Whilst Sue, Tom and Roger went up Sgurr Choinnich Mor and met TGO Challengers John Bridge and Darren Smith, Julie and I went nearly all the way to Arisaig to climb a rough and ready Marilyn called Beinn nan Cabar.
After a brief spell in pretty woodland we emerged onto a nice path for a couple of kilometres. The distinctive summit of Eigg appeared behind us.
The path crossed a stream and headed to an obscure point where it divided. We turned left. The correct route was to the right.
We wrestled our way up a steep gully and were confronted by a good view of our mountain - some way ahead, beyond an impressive rim of crags.
The views back to the coast had by now widened, but they soon disappeared into a fog of light rain.
After a while we found the fence that was marked on the map and which comprised a line of ancient metal posts that led eventually to the cairned summit.
It was cool, wet and breezy on the summit, so we descended to a more sheltered spot for lunch.
Continuing down, we were thankful to have GPS and digital mapping to assist in getting us to the right place. Even then, it took us several attempts to avoid the crags.
Meanwhile, we emerged from the mist to regain coastal views towards Eigg.
Throughout the day we were bombarded by the sound of cuckoos.
Looking back, another nearby hill beyond a large puddle.
On the way down we met a family who had wisely decided to abandon their attempt to reach the summit - a good further 4 km beyond the end of the 2 km path that they hadn't yet reached. It was raining.
After nearly 6 hours on this complex hill we returned to Julie's car after walking for 13 km with 600 metres ascent. Here's the route we took.
Earlier, 5 minutes of 'Merlin' on the deck at breakfast time resulted in the following bird calls being identified:
I wish I could actually see them all as well as hearing them.
As I write, an evening cluster of Martins are harvesting the air outside despite the steady rain that's falling.
