Sunday 4 July 2021

TORRIDON & AN TEALLACH

Lord Barkeley's Seat, An Teallach

 It has been a stunning weather week in The Highlands. Hot sunshine, predominately blue skies and very little wind. I've spent last weekend and the early part of the week in the finest mountain areas on the planet, Torridon and An Teallach. Soaring ridges of Torridonian Sandstone rising steeