Meanwhile Dave O's appointment in Sharm el Sheikh on Sunday hastened our departure from the Highlands today, but not before we had time to enjoy a short romp up Sgurr an Airgid, a small but well formed Corbett 'peaklet' above Shiel Bridge.
On the way we stopped beyond Attadale to admire the views to Lochcarron and Applecross beyond.
Conditions were truly summery - t-shirt and shorts weather on a day of mirror calm sea lochs.
The stalkers path from Clachan Duich Burial Ground car park provided an excellent well graded ascent to the 841 metre summit, reached after just two hours at 1.15.
The day was hazy, but we enjoyed fine, wide-ranging views (below to the Five Sisters of Kintail), before reluctantly making our way down to reach the car by 2.45.
On the descent we met the 11th and 12th people we have encountered in some 35 hours of hillwalking this week. This couple had foreign accents, claimed to live on the Isle of Skye, and gave 'The United States of Europe' as their nationality. The interrogation ended there, and I pondered who had migrated furthest to reach this hillside - the itinerant couple, or the flock of snow buntings that was chirruping (or should that be 'tirrirrirriping') nearby?
The gorse is almost in bloom in the Shiel Bridge area, and will be radiant when we return here in a couple of weeks.
Meadow pipits and redstarts accompanied us today, with oyster catchers busying themselves on Loch Duich's nearby beaches.
We have now adjourned a further four hours south, and have just enjoyed a good meal at the Beancross Restaurant next to tonight's home for Dave and me - the Travelodge at Falkirk.
Here's today's route - 9km, 854 metres ascent, taking 3 hours 25 minutes, including about 25 minutes of breaks. Naismith would have taken 3 hours.
So here ends another fine Highland excursion. I shall enjoy adding some images and summaries over the next few days, and perhaps some panoramas on a separate web page. (All now done - see next posting.)
Ciao for now...
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