The Loch Mullardoch Hills

This was our first full day based at Drumnadrochit and we had planned to take the boat up Loch Mullardoch in order to walk back via the hills on the north side of the loch. We were up at 6, greeted by beautiful sunshine again. We needed to get to the dam for the boat by 8, but we managed this easily, even stopping for a photo session further down the glen.

Mr Laveck, by prior arrangement and for £10 each, took us up the loch to the day’s starting point at Benula Lodge, giving us beautiful views of the hills to either side on the way. The little boat seemed crowded enough with the four of us, though he claimed he would take up to ten at a time!

Sgurr na Lapaich from the boat

Carn Eige from the boat

Coire Mhàim from the boat

The Allt Coire a

Still in sunshine, we set off up the glen, then had some stiff climbing to get onto the ridge. I was getting sunburn on my neck without realizing it!

Looking over to Carn Eige (nicknamed "Malcolm

Loch Mullardoch from An Socach

Once we were on the ridge the going was easier. We had a steady haul to reach the first summit, which went by the imaginative name of An Socach.

It was now clouding over a bit, but we still had views all round, to Glen Affric, as far as the South Glen Shiel Ridge, and over to Torridon and the Fannaichs as well.

Dan looking very relaxed on the snow in shorts!

It was Carrie’s birthday, so I tried calling her from the summit of An Socach on the mobile phone, without much hope of getting through. To my surprise I did, so we all sang ‘Happy Birthday’ and we had a long chat. The money ran out, of course, but she called back. The nearby hills to the right of this picture are Bidein a'Choire Sheasgaidh and Lurg Mhor. Maol Chean-dearg is prominent further off in the centre.

Then it was on, down to the bealach and up the other side to the two tops of An Riabhachan, stopping for lunch just beyond the first one.

Finally we reached the summit of An Riabhachan itself, by which time we were getting pretty tired.

There followed another descent, then the toughest climb of the day, up to the summit of Sgurr na Lapaich. Dan was usually ahead on the ascents, I was often ahead going down.

Sgurr na Lapaich from An Riabhachan

It was cold on the summit of Sgurr na Lapaich so we didn’t hang around long. There were two other parties going round at roughly the same pace as us. There was a steep, bouldery descent to the next bealach, then a gentle incline followed by a short steep pull up to number four - Carn nan Gobhar.

Again we didn’t stay long on the summit. The descent was initially quite steep and stony, to reach a slight saddle. We then dropped off the ridge to the left, then headed down, diagonally at first then straight down to a path by the Allt Mullardoch

We followed this path down to the lochside and then back along to the dam and the car - relief at last for several sets of tired legs! The day’s preoccupation had been the story of "The Maid of Mullardoch", begun as a theory as to why Alasdair was bothering to shave in the morning. The legend grew throughout the day of a maiden drowned in the valley when it was flooded by the dam, who now waited for her true love to come by - fifty years too late, unfortunately...