24 February to 3 March 1990 - A Week in Kinlochewe - Part 1

 

The above picture shows this holiday's 'team' at the Beinn Alligin car park in Torridon at the start of the holiday, to be related here in six parts, which is less cumbersome than trying to wrestle with the blogger software all in one go. I'll provide a link to the next day at the foot of each posting. (Other topics will probably intervene.) From left to right, above, are Laurie, me, John and Dave. Sadly Laurie and John are no longer with us to enjoy these reminiscences. You'll see, if you follow this little thread, that from a rather basic rented chalet behind the Kinlochewe Hotel, we experienced a week of good old fashioned Scottish winter weather. The author for each day is named in brackets, and editor's comments (2020) are in blue.

 

Here we go:

 

Friday 23 February (Martin)

8:30 pm - John arrives at South Drive. 9 pm Laurie rings with a request to go on holiday with us. John and Martin fail to meet Dave and Laurie at The Nose. Crocodile Dundee II and Martin's packing took precedence.

Saturday 24 February (Martin)

Alarms went off at 6:45 for some, and departure was at 7:50 from Laurie's (Withington). Little Chef at Lockerbie was reached at 10:00 for a second breakfast. (155 miles.) Weather variable between sunny (not much) and torrential rain (mostly). Dave and John sleep through most of this despite high volume Steeleye Span and Doors. Brunch breakfasts and early starters are the order of the day. Dave continues his slimming exercises by dashing to the loo. Then he continues his exercises by dashing off again, faster this time due to recent massive weight reduction, to phone his woman? [He left his beer last night to do this!]

On to Fort Bill after two abortive attempts to find my car. John tried to get in one at the other end of the car park; Dave chose the one next to ours and was shocked to discover Laurie's mutant - a large dog.

10:40 to 1:40 to Fort Bill – dash through the rain, torrential all the way from Lockerbie to Nevisports. Lunched and shopped. Certain private purchases were made - Martin couldn't bear to be seen buying sunglasses, and Laurie had some 'private' items. Dave tried to make another phone call.

Eventually reassembled at 3:20 for the last lap to Kinlochewe, which we reached after 450 miles at 5:45 pm. The rain was torrential except where it was snowing - between Invergarry and Kintail. Nice looking north face on Beinn Eighe. Snow not insignificant here, unlike further south. Chalet was eventually located (No 3), basic as ever, especially in the cooking department. It will do though. It soon warms up and in fact stays pretty hot. It seems warm outside.

Dave recounts tales of Rhombic Spheroids and games which he plays. The secret is out. These games can go on forever, but one is about to finish and needs lots of phone calls.

Unusual meal (not spag bol!) then a leisurely evening which seemed to pass very quickly, my principal activity being reading the foreword to SMT's 'A Century of Scottish Mountaineering', edited by  W D Brooker. (It cost me £15.95 in Nevisports on the journey - now - 2020 - available for £3.78 from Amazon).

Bed by 11 pm. Clear sky outside.

Sunday 25 February (Laurie)

Early cup of tea courtesy of Dave. Relaxed getting up and two course breakfast. Raining outside. Doubts expressed regarding proposed destination of Beinn Alligin, but we go to the Alligin car park anyway and get out of the car into waterproofs. (Pictured above.) Cross the river and follow it up for half a mile. It runs in a gorge about 20 to 30 feet deep.

 

 

Then cross using a bridge.

 

 

A forceful tributary diverts us uphill sooner than we wanted. Eventually we were able to cross it - a double leap to an island, and a double leap off it.

 

 

Then we make for the shoulder of the Horns ridge. There, a discussion is needed as to whether to go up, or change to a low level walk. John very reluctant to continue, given the claggy clouded top, but we compromise on a tentative reconnoitring ascent towards the first Horn. We climb up the bouldery slope and are immediately assailed by horizontal hail. A path appears and leads up a rocky staircase. A lone ptarmigan sits at the top of this.

 

 

Rain eases, gradient eases, then there's another step section at the top of which we stop for lunch. Thinning cloud gives glimpses of sun reflected off the sea. We push on up, then decide to take the deer track that avoids the Horns and heads for the summit.

John is so enthusiastic that he jumps up and down clapping his hands. The contouring path keeps us out of the wind, which is strong in places. From its end we have to climb on a light snowy surface. Soon the air is full of blown snow.

The summit cairn appears suddenly.

 

 

 

The customary rituals are observed, then we descend carefully to the right of the famous Beinn Alligin gash - a vertical sided cleft descending dramatically until obscured by the mist.

 

 

 

Along the ridge the path rises steeply and tiringly to the lower summit, with the wind blowing towards the unseen depths a few feet to our left.

I'm defeated the first time ever by the trig point, which is too near the edge to stand on in the wind, and no one wants to belay me. (Martin is pictured on the summit.)

 

 

The descent is straightforward. After a short distance there is a huge and spectacular corrie which soon comes out of the clag and reveals a sunny landscape below. Martin manages a short bum slide. The sunny parts become raining by the time we reach them, and we hurry down over heather and rocks or through streams and peat and mud.

 

 

 

Back at the car park, a friendly robin keeps us company while we shelter under bushes waiting for Martin to catch up with the car keys. Three deer next to the road on the return journey.

 

Our route - 11 km, 1100 metres ascent

Evening menu: soup, chicken with onion sauce, fruit salad.

Evening entertainment: gormless exhaustion, canasta, which for me seemed unbelievably complex, early nights for John and Dave; Martin commenced the jigsaw, and I stared at blank pages of diary.

Index

Part 2