Thursday 27 July
Another rest day, another waterfall. I drove up to the Falls of Shin to watch the salmon jumping and tried (unsuccessfully) to catch them on film.
The Falls of Shin. There were plenty of salmon jumping, but they didn't pose long enough for me to be able to photograph them.
Friday 28 July
With Bob, Lionel and Chris S., drove to Achnashellach intending to climb Fuar Tholl. It was raining hard when we arrived, and for 20 minutes we sat in the car wondering whether to abandon the trip altogether. But the rain eased a bit, so we put on our wet weather gear and started to climb the fine stalker's path up into Coire Lair. After about an hour, the rain had stopped and the path branched. The left fork led us to the swollen River Lair, which the others managed to cross, but I jibbed at it. (My boots tend to slip on wet rock, my balance isn't as good as it used to be, and I was unnerved by having slipped on a similar crossing three days before. Excuses, excuses.) I told them to go on, but they decided to cross back and we all continued up the other branch of the path. As the cloud level slowly rose we could see the long ridge of Beinn Liath Mhor to our right, and I tentatively suggested that we might climb that instead. We had lunch at the head of the corrie, looked at the cloud still covering the tops, and decided not to go any further. Just then, we saw a couple making their way down from the ridge to where we were. They were full of enthusiasm for the ridge walk and encouraged us to go on. We said no, and we started to go back down to the valley. But at that moment the cloud lifted completely from the ridge, which looked irrresistible. We turned round and spent the next two hours traversing this fine ridge. The weather improved all the time and the sun was shining on our descent to the valley. A memorable day in the hills, and a fitting end to another wonderful holiday in Scotland.
Our first attempt at lunch, in Coire Lair, was "midged out". The midges descended in hordes, and we were being eaten faster than we could eat. We quickly moved on.
View from the second lunch stop, on a col at the head of Coire Lair. The three tops of the Beinn Liath Mhor ridge are beginning to emerge from the cloud.
Bob and Lionel on the first (and highest) summit of Beinn Liath Mhor. The cloud has lifted just enough to give a view down to Loch Torridon.
On the ridge, the stony path leading up to the final top.
Making our way up to the final top.
View across Coire Lair to Fuar Tholl (the hill we originally set out to climb).
A final look back up Coire Lair and the three tops of Beinn Liath Mhor.
Back in the farmhouse, Chris S. and Bernadette enjoying an after-dinner coffee.
Saturday 29 July
Packed, helped to clean up the farmhouse, then drove 375 miles home, stopping at Blair Atholl (coffee at The Watermill), Galashiels (lunch at The Rowan Tree) and Belsay (tea and cream scone at The Blacksmith's).
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