A Trip to Ben Mor Coigach

Since taking over at Invergarry Lodge 2 months ago, we've been so busy that our days out have been pretty few and far between. So when fellow G. S. Exile Phil B came up to visit on his way up to Ullapool for a week's walking, and asked if I fancied a day out with him and his friends, it didn't take long to decide. I drove up Friday evening and checked into Ullapool SYHA hostel, doing a bit of 'professional spying' in the process. After working out what to do with the pile of sheets I was given, I headed down the road to meet up with Phil and friends in a nearby restaurant as they finished their meal. Talk soon turned to the following day's agenda, which sounded like it would incorporate plenty of fantastic views and impressive features. Great! We went for a quick drink before hitting the sack early, and as I settled into my bunk, I drifted off to sleep imagining the wonderful views in store for us the following day. Unfortunately my restful state didn't last long - I was woken by the first lorry driving past at around midnight, and as the night rolled on, so did the lorries. Instead of counting sheep, I got myself back to sleep by making a mental list of favourable comparisons with our hostel. Happily there was a sizeable list, and the lack of traffic noise at our own hostel was certainly at the top of it by the time dawn appeared through the curtains.

After a good breakfast we headed off in the cars, and found the start of our walk about 12 miles outside Ullapool. Unfortunately the weather was not looking good, and low cloud meant none of our intended peaks were visible. We headed off regardless, hoping it would lift in time to see some of the promised views. After crossing undulating ground for a couple of miles, we headed uphill into thick mist and cloud towards the summit of Sgurr an Fhidhleir. We reached a plateau about 150m short of the top where we rested our legs and lungs, before continuing up to the summit of 'The Fiddler'. By this time the cloud was still obscuring all views and navigation was increasingly difficult. We headed back down to the plateau and up to another peak, Ben More Coigach. As we reached this summit, we were treated to a brief glimpse of blue skies and sunshine, and as we made our way down we finally got some of the elusive views. The final descent was a new variation and we all became well acquainted with a steep rocky gully and knee-deep heather. We got back to the cars just over 8 hours after setting off - overall a good day out, compliments to the route-finders who did a great job in the bad conditions. A shame about the views but perhaps we'll return one day and get luckier!

Jen x