Assynt weekend 2016

Ken's report:

"West Coast 2016

A group of 6 this year = Ken, Gordon, Stewart, Ian Sharp, John and Colin. Dave with a good excuse (I’ll be in Peru), Ian Stewart less convincing (I’ll be pulling pints at the Aberdeen beer festival) and Andy’s excuse has slipped my mind (might have been too early a start).

Day 1 – Thursday

An early start with a poor weather forecast –squeezed between rain in the west and fog in the east. Settled on Ben Rinnes in Morayshire as our target for the day. The drive to Dufftown was not promising with low cloud almost to road level on the Cabrach. Playing for time in Dufftown we looked in vain for a coffee shop with tumbleweed blowing down the main street. A passerby pointed us in the direction of Dufftown station where we enjoyed coffee and bacon rolls on the old rolling stock and were given a brief history lesson on the Dufftown to Keith railway line, now being kept open by volunteer enthusiasts. Eventually we bit the bullet and headed up into the mist on Ben Rinnes – cold, wet and foggy – an inauspicious start. The viewfinder on top was all we could see rather than the promised 80 km 3600 vista! Anyway good exercise for a couple of hours and enough to justify our later dinner and drinks at Aultbea. A brief stop at Tisos in Inverness and then onto the Aultbea Hotel – very comfortable establishment and we chose the restaurant for our first night - perhaps a mistake – inverse relationship between cost and portion size. Highly entertained by the young waitress who gave us chapter and verse on the ingredients and their source. Just a shame there wasn’t a bit more of it! A varied first day!

Dufftown Station cafe

Topping out on Ben Rinnes

The Aultbea Hotel – fabulous location!

Day 2- Friday

Mixed forecast – showers, a bit windy, brighter intervals but a lot of cloud around. Not really a day for the hill tops. The Shenavall Circuit was selected for the day’s entertainment - a 12 mile walk with a couple of 350m ascents – seemed like a good idea (to me) but perhaps not enough quizzing of the team leader by the team to establish the effort required that day! Anyway, moaning aside, the walk was lovely – we traversed round An Teallach and then down to the Shenavall bothy for a lunch stop. A walk up the glen for a couple of miles with grand views and then back over the col and a longish walk back to the car. Stewart claimed 33,000 steps and 14 miles but I think he needs to recalibrate his step size! A latish arrival to the Royal Hotel in Ullapool – pleasantly surprised by this establishment despite its coach tour credentials. An average meal in the Ferry Boat Inn and then we were treated to a glorious sunset over the Summer Isles down Loch Broom.

Shenavall Bothy

Climbing out of Strath na Sheallag

Sunset over the Summer Isles and Loch Broom

Day 3 – Saturday

Saturday started out very dreich and wet. A morning of paper-reading and nursing aching limbs. A forecast improvement for the afternoon tempted us out to a coastal stroll at Achiltibuie and we delayed our start with a superb tea and cakes at the Highland Piping Centre Coffee Shop – aside from the piped music, views and fare were excellent. We drove to the end of the road and completed a short loop walk along the coast and overlooking the Summer Isles with soft, misty lighting and the sea like a mill-pond. Very atmospheric. Saturday evening was dinner at the Ceilidh Place and then a musical interlude across the road in their trad music venue – slightly curious duet – lovely fiddle playing and harmonies from Old Blind Dogs fiddler (used to live in Upper Lochton!!) accompanying Fidel Castro look-alike and sympathizer, who regaled us with happy dittys about our imperial past – the slave trade, opium wars and the down-trodden masses. Power to the people!!! Different…. We finished the evening with a dram at the Ferry Boat Inn and felt like we were participating in a gay convention – absolutely no females in the bar (apart from the bar staff)….the village was full of late-middle-aged men in groups of bikers and walkers…all a bit weird.

Looking across Loch Broom from Achiltibuie

Day 4 – Sunday

After a restful Saturday, limbs and weather were much improved and we set off to tackle Stac Pollaidh, a small but prominent hill north of Ullapool. The car park was busy, including a Channel 4 film crew who were filming a documentary series on geology (Travelling through Time??). Anyway we set off on the well made path which curved round the back of the hill and then steeply up to the coll. Stewart and Gordon elected to circuit the hill while the rest of us made it to the lower east top. Views were spectacular and remained stunning as we descended and headed round the hill. Fantastic short hill walk. In need of a cup of tea, we headed north to Elphin and more lovely views of the Assynt hills. A pleasant drive back to Aultbea vie Corrie Shalloch Gorge and Mellon Udrigle beach. We elected to eat in the bar for our last night – good choice – food still excellent, but rather more of it! Finished the day with a gorgeous sunset.

Stac Pollaidh

Suilven and Cul Mor from Stac Pollaidh

Stac Pollaidh summit

Looking west from Stac Pollaidh

Suilven and Cul Mor and Cul Beag from Stac Pollaidh

Suilven from Elphin tea room

Corrie Shalloch gorge

Mellon Udrigle beach

Evening drams at the Aultbea Hotel

Day 5 – Monday

The team split today, with Gordon and Stewart heading north again for a photographic outing to a waterfall north of Elphin. The rest of us headed for the Beinn Eighe mountain trail – a steep, rocky ascent to 560m with great views into the Torridon mountains and across Loch Maree to Slioch. A lovely to walk to finish off our trip. The rest of us dozed while John made a sterling effort to drive us home. Great weekend. Loose talk for 2017 raised the possibility of a Yorkshire Dales trip, maybe in September. Watch this space.

Looking across Loch Maree to Slioch

Beinn Eighe from the mountain trail

Beinn Eighe from the mountain trail

Looking across Loch Maree to Slioch

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