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Ullapool 24-31 March 2007
This was our third annual visit to Tigh na Mara in Ullapool, from where we enjoyed more magnificent views down Loch Broom. Click here to see some of our 2005 photos. 2006 is still buried in the depths of 'My Pictures'!

We assembled on Saturday evening, five of us, Martin, Andrew, Dave, Barry and Julie, based at Tigh na Mara, with Pam and Paul in an excellent cottage for four just down the road, and Sue and Phil were installed in a ‘bijou’ pad next to the Ferry Boat Inn.
En route Sue and Phil had accompanied Julie up Meall na Leitreach. 
[Julie has a Corbett bagging agenda.
]

 
Early morning view over Loch Broom from Tigh na Mara
Early morning view from Tigh na Mara
The statistics for the week are summarised below.
And here’s a map of the area:
   

GB overview map covering Ullapool and the North
GB overview map covering Ullapool and the North

     
Dave dashes out of Tigh na Mara to catch the 'bus'.  But has he got his socks?
Dave hails the 'bus' outside Tigh na Mara

 

Day 1
Sue and Phil enjoyed Quinag, and Pam and Paul tackled Suilven on their first visit to the area.

Pam at the top of Suilven after finally escaping from the mist (picture courtesy of Paul Conroy and Nokia)
Pam at the western summit of Suilven, Caisteal Liath

The ‘Tigh na Mara Five’ had a longish drive up to Loch Stack before starting their exercise for the week on a lovely day with a cool breeze on the tops and occasional wisps of low level cloud.  Martin, Andrew and Barry stayed with the Foinavon pair (Dave and Julie) for the ascent beyond Lone, before heading up the unspectacular but pleasantly scenic Meall Horn.  Even the peat hags on top didn’t deter 75 year old Barry, who befriended a strangely attired, youthful looking retired copper from Southport on the way down.  We met two people all day.

Dave and Julie found the descent from Foinavon to be very slow due to steep hard packed snow (they did well to find any of that!) so the three of us had a long wait on the A838 by Gualin House.  But the journey back to Ullapool with the setting sun ahead of us was a pleasure, and we were back in time to enjoy a good meal at the Ceilidh Place.
 

 

This puzzling sign at the start of the path to Lone caused some concern, but the bridge was intact and we could only conclude that the sign was a symptom of ‘Health and Safety Mania’.

Lone Bridge - Health and Safety sign
The sign (above), and, along the track, the Bridge (below!)
Dave and Barry brave the dangerous Lone Bridge nur fur pedestrians

Andrew and Barry stride up to the summit cairn of Meall Horn, with Foinavon glowing in the sun behind
Andrew and Barry at the summit of Meall Horn
 
Handshakes all round as the weary duo finally make it up the sting-in-the-tail slope to Gualin
Julie and Dave finally arrive back from Foinavon

 

On return home we discovered that the Munro Society has instructed surveyors to establish whether Foinavon (and Beinn Dearg in Torridon) should be awarded Munro status.  Here's a link.
[Both excellent hills – Martin can vouch for that.]
 

A stag observes us from a distance whilst we wait for Julie and Dave to return from Foinavon
A watchful stag at Gualin


Day 2
The Corbett Bagging contingent – Julie, Sue and Phil – enjoyed an easy route up Sail Mhor, a waterfall strewn outlier of An Teallach.  The rest of us, after some enforced shopping trips for forgotten items such as socks (Andrew upstaged Dave, who has been known to set off from the cottage with no socks, by leaving his entire sock wardrobe at home) and toiletries ('memory man' Martin left his at home), scrambled around on the warm rocks of Stac Pollaidh.
 
Paul, Andrew, Pam, Dave and Barry set off up the beautifully constructed path around Stac Pollaidh
Setting off up Stac Pollaidh (613m)
We saw more people here than on all our other walks put together.  It was great fun on a calm, sunny day.  Naismith’s calculation works out at under 2 hours for this walk; we made it down in just under 5 hours!  Barry impressed everyone on the hill by succeeding in following a purist’s route along the rocky crest – only he and Dave braved this approach, but nearly all of us managed the last tricky manoeuvre to the summit.
 
