Day 9- The end of our adventure is near

On the last day we found ourselves getting up early with the dawn so we could set off up Cul Mor to ensure we were back at camp in time for Donald to pick us up; it was a very bright morning the sun came and flooded the valley with orange light just as we were getting up onto the undulating lumps we had grown quite used to. We had anticipated a rather boring walk but we actually enjoyed it which makes me think we had actually turned into bog whoppits, at home in this crazy landscape. We spotted some deer on the way up, a larger herd than we had previously seen so that made the morning a bit brighter.

 

Getting up onto the ridge we began to fear rain as we were monitoring an ominous black cloud approaching however we rather fortunate and the wind carried it away without so much as a dribble of precipitation, the other team at the camp with us had informed us of the wind forecast to be 50mph which for anyone who hasn’t walked in this it is pretty horrible and nigh on impossible so we most definitely kept this in mind for the moment it was all good, no huge gusts had got to us yet.

Once on the summit we decided to wonder down the interesting looking ridge on the other side as it was only 11am and we had until 5pm to get down to camp so we could waste a little time. We plodded down and got a look at the crags beneath the summit of Cul Mor which looked very cool and a little scary at the same time, we trudged back up and to climb a satellite peak next to Cul Mor, Sron Gharbh.

We finally decided it was time to head down the ridge and back over the bog to the tent to pack everything up and make sure it was all ready to go, then it was a bit of a waiting game so we whiled away the time playing cards. After an amusing call from Alli our lecturer who was worrying about us after seeing the weather forecast and hearing what the boys team had endured in Iceland (blizzards, -20 to -30⁰C temperatures) which we discovered later but we reassured her we were half an hour away from being picked up.
   

When it was time to leave it was quite emotional, going back to civilisation was not a pleasant thought although I was looking forward to a shower and clean underwear I had saved especially for the end but still we were going to miss the peace and quiet of the North West Highlands.

Day 8- Meander in the sun

Unknowingly under Cul Mor's nose

Yes, you read it right I did say sun!! After camping the previous night in complete fog it was fantastic to get up in the sunshine and realise the amazing views that were around us. So we took the opportunity to lay out a load of clothes to dry before munching down some breakfast and setting off for our short sunny paddle. We paddled back around the corner into Loch Veyatie; dawdling along in the brilliant weather.

We messed around in the canoe, turning around to have a picnic, paddling with our feet out and just generally chilling and enjoying the sun.  Even with our meandering along it only took us a few hours to paddle back to the Elphin fish hatcheries where we camped up on actual grass!

We were soon joined by another group with dogs and a two year old which was quite a shock after our isolation, it was really nice to chat with them, well one woman was quite…. Flamboyant, she was loud and cackled like a witch but she was definitely interesting.

Enjoying the sun with some university work and notes for this blog ironically

Due to the arrival of the other group ‘toileting’ proved difficult as we figured we better be discreet so we paddled up the lake in the dusk light, watching the sun go down over the glass still water and pulled up on a beach around the corner to have one last nature poo. Well mine wasn’t ready so I left it until the next day but I sure did enjoy the sky and the striking colours.

In the end it was such a peaceful, restful day, even hearing about the 50mph winds forecast tomorrow but that wouldn't put us off doing Cul Mor.

Scotland really delivered, we were mesmerised by the sunset and the still loch

Day 7- The misty portage

To end the suspense (for those who care or remember) our decision regarding the ascent of Cul Mor was to portage to loch Veyatie and paddle down it on day 7 and on day 8 ascend Cul Mor as the route up was much more pleasant from that side.

Today we felt like Charon paddling dead souls through the misty gloom to the underworld; in less dramatic terms the clouds were exceptionally low and we could not see further than the other side of the loch in the morning. We packed up after I had a grumpy episode packing the bags rerolling the sleeping mats about 10 times and getting extremely frustrated that I just stood up in the drizzle to shove it all in and declared that Izzy was doing all of the packing from now on then I went and ate breakfast to recover from my tantrum. We pushed off and kept the shore in sight because as we came around back in Sionasgaig we the extent of our visibility didn’t reach very far. We paddled back to the area we had first came down in the loch and found our second portage stream and got into Lochan na Claise, paddled around this and located our exit stream.

