Читать книгу Great Mountain Days in Scotland - Dan Bailey - Страница 14

WALK FOUR

Ben More Assynt, Conival and Breabag

Start/Finish	Where the Benmore Lodge track joins the A837 (NC 296 082) – limited parking
Distance	34km (21 miles)
Ascent	1660m
Time	12hrs
Terrain	Long easy track approach. Rough and largely pathless on Breabag. More signs of passage on the higher hills, but also more scrambling. The southeast ridge of Conival has some exposed grade 1/2 ground and needs caution in the wet, while the south ridge of Ben More Assynt is easier at grade 1 but feels similarly airy at times.
Maps	OS Landranger (1:50,000) 15; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 440 & 442; Harvey Superwalker (1:25,000) Suilven covers most but not quite all of the route
Transport	Postbus service 123 from Lairg; explain you’re getting off at the Benmore Lodge track
By Bike	Cycling the approach track can save about 12km of walking; as far as Benmore Lodge it’s a mix of hard-packed gravel and tarmac sections, although the final stretch from there is a bit rougher
Accommodation	Hostel at Inchnadamph Lodge (01571 822218); Achmelvich Beach YH (01571 844480); Achininver YH (01854 622482)
Summits	Breabag 815m (‘little height’); Conival 987m (‘joined-on or adjoining hill’, possibly); Ben More Assynt 998m (‘big hill of assynt’)
Sleeping Out	The grassy hollows around Breabag’s summit give novel camping spots sheltered from many wind directions. The shores of Dubh Loch Mor under Ben More Assynt are an obvious lower-level alternative.
Seasonal Notes	In snowy conditions the southeast ridge of Conival becomes a grade I/II winter climb, and the south ridge of Ben More Assynt is grade I – taken together, a spectacular mountaineering round. It may be hard to ford the River Oykel in a wet spell.
Short Cuts	The traverse of Breabag takes nearly as much effort as all the other hills combined, so missing it out is the simplest short cut

The highest summits and only Munros in Assynt, Ben More Assynt and Conival, are less immediately striking than their freakish neighbours on the western seaboard, but closer inspection reveals a range of remote and unexpected grandeur. The standard bagger’s route from Inchnadamph has the benefit of directness but misses out many interesting corners. This route, a meatier offering by far, approaches from the south to make a circuit of the high ground ringing the lonely head of Glen Oykel.

The round starts with Breabag, an extensive and eccentric Corbett. Conival is next, climbed by its southeast ridge – an exciting scramble, but not too tricky. The circuit then continues in classic ridge-walking vein, with a narrow shattered crest to Ben More Assynt, from where more easy but atmospheric scrambling leads on over the South Top to Càrn nan Conbhairean. Finish with a quick nip up Eagle Rock – not many people come this way.

Conival from Loch Assynt

Approach 6.5km

Take the track past Loch Ailsh to reach the houses at Benmore Lodge. Beyond the big house the track becomes rougher, following the River Oykel upstream for roughly 2.5km and crossing a bridge over the Allt Sail an Ruathair along the way (cyclists should leave bikes here). The 1:50,000 map shows a bridge over the River Oykel east of Black Rock, but this does not exist; instead ford the river where it shallows at a gravel island. In spate it may be wiser to cross on a footbridge much closer to Benmore Lodge.

The towers on Conival’s southeast ridge

On the hill 18.5km

Breabag is a sprawling, complex hill and needs close navigation in poor visibility. Head W, climbing quite steeply to skirt right of Black Rock. Cross a boggy area beyond, and continue WNW beside a burn (occasional traces of path) up to a broad whalebacked shoulder. From here take a more or less direct line to Breabag’s summit up a mix of grass and scree, staying a little right of the Bealach Choinnich and the minor top of Meall Diamhain. The summit is merely the highest of several knolls, set a little back from the cliff edge of Coirean Ban.

Descend roughly NNE to a col above the glen of the Allt nan Uamh, which cuts through the limestone of Breabag’s lower slopes. Downstream are the fascinating Bone Caves, where the remains of prehistoric animals have been found; they’re a detour too far from here, but easily reached from the A837. Climb through a moonscape of quartzite pavements onto Breabag’s north top (again, just the highest of several knobbles), crossing a striking square-cut fissure and enjoying impressive views of the mountain’s rock-walled eastern corries. Continue over Breabag Tarsuinn (point 649m), then bear right to the col between Breabag and Conival.

On the slippery south ridge of Ben More Assynt

The latter looms huge and craggy above. To outflank this steep face cut right along a pronounced terrace to two tiny pools. From here head directly uphill, weaving among outcrops and scree; Conival’s southeast ridge takes shape as height is gained. The upper ridge sports a series of blunt towers. Clamber through a heap of boulders then scramble up rough slabby sandstone onto the top of the first tower – it’s pick-your-own ground, generally easier slightly left of centre. Continue directly over the second and third towers, then make a very exposed step across a gap (unavoidable – extreme caution in the wet). Now climb more easily through broken crags to reach the summit.

Breabag from the ford on the River Oykel

Follow the shattered quartzite ridge sweeping E around the head of Garbh Choire, which is pleasingly narrow but much easier than what came before. It leads over a minor top to the rocky summit of Ben More Assynt itself (the high point is the northern of two bumps). In descent head SE down a narrower crest, where a couple of slabby rock steps are encountered en route to the South Top – awkward and airy rather than genuinely difficult, but you wouldn’t want to slip. From the South Top (unnamed point 960m on the OS Landranger map) the ridge continues southwards, still narrow and with the odd scrambly moment, to arrive at the grassy summit of Càrn nan Conbhairean.

Bear SSE down a slope seamed with odd gravel furrows to the col below Eagle Rock; it’s as well to go over this little-visited dome as to try outflanking it. From the summit trig point descend ESE down grass and scree to meet a well-used quad bike track.

Return 9km

Turn right onto this track to return to the main Glen Oykel track and the footsore trudge (or joyous cycle) back to the A837.