Liathach & Beinn Eighe
From Sgurr Dubh
Walking in Torridon
Brenda Clough • October 3, 2020
Sgorr an Lochan Uaine from Sgurr Dubh, Torridon
Despite a generally poor week weather wise the first full day was a Sunday and was one of those perfect days on the west coast. We headed off fairly early but still only just managed to get into the main car park for Beinn Eighe and Liathach. However, these big iconic mountains were not our destination for the day and by heading south of the main road we managed an 8 hour walk seeing only one lone cyclist at the end of the day. We enjoyed the most superb views as well as travelling through some beautiful scenery with sparkling blue lochans in amongst a rocky landscape.
This area is becoming busier than it used to be with the promotion of the North Coast 500 and on a wet and windy day we headed to the pass at the top of the Bealach na Bà along with numerous cyclists, motorbikes and campervans. From the large car park at the top of the pass you can follow a rough track to a mast and then walk along a (narrow at times) ridge to the top of the mountain which overlooks the Bealach – Sgurr a’ Chaorachain. There are superb views of the cliffs in the nearby coire as well as Bheinn Bhàn and Loch Kishorn. Just a couple of hours walk!
View from Sgurr a' Chaorachain,
Bealach na Ba
Our final walk was again on a wet and windy day but an early start resulted in us being first up shapely Beinn Damh above Loch Torridon and whilst the final summit was mostly in cloud we had a couple of good breaks just as we turned to go back down the mountain. Down in time for an early lunch at the nearby bar is a novel experience for us.
Beinn Damh
in the mist
A clearing view from
Beinn Damh
And of course when the weather is good you do experience those incredible sunsets, this one from our cottage at Shieldaig. We will be back soon to do those other hills which require days of good visibility and dry rock.
Sunset at Shieldaig
Richard & Brenda on the summit of Tour de Moyen in Switzerland As we wind down Perthshire Treks over the coming winter, we have had time to look back over the last 6 years and all the lovely people we have walked with and the great adventures we have had. One of our very first adventures was for a lovely group of women from the Netherlands organised through Schottland op Maat . They came to Pitlochry on one of the wettest weekends of the year! Plans were quickly changed from the proposed walk up Schiehallion to a walk along the Rob Roy Way followed by a walk around Pitlochry the following day – and they were amazed at the waterfalls – they don’t have many in the Netherlands! The same year saw Richard do his fastest ascent ever of Ben Vrackie with a young Russian couple who were into marathon running and we also provided some self-guided walking for a corporate group from Baillie Gifford . This first year, as it turned out, was fairly typical with some clients booking directly with us and others via travel agents or travel curators.
What’s it like to be a walking guide? Well, this year will be my 10th and final year as a walking guide, so this blog post looks back at my longer than expected second career.
If you're living or staying in Pitlochry or Aberfeldy, you can use a local bus to help you do a wonderful walk between the two towns. Find out more in our latest blog.
As I write this blog, a cold northerly wind has set in across the UK. A change in the wind direction so that it is coming from the Arctic is one of those weather patterns that is very noticeable for many reasons. Find out more in this blog post.
An overgrown path in Perthshire - just one of the obstacles on the TGO Challenge Life is a challenge but some people enjoy physical challenges in the outdoors. These challenges can be very rewarding and you can feel a great sense of achievement in their completion which can spur you on to do more and set yourself new targets. People are very different in what type of challenges they want to do and this can vary from just completing your first Munro (a mountain in Scotland over 3000 feet), walking the Skye ridge in 24 hours, doing a more organised challenge such as the TGO (The Great Outdoors challenge) or competing in an extreme triathlon. Much depends on whether you like to set your own individual goals or prefer the stimulus of a bigger group and whether you are competitive or not competitive.
Some winter walking in the North York Moors National Park, with some cold and snowy days and some warmer days!
A description of a walk on the moors above Bruar and Calvine, taking in a well-preserved stretch of a General Wade military road.
A visit to the Cairngorms in October 2021 allowed a close-up view of the "cap cloud" that can form in the Cairngorms - and the strong winds it generates!
A report on two wild camping trips near Glenshee and in the Letterewe wilderness in spring 2021.
