98 Munros traversed (Sgurr a’ Chaorachain)

Maoile Lunndaidh - another easter '98 munro

Sgurr na Lapaich in all its snowy glory

Upon reaching the main ridge I was relieved that the wind was no stronger and this was again comforting to know that the wind strength wasn’t dangerous on the first summit. The morning yielded a long sunny slot however the afternoon saw a prolonged shower to make the ascent of Sgurr na Lapaich viewless. The scrambly bits of the east ridge were easily avoided by traversing the snow bank to the left. The only steep bit was right at the end of the ascent.

The Glen Strathfarrar munros seen near the Mullardoch ridge

My Campsite that night

Blizzard conditions remained throughout the ascent but this cleared just as I reached the summit (admittedly I waited a few minutes for it to clear). The views revealed the summits of Affric that were previously obscured by Sgurr na Lapaich and at last it felt like progress was being made. A new obstacle appeared – the east ridge of An Riabhachan. It looked sharp and I was to negotiate it the next day. But first it was down to a high level camp with fine views as I pressed on deeper into wilderness.

The Easter '98 munros of Sgurr a’ Chaorachain and Sgurr Choinnich

Beinn Fhionlaidh seen through my tent porch

The wilderness stretching towards
the Cluanie and Glen Shiel Peaks

The winds died down overnight and the day dawned with clear blue skies. But trouble appeared to be coming up from the south in the form of thick high cloud. I worried that the forcast settled weather was just another mistake. But the cloud through the morning appeared to get no thicker and so the morning set out to be a real treat for me. The thin snow deposited on top the hard snow gave great walking on the summit ridge of An Riabhachan.

The east ridge of An Riabhachan, avalanche debris seen on the left

The Glen Affric Munros as seen on the way upto An Riabhachan

The thin narrow ridge proved to be not difficult at all, just a slightly airy walk. The views in all directions were haze free and very far reaching with A’ Glas Beinn, the bottom of which supposedly to be reached today, seemingly miles away. An Socath was also very fine but a short steep drop off the summit ridge of An Riabachan proved quite tricky with a heavy pack. Beyond that, a rocky drop to the bealach and then the rise to the final summit proved no problems with grand roof top walking at it’s best.

The desolate area I walked in easter'98. The Coulins in the background

Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan and the Kintail Peaks seen from An Riabhachan

An Socath seen on the way down from An Riabhachan

To the north lay the place I hiked across last year and it seemed a long way down from here. I was now in a very remote place and getting remoter still as I dropped down to the remostest reaches of Glen Cannich. The cloud was now appreciably thicker and as such I decided to camp down here in Glen Cannich rather than risk a potential drenching later on. As it happened, the skies only yielded a few spots of rain but the change in weather that afternoon made me cast doubt as to whether this journey would be successfully completed. I was now behind my schedule but never mind for I had chosen a fine camping spot.

Beinn Fhionlaidh as seen
from my comfortable campsite