Thankfully it was flatter than expected and we could tow the canoe through the stream for quite a way, there were a few parts we had to ferry the bags up and then the canoe as the land was flat then would go up then flatten again before another incline. We followed our progress along the map until it got to a squiggly part and the stream didn’t carry along as it did on the map so we scouted ahead with the bags and found a small loch/tarn and after heading up and over another lump we saw our end point. It was much sooner than I had thought!

It felt as if the most incline was saved for the last push at the end, it took about another hour to get the canoe and everything down to the loch, we were now back on loch Veyatie. We had already picked a spot on the map that looked flat and should be sheltered so we paddled into the loch and around the corner towards us scoping the banks for any other good spots; we parked up and scouted the land of our intended spot finally settling on a decent position for the tent. Then it was time to set up camp; I cooked pasta while Izzy took care of the tent furnishings and we retired into the tent as after all there really wasn’t a view to see other than the edge of the loch and the lumps on either side of us.

We had paddled and portaged for 6 hours and I definitely felt a little weary that day although bearing in mind it was the 7^th day I was quite happy it had taken until then to hit me slightly as I had been less chirpy and more fed up with the portage but the pasta and my sleeping bag really made things better.

The beginnings of the Ramblings of a Mad Blonde idea emerges…..

Day 6- the drizzly day

As can be seen from the title the theme of day 6 was drizzle and mist!! We had decided the previous night to walk along the road around the base of Cul Beag to ascend up the more sloped less rocky side bearing in mind the amount of snow still present. After break camp and heading up and over the bumps to the cut, we plodded along in fresh weather debating what the weather would do that day. We soon cut off the road and headed up and got up onto the top of a large 400m(ish) lump to admire the view. The view which did not really exist as the clouds had descended obliterating the summits. What we could see looked like Mount Olympus from Greek mythology, a huge white expanse gradually fading away up into clouds. We set off across to climb the slope up to Cul Beag, we had wanted to do both peaks, Meall Dearg and Cul Beag but I was a little unconfident in navigating in the whiteout so it was easier to go straight for Cul Beag even though it would mean a shorter day.

We crossed the combe which was a pain because there were a few streams running under the snow and the grass underneath was soaking so after I stepped through the snow and got my foot stuck in bog we tried to stick to the grass poking out of the snow so we didn’t sink through again. It was a little irritating and we were both a little fed up by the time we got up to the incline to the summit but a chocolate bar later and we were ready to go. We managed to get up the steep incline with me kicking steps in the slushy snow; it wasn’t very deep or stable we hit the grass on most steps but I wanted to make sure we didn’t slip as there were lots of rocks around so we took it slow and suddenly we popped up on the top, we walked round to the cairn and relished the drizzly cloud view.

We took a bearing off the summit down the north side to ensure we stayed away from the crag area to our left and tootled off down the steep slope, I was pretty happy to plod down with the occasionally slip in the wet snow but Izzy found it hard to do anything other than tentatively creep down and repeatedly slip on her bum (she did have the bag which probably didn't help). She made me feel like a mountain goat because I couldn’t understand why she was slipping so much while I was literally just trudging down the mountain keeping an eye on the bearing.

We soon got out of the snow and back into the bog and walked back to camp with the promise of hot chocolate and risotto, one of the only things Izzy cooked and it tasted absolutely amazing! One of the best meals we had, it was then time to plan the next day as we didn’t like the idea of ascending Cul Mor from this side due to the rockiness, the final decision was……..

Day 5- Our prayers are answered!!

Our spirits were really raised after waking up to brilliant sunshine and a perfectly calm loch; bearing in mind the day before it was rather……. the only word is tumultuous. I actually needed my sunglasses because of the glare from the water, our next base would be home for the next two days as we would be surrounded by mountains to conquer so we made it a good spot, we decided it was the most perfect spot for the theme of our expedition……. Loo with a view!

