The South Glen Shiel Ridge
- robsthomson
- Jul 12, 2018
- 8 min read
Updated: Feb 8, 2019
A lesson in planning, fitness, fatigue and summit camping
Liam had been smashing though various walking challenges all year and had generally adopted walking as a full time lifestyle, having set up the 'The Climbing Clowns' Charity to raise funds through various walking events, including the grueling Cateran Yomp. My fitness had grown a little and my hill skills were developing slowly. Between us we had contrived to tackle an 'epic' adventure including a few nights wild camping and a multiple Munro route. We decided on The South Glen Shiel Ridge
Sitting between Forth William to the South and The Kyle of Lochalsh in the North, The South Glen Shiel Ridge has 7 Munro Summits along it's 17 mile expanse.
Starting from the Clunie Inn we set off in search of the ascent point. It was a clammy, sticky day and the Midges and Clegs (Horse Flies) were out in force and delighted at the 4 legged buffet we clearly offered them. After a brisk 45 minutes walking we reached the small Cairn that marked that start of Creag a' Mhaim.
Creag a' Mhaim
We had naively decided to take this walk on over 2 nights with the rational being a more leisurely pace and a daytime roadside trek back to the car some 11k from the finish point once we finished. This of course meant a heavier pack. Mine, including water, was at 30kg and I was already regretting the choice. At times the climb was ladder-esque although not quite scramble, it was steep enough to require hand holds here and there. The sun and heat seemed relentless and already frequent stops (for me anyway) were the order of the day.
Cool mists were a welcome respite as we traversed the first shoulder towards the summit and we reached the summit just shy of 2 hours from the base cairn. Slow progress indeed but I took solace in 'Walk Highlands' describing this ascent as the hardest part of the route.
An undulating ribbon of sheer rock bound beauty lay before us in the shape of The Glen Shiel Ridge. Visibility was poor so we couldn't make out the famous route which lay before us but we soon reached the first Summit Cairn and set up camp for the night nearby. My first summit camp. The cloud cover broke in places, just enough to give us a tantalising glimpse of the landscape below towards Loch Cluanie and beyond towards the next series of summits.
Druim Shionnach
We woke early to a damp, monochromed mountain-top, the silvery wet cloud cover betraying nothing to us as it enveloped any views there may have been. Our choice of campsite the night prior was vindicated as we very soon reached a technical section which required careful footing (we had considered pressing on the night before). Firstly falling away to an unknown treachery to the right before requiring a 'packs off' boulder climb.
The mist rose up through rocky chasms to our left and right concealing any sense of height from the narrowing paths. Regardless, we knew it was a long way down. My OS Map indicated a small bypass route to avoid the very narrow approach path. This wasn't obvious to us as and we picked our way up to our second summit of Druim Shionnach. The mist was clearing in patches and we caught our first proper glimpse of the peaks beyond.
Aonach air Chirth
We knew from our OS Exlplorer Map that the next section was a 3k traverse along a fairly broad and grassy section with steep Corries on one side. Even after only one summit that day, this was welcome respite as we picked up the pace (having agreed to do so on the 'easier' sections of the ridge. The mist didn't allow us any real sense of distance covered and at one point I was sure we had somehow by-passed the summit.
Given that we had just reached the highest peak of the entire 7, the summit of Aonach air Chirth was a bit of an anti-climax. The atmosphere was warming up, it was still damp and visibility was uninspiring and the midges and clegs had awoken for breakfast. The most notable moment of his summit was adorning our midge-net head gear.
Maol Chinn-Dearg
The reality of the next section was more daunting than the narrow contour lines on the map suggested. We picked our way over a very narrow, rocky section very carefully - hampered by the shifting weight of our packs. At one point my usually mild vertigo spiked and I was on my knees taking a breather for a few seconds and refocusing on the task in hand. What made the situation harder to gauge was the mist which swirled around our feet, creeping up from the chasms either side of us like dry ice from a Chemist's beaker and hiding any sense of height or safety which may lie below. I would imagine on a dry day, with no pack weight the more accomplished would skip over this section light footed but for us it was daunting.
Once over this obstacle the doubts started to duplicate as we hit a few minor summits, I struggled to pinpoint on the map our location and we hit at least 2 with Cairns thinking they 'might' be the summit of Moal Chinn-Dearg. As it was a ridge walk I knew we were on the correct path (where else could we be) but beyond that, it was becoming harder to get a bearing. In any case, at some point one of those Cairns was the summit!
