| KNOYDART IN A NUTSHELL - FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TAKES UP KNITTING | ||||||
An eventful weekend in the so called last wilderness in Britain saw us wandering up the Corbett of Beinn Buidhe on Friday night in glorious but hazy sunshine, with a bumbag between us – don’t tell the mountain rescue! – anticipating a nice meal at our campsite, there was no gas coming out of our burner....sounds likes me at Carnethy!, so it was a fire and lukewarm rice that we ended up having to try and sate our appetite. After heavy rain overnight Saturday was a bag (for Canna) of the 2 munros of Luinne Bheinn (Loony Bin) and Meall Buidhe in thick clag following the now well defined path over the rolling ridge between them. It is probably something like 20 years since I did these 2 hills and there was no path, it really was the Rough Bounds back then – somehow Knoydart seems tamer these days. Deciding to see if the shop had gas we wandered back to Inverie arriving at 3.15 on a now glorious afternoon - an Andy Spenceley start would have seen fine conditions up high but it was not to be! – only to find the shop had closed at 3!. Oh well, a cup of tea and scone would be nice, or so we thought....the tea shop had also closed at 3pm!.......on Easter Saturday! Oh well, the pub will serve tea. Well yes they did, but having tried first to get served I was obviously invisible, and a local who came in 10 minutes after I had stood at the bar got his can of tennents lager, so I sent in reinforcements in the shape of Angela who did eventually get served! Arkle was not amused and took to being....well Arkle, standing on the beach and barking (mad).
Finding a lovely campsite looking over to Ladhar Bhein, we got a great fire going and totally ruined Angelas pan! – but did have endless cups of tea and a good meal – Arkle was still Arkle and stood in the river......and barked (madder). I counted 13 ticks on my legs and several more on other parts! Sunday morning was wet.....very wet, so we decided to go up a hill.....trying to outdo Arkle on the mad front, we even forgot to take a compass.....OK, I did, so was in the doghouse with Arkle. We meandered up Beinn na Callich, Peak of the Old Women, aptly named given that is was Angelas 2nd last Corbett! – and miraculously found the top! On return at lunchtime we passed a tent we had seen earlier and slagged off the inhabitants for being lazy so and sos as they appeared to be just getting up – at 12.30. Chilling out at the campsite and waiting to see if the weather would clear, the dogs went beserk as the inhabitants of the tent came past......some familar faces appeared in the form of Alec Keith, Gilly and their 2 girls, who were having Easter in Knoydart and now heading for the afternoons water taxi. As luck would have it, Alec had a spare burner so loaned us that and fortified by tea and fruit and nut we set off for Sgurr Coire Choinnichean. It had now totally cleared out and a fine romp up the south-west ridge was enjoyed, maybe not by Arkle who thought we had finished for the day! Creme Eggs were enjoyed on the summit with – in my case – Talisker, a combination not to be sniffed at!
Next day the early ferry back saw us in Glencoe bagging (again for Canna) Sgorr na Ulaidh, weighed down with compass, but this time no map. All in all an enjoyable weekend in the (not quite Rough) Bounds.....and Canna can look forward to enjoying Inverie hospitality again when bagging Ladhar Bheinn. Adam (gas-less), Angela (hill-less), Arkle (brain-less), Canna (just-less!) Adam Ward |