We went for a beach directly below Stac Pollaigh and Cul Beag; we camped on the sand to almost convince ourselves we were somewhere tropical and the morning’s temperatures such felt like considering we had been in snow for the last three days. We even set up a clothes line to dry our sodden lives before heading off up to Stac Pollaigh to walk around the base of the summit.

We had specified in our plan that we wouldn’t go to the summit for a multitude of reasons; the whole mountain is renowned for being eroded and very popular so we didn’t want to damage the summit rock further as the area is made up of sandstone, and from our research we knew that to get to the summit we would have to climb which we weren’t prepared to do especially without winter kit as it was all still covered in snow.

Following a path of footprints around the base we heard a call from above and stopped like two deer caught in headlights and looked at each other amazed, people after five days! It was quite strange sharing the area with other people when we had been so totally alone for so long, well five days is not a long time but there aren’t many times in modern society when you can truly get away completely from civilisation for even a day so we were cherishing the peace. After the climbers above we met a family on the path who asked us a few questions about the path, then a-  I’m going to say European as we couldn’t determine his accent, who was really interested in what we were doing and he was quite jealous we had done Suilven as apparently he had been weathered off the year before.

I quite enjoyed telling people our story as when you look at Izzy and I walking around we probably don’t look particularly outdoorsy at first but when we tell people what we’ve been doing they’re always shocked and I quite relish that look. Especially when in the hostel before we came home some Germans had done the Great Glen Way and had been freezing, wet and covered in blisters for four days, so I had a little evil laugh that we had been in worse weather and fared much better.

We walked back to our seclusion through the bog and cooked a hotpot, well I cooked which was amazing if I do say so myself. We had  automatically settled into a camp rhythm, I would cook while Izzy sorted out the tent and it was pretty much the same in the morning. I had tried to pack the 60litre dry bags in the tent once when it was raining and got really  frustrated with it, so I mainly stuck to cooking unless it was sunny (joke) and I could shove everything in.

Looking a little demented
and very pink but happy 
with my food

It was quite a peaceful, falling asleep to the lapping of the lake in front of the tent with flat ground to lie on, well not quite so peaceful when someone managed to convince herself that the lake would flood into the tent and if anyone knows Izzy well enough they’ll know she is quite vocal and repetitive about her worries. I get to have my own back though because I am analysing her as part of my dissertation project so her paranoia was actually quite helpful.

Day 4- The long awaited portage

More mellow about the day by now

Happy to start the day

The wind had died a little so we managed to cross the loch and finally get stuck into our portage, the streams had flooded a little so we were able to pull the canoe along which was pretty easy and the most fun part of the day. We managed to get into the first connecting loch and we paddled around that to our next stream, this one was definitely not big enough so it was more dragging. After dragging the canoe up and over a smallish bump into the next little loch we knew this would be the theme for the day, not much of a fun prospect. This carried on for the rest of the day and it was certainly not flat, it was a gentle incline for most of the day which wasn’t too bad if you were just carrying our bags but when you have 15ft canoe life gets a little awkward not to mention the occasionally hail and rain spurts we were getting. It was quite bizarre and sinister as we could see the weather fronts coming so we knew based on the cloud colour and the brightness behind it when we were going to get rained on again and that it would soon pass, much better than any forecast when you can actually see the clouds coming for you.  

The first of many lumps to conquer

On our map the portage was just short of a 2km distance but ferrying the stuff then the canoe took a bit of time, as we couldn’t drag the canoe with all of our gear- the food barrel weighed a ton!! It took us most of the day (we broke camp around 10am and got to the other lake at around half 4ish) so it was a good workout and definitely sweaty. I’m proud we did it though, I’m not particularly strong and neither is Izzy and we managed that keep going pretty well and to paddle into strong winds when we finally got onto Loch Sionasgaig.