Sgurr an Doire Leathain
The mist began to clear at long last and we could see increasingly more of the immediate walk and Hills beyond. Delighted as we were, this cruel twist of fate along with my inexperience with Map & Compass somehow contributed (my excuse anyway) to us thinking that the minor summit of Sgurr Coire na Feinne was our next Munro Top. We passed a Small Cairn on route to this secondary peak and only once up and over it by some way did we realise it was a marker stone to take a turn in the path. Our unexpected reward was some spectacular views down towards our original starting point and a close up view of a herd of Wild Deer but for me it was the very beginning of a very difficult afternoon.
I was now beginning to feel every step with heavy legs and aching limbs. The return to the proper path was short, steep and more soul destroying that it should have been viewing as we could the broad shoulder of grass and rock over to our far right that was our intended destination.
Reaching the top of Sgurr an Doire Lethian we could, for the first time on our walk, see our next summit ahead. The views were now spectacular and whilst I shared the joy of the view and next prospect with Liam, my personal doubts as to fitness and ability were slowly creeping in.
Sgurr an Lochain
With excellent views down into Coire Lochain and the little Loch nestled within it's embrace the climb to Sgurr an Lochain was short and sharp by comparison to what had went before. At this stage a walker with the lightest of packs passed us further underlining that this is a very long day walk for those fit enough but taking it on over 2 days with a heavy pack is not a compromise but quite frankly, a mistake.
Liam really hit his stride at this point but by comparison I was struggling. This was a fine peak and again, as so many times before, my thoughts and feelings were at odds with my body - the latter now in a fair degree of pain and the former taken over with the sheer beauty and majesty of what lay before it. We had missed a few Summit Views but this was alone was worth them all put together, being as it is regarded as the finest summit of the traverse.
Creag nam Damh
Heading back to wards the main ridge the next summit seemed to be the farthest yet, enhanced by the level of descent and ascent passing as it does along the south side of the peak of Sgurr Beag and dropping to the ridges lowest point of 729 Meters. It was not with a little hint of irony that the terrain's lowest point was accompanied by mine. To combat the growing fatigue and pain, I had developed a notion of getting back to the car by the end of the day and driving through into the wee small hours to a hot bath and warm bed. By this point, it was evident this wouldn't happen so the plan became to get off the hills, find a secluded road side spot, rest up, rise early and walk/hitch back to the car.
This final pull, including a scramble of around 8M, was grueling. Liam by contrast was in his stride and experiencing that 'finish line' euphoria that often accompanies a summit. Our water supply was very low and the summer sun was in full force. Within touching distance of the summit I was now stopping at a rate of once every 5 minutes having hit 'the wall'. Not a good way to be on a Scottish Mountain Range.
The summit was eventually reached and, despite my condition, it was a great feeling of relief and accomplishment. For a brief moment the physical pain and thought of another night under canvas was temporarily banished, cast aside by the beauty of landscape stretching to the Horizon in every direction.
Prologue - it was all downhill from here
I didn't consult the map.
From memory we recalled there was a footbridge crossing the river at the base of the Munro and looking down into the far off distance we saw a bridge and obvious trail. Quickly bounding off in that direction it should have become apparent that this was not a well worn path we were following. Looking back, the Ridge would have experienced thousands of visitors over the summer and the trail, as it was throughout, would have been more apparent. Fatigue and a desire to finish clearly clouded our judgement, poor decision making was further increased by the opportunity to stop at the fresh spring water far below (the finest water I have tasted).
After a painful and awkward 3 hour descent we found ourselves hemmed in by a deep ravine and river on 2 sides, the just descended Munro on the other and the natural, seemingly inescapable amphitheater being completed by marshlands, forest and deer fence. The trail and footbridge were clearly seldom used and for the purposes of Forestry workers.
Despite hearing traffic in the distance we could find no way across. Light was fading, I had twisted my knee sinking as I did in marsh and the Cleggs and Midges were out in force. The tents were pitched and we turned in.
After very little sleep I rose at first light, around 4am and walked around 100 meters back up the hill with map and compass. With a slightly clearer head I worked out we had came down around a mile short of the finish point where the road and the river switch. The route out involved us dropping down a short but steep slop, hand railing a forest line though marsh and getting over a 10ft deer fence. We reached the main road around 9.30 am.
After 3 miles of walking we hitched a lift the final stretch back to the car.
I can't wait to go back.
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