Dave on a pinnacle overlooking the rough hills of Coigach, with delightful little Beinn an Eoin in the foreground
Dave stands on a pinnacle from which Beinn an Eoin and Ben More Coigach beckon
The author makes it to Stac Pollaidh summit, with Cul Mor in the background
Martin on Stac Pollaidh's summit, with Cul Mor
     
Pam and Paul descend the tricky looking (but easy) scramble from the summit - and yes there is another more exposed route for the non-vertigo department
Pam and Paul on Stac Pollaidh's final 'thrutch'
  A ‘progressive meal’ followed this gentle day out, with Pam and Paul providing mushroom tartlets with cheese for the nine of us.  Roast chicken and trimmings at Tigh na Mara followed, then cheesecake and crumble at Phil and Sue’s bed-sit.  We left quite late after this excellent and most sociable evening, but failed in our bid to enjoy coffee and mints back at Tigh na Mara.  The person in the room above Sue and Phil wreaked revenge (the 9 of us must have been quite noisy) by clumping around noisily at 6am the following day!
     
Day 3
Today it was Pam and Paul’s turn to enjoy the three summits of Quinag, whilst the elderly gents had a relaxed plod up Cul Mor, though repercussions from the black pudding sausages supplied by Martin’s butcher did cause old Dave some discomfort and inconvenience.  Meanwhile Julie and Martin joined Phil and Sue on a long bike ride up Strath Mulzie from Oykel Bridge. 
 
Paul enjoys the view from Quinag (picture courtesy of Pam Conroy)
Paul enjoys the view from Quinag
     
Mechanical genius (Philip) at work whilst Sue tries to extract a fly from her helmet?
Sue and Phil 'speeding up Strath Mulzie
  It was another lovely day.  Phil and Sue peeled off after 10 miles to ascend a ridge up to the summit of Seana Bhraigh, a respectable Munro.  Meanwhile Julie and Martin continued across a river and along a rough track to lunch outside an excellent bothy. This had been recently refurbished in memory of a wilderness loving serviceman who had perished in a war zone. 

A lunchtime bothy break on the long trek to Carn Ban
Julie lunches at the bothy, with Carn Ban behind
     
     

  We were still 3km from the summit of Carn Ban when Sue phoned from Seana Bhraigh summit.  So a rendezvous in Ullapool was agreed upon before we headed onwards past lots of hopping frogs, a lazy Viviparous Lizard, and patches of Purple Saxifrage….to the wrong summit.  After puzzling - why is there no cairn? and why does that other summit look higher? we realised the error of our lax attention to the map on this calm sunny day and strolled to the correct summit in 20 minutes or so.  We were on the excellent viewpoint of Carn Ban, a remote Corbett, at 3.30, so it had taken five and a half hours to get there despite having used the bikes for 12 miles of the ‘walk in’.

 
On the ride out from Carn Ban, with one of the better routes up Seana Bhraigh in the background
Riding back to Oykel Bridge from Carn Ban, with Creag an Duine behind

The descent was quicker, and we were back at Oykel Bridge by 6.45, in time for a leisurely drive back to Ullapool with fantastic evening sun (but not enough photo stops) and a shower before adjourning for a meal at the Argyll Hotel where we were virtually the only customers.  Obviously warming up for the season, they were slow.  The seafood platter was enjoyed by most of us but Andrew was concerned that IKEA may have supplied his steak.


Sunset over Ardmair
Sunset at Ardmair
     
From left to right - Barry, Julie, Andrew, Pam, Dave and Paul - in a jolly mood as they set off along the lovely coastal path to Scoraig in the sun on a day that forecast rain
Barry, Julie, Andrew, Pam, Dave and Paul setting off for Scoraig in the sun
 
Andrew and Barry in obedient mode after passing an unusual gate sign - the rain is now imminent, but luckily 5 hours late!
   
Barry and Andrew being unusually obedient
     
Day 4
After waving off Sue and Phil last night, and with a blip in the good weather predicted, the remaining seven of us drove around to Dundonnell and on to Badrallach through several flocks of sheep.  We enjoyed a leisurely stroll for 5 miles as far as Scoraig, a village of 70 inhabitants but no services.  So they have windmills, allotments and a selection of specialist skills – violin maker was possibly the most ‘exotic’.  They do lots of knitting.  A lighthouse has been relocated from Cailleach Head to a position next to the School, which itself has been relocated into a refurbished building.  The lighthouse has been utilised as a mini visitor centre, with lots of information about the village in its small interior. 

Beside it is a brand new seat built from strangely coloured stone that looks as if it is still in protective wrapping.  On closer inspection it comprises separate stones on each of which one of the villager’s words (of wisdom?) have been inscribed.  The children have provided pictures.  We hope the seat wears well with time, it’s a lovely idea.
Back to our respective dwellings, after this most pleasurable coastal walk which we finished shortly before significant rain, and for those in Tigh na Mara - pasta carbonara á la Dave.