We went from th top loch into the wiggly stream into the first loch then into Na Tri Lochan then basically followed that round to Creag na h-lolaire were it was a tug over to Creag Sionasgaig  which fed into the loch...... so pretty simple

So after a “controlled” descent down the hill to the lake (we realised the height we had actually gained, about 200m which is a lot with all of our stuff) we set off and it was relatively still and just so great to be paddling not pulling……. Until the wind picked up as we got around the corner into the main lake and we were paddling straight into some substantial winds. Being the stern paddler (in the back) I tried to keep us into the wind to avoid being capsized by side on waves but we wanted to head left around the loch so when a few waves sloshed over the side I was not happy. We ended up ‘pulling over’ and we got ourselves camped up around a bump relatively out of the wind on a spot that looked deceptively comfy. But of course it was not, probably the MOST uncomfortable spot of the whole trip for Izzy mostly I just got squished by her.

Chuffed with this, we came from the lake and this wasn't even half way to Sionasgaig

Dinner was made and sleeping bags set out, if I remember correctly it was stir fry that night which was well deserved and so tasty!! we buckled down to sleep and deciding to carry on with the paddle round Sionasgaig and into Loch an Doire Dhuibh below Stac Pollaigh the next day. When I sleep I mean curl around the edge of my mat as a certain someone invades my side but no matter she put up with my whining during the portage so I suppose she deserved a little space (yes that is what I’m going with, I took the mick of her in the morning for good measure though).

First day of sustained sunshine

Day 3- A long journey…….around the corner

This day was originally planned to be a rest day however we decided that we could get the portage in one day and do the other half the rest as we would probably get ridiculously bored if we didn’t do anything all day plus the fact the whole portage and paddle in one day might be a bit miserable. The aim was to move around and keep warm as it was the night after it had snowed and sitting still in a tent all day would result in some chilly toes.

But of course the weather had other ideas, we optimistically packed everything away, waiting for a lull in the rain or hail (it’s hard to tell from inside a tent) then the wind picked up and began to snow again, as we came up and over the lump that had been our shelter we felt the true force of the wind and the wind caps on the waves on the lake our optimism dropped quite rapidly. We went down to the canoe and  packed it up and discussed the problem ahead, it was either to try and paddle out into the waves (not really an option when we considered the prospect of the waves coming over the side and capsizing) or set up camp again and wait for better weather. We compromised and decided to walk back around the corner to see if it was more shelter around the corner.

We walked the canoes around the edge of the loch and found it slightly more sheltered but not much and certainly not enough that we felt confident enough to gamble with so, we set up camp and waited for the next day.

We managed to amuse ourselves with cards, university work (we’re nerds I know) and our first nature number twos!! Well not Izzy but that’s a story that you people probably don’t want to hear. We prayed for lighter winds the next day and it continued to blow for the rest of the day and we sat in the tent ‘resting’.

Day 2- First and hardest mountain day? Bring it on!

We had an early start with some gross porridge (we couldn't quite get the breakfast part of our day spot on) we walked on along a path of sorts through the bog, as we found that any path that might actually exist here was just slightly trodden down grass so normally it was easier to follow your own or the quite obvious deer trails. We walked parallel to the lake then made our way up to the base of Suilven to walk up the middle to Bealoch Mor; it was a really steep walk but barely took any time at all, once on top we carried on up to Caisteal Laith which is the higher of the two peaks. We had a few sketchy moments when the wind would suddenly gust as there are a few exposed parts on the ridge so we bravely followed the tracks of a hare and crept along.  Once on the top there was a mandatory summit selfie then we retreated back down as there wasn’t much of a view due to the cloud anyway, as if I would expect anything else from my time of climbing mountains. Even so we headed off the other side of the slope we had come up and began the long trudge over to the base of Canisp, we made our way over a bridge and up a track and we were able to then head up the ridge.

By this point we had swapped the bag over so now I was feeling light as a feather compared to earlier so I was able to walk much better, I was still pretty happy whenever we stopped for a second, as I was panting anyway! Thankfully we had seen the summit before the clouds surrounded it otherwise that climb would have been false summit central! We set a goal to get to the next false summit we could see each time to keep us going at a steady pace as by that time with all the walking across the bog we were a little tired but we could still go strong. Finally at the top we chose the route down and headed off; I knew I wouldn’t enjoy the walk back as we had to descend Canisp all the way to the lake at the base before walking back up and over a load of lumps to get around to the right side of Suilven, it added up to a lot of total height gain for the day; however I didn’t expect it to turn into the “misfortunate incident it did”.

 

So on getting up to the lumps to walk around Suilven (and a fall in the river for me) it started to snow quite heavily and we couldn’t see a lot of anything so we took a bearing to make sure we didn’t wander around in the wrong direction and kept going, it began to get dark and head torches really don’t make much difference when you’re trying to see through snow. I was definitely pretty cold by this point my feet were numb and I was still wet from my unintended slip in the river so we kept marching and eventually got a little confused as to our exact location. So we followed a stream down to the lake which was the best way to find our way back to camp however this left us with a slight dilemma, we were unsure just how far along Suilven we had walked, it felt like further than the time suggested, so did we go left along the lake or right? Izzy in her infinite wisdom saved the day and said right so we turned around and soon saw the canoe covered in snow lying right where we had left it that morning, happiness again!! We made some food and got dry and laughed at how crazy the weather had suddenly gotten, complete whiteout and heavy snow and trying to avoid disorientating yourself among all of the boggy lumps; it was definitely a challenge but one we had won and were quite proud of ourselves for.

The day had started at 9 and finished at half 10 when we found the tent so we most definitely earned some pesto pasta courtesy of Izzy, it was possibly one of the longest days I’ve ever had walking but I’m proud that we managed to walk up and down two mountains separated by at least a kilometre of boggy terrain and get back in one piece not to mention the fact that we started every mountain from basically sea level so our legs definitely felt every metre of those mountains.

Suilven was such an amazing mountain, I recall from the paddle along it the day before how mesmerised we were by the sight of it, I am sure we have never seen a mountain like that in Britain and it has definitely inspired us to research the formation of this unique mounds of rock; as while we were there we ruled out glaciers and rivers and volcanoes so being novice geologists we were a little stumped.  

One important lesson of the day was never underestimate the power of your sleeping bag, it was all I could think about for the last few hours in the dark, to get cocooned into it and warm my feet up. When you’re out in a remote place those are the thoughts on your mind, not what’s going on in your favourite TV series or posting statuses on Facebook, you get to reduce your life to all of the simple basic needs. Some may understand me when I say life becomes just about the base level of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (food, shelter, warmth) and I have found it is very peaceful that way and I was quite happy (although the daily toilet need was a pain when you were all snuggled up). 

Day 1 of our Scottish expedition: We're on our way

For our second year module expedition preparation and planning, we had to plan and do an expedition so Izzy and I decided we would go up to the Highlands and use a canoe as our mode of transport around the lochs to get to some remote mountains. All said and done (and a little more planning) we picked up a canoe and gear from Inverness, we drove to Elphin; we didn’t think we were allowed down the road to the fish hatchery according to a sign on the gate so we drove further around to Cam Loch and camped in a sheep field on the gravel in the rain. It sure was a cheery start.

In the morning we saw where we were and congratulated ourselves for sleeping on gravel, we pulled the canoe down to the river and paddled into Cam Loch. Things were going fine until we remembered that the reason we hadn’t wanted to start in Cam Loch was because of something marked on the map between us and Loch Veyatie so on hearing a roar of water we quickly got out and trudged around the corner to see a huge set of waterfalls. We portaged everything up and over the bump and found the fish hatchery and got down into the right lake. From there it was plain sailing, the views were amazing, unlike any other mountains I’d seen before; Suilven and Cul Mor looked really intimidating and I half dreaded going up Suilven the next day (it looked quite snowy and steep). We joyfully got a bit of moving water when the lake narrowed into a river to flow into Fionn Loch and from there it was a hunt for good camp spots.

I noticed that Izzy possessed a certain preciseness on the spot we chose, it had to be dry and sheltered; my only premise was flat. We ended up settling on a slightly less flat spot behind one of the many lumps (as they became affectionately known) out of the wind in a boggy spot due to the impossibility of avoiding it, this also made it hard to find at 10pm at night but that is a story for another time. We buckled in with some food to plan the next day and hope for good weather, good luck with that!

I would like to say a thank you to Donald from Explore Highland without whom our expedition wouldn't have gone ahead, so a thanks to you and your music taste isn't so bad. http://www.explorehighland.com/