 
The interesting new public seat by the lighthouse at Scoraig
The village seat at Scoraig
     
Day 5
Today Pam and Paul struck off up Cul Beag – a nice little Corbetty sort of hill.  They set off even later than the old timers, whose shopping exertions had delayed them.  There was slight concern when the old timers’ vehicle was still parked up when Pam and Paul returned.  The old timers were quite (very!) envious as from several kilometres away they watched Pam and Paul drive off.  These three, with a combined age of around 200, were obviously feeling the effects of a vigorous week and were finding their 10km stroll up the lesser heights of Beinn an Eoin (619m) somewhat demanding.  The guide book provides some clues…. ‘rather boggy footpath’…’steep heather and slabs’…’rocky bluff’…’ridge ends sharply in steep crags’…’intermittent scrambling’…’deep fissure’, etc.  They swore never to venture there again!
Meanwhile Julie and I had an easy 5 mile bike ride from the gooey black sludge that surrounds the parking area at well-named Black Bridge.  We headed up to the disused farm at Lubachlaggan where the bikes were abandoned in favour of the fairly easy but basically pathless ascent of Beinn á Chaisteil.  The summit was quickly reached, and was just clear of cloud with good views west towards the Beinn Dearg massif, so they headed south with a cool, brisk following wind to bag Meall á Ghrianain before returning to the bikes.  Then downhill most of the way back to Black Bridge on a good surface with a following wind.  Sharp rocks destroyed Martin’s rear tyre, which miraculously didn’t puncture!   
The diminutive icon of Northern Rock's Treasury Department on the track to Lubachlaggan
Julie glows on the warm ascent to Loch Vaich
Back in Ullapool by 4pm, with plenty of time to prepare a meal from the remains of our provisions, supplemented by some pretty stale salmon fillets courtesy of the unfriendly fishmonger/butcher next to Ullapool quay.  [That’s where they land fresh fish – amazing that the fishmonger doesn’t appear to have anything fresh – but he doesn’t seem to care.]
Boats in Ullapool harbour

  Ullapool harbour
     
Day 6
The promised sunshine didn’t materialise.  The cloud level rose from around 600 to 800 metres during a day on which our party of seven enjoyed the good path up Conival and Ben More Assynt from Inchnadamph.
Starting off up Conival and Ben More Assynt, past the lovely lodge that acts as a bunkhouse and outdoor centre
Starting off up Gleann Dubh towards Conival and Ben More Assynt

It wasn’t as windy as usual, but it was foggy.  Two mapless Bulgarians who said they worked at Dundee University latched on to us, but when we stopped for lunch in a sheltered spot between the two Munros, they continued.  We soon met them coming back - ‘not far to the summit’ they said, not realising that they hadn’t gone to the summit; they had turned back at the cairn before a final dip in the ridge before it crosses a small snowfield and rises to the twin summits of Ben More Assynt.  We clambered around in the mist on these tops, our altimeters being unable to distinguish which was the higher, before returning the same way back to Inchnadamph. We particularly enjoyed the lovely valley that led us reluctantly back to the cars past woods full of greenfinches and posts topped by stonechats.
Later, fish and chips from the establishment opposite the excellent (and friendly) bookshop went down very well with the remainder of our supply of alcohol.

A final view of Loch Broom from Tigh na Mara before setting off home after a really excellent week
A last view of Loch Broom from Tigh na Mara, before setting off for home
     



Ullapool Statistics
Martin
Andrew and Barry
Dave
Julie
Paul and Pam
Phil and Sue
   
Km
Asc (m)
Km
Asc (m)
Km
Asc (m)
Km
Asc (m)
Km
Asc (m)
Km
Asc (m)
Day 0 Meall na Leitreach
7
413
7
413
Day 1 Meall Horn
19
955
19
955
  Foinavon
26
1543
26
1543
  Suilven
24
1448
  Quinag
13
1190
Day 2 Stac Pollaidh
5
587
5
587
5
587
5
587
  Sail Mhor
10
832
10
832
Day 3 Quinag
13
1190
  Cul Mor
13
946
13
946
  Carn Ban
46
1497
46
1497
  Seana Bhraigh
39
1329
Day 4 Scoraig
17
414
17
414
17
414
17
414
17
414
Day 5 Beinn a Chaisteil
25
985
25
985
  Cul Beag
7
800
  Beinn an Eoin
11
835
11
835
Day 6 Conival/Ben More Assynt
18
1600
18
1600
18
1600
18
1600
   
130
6038
83
5337
90
5925
131
5684
84
6039
69
3764
  Munros
2
2
2
0
2
1
  Corbetts
3
2
2
5
4
5
  Grahams
1
2
2
0
2
0
 
6
6
6
5
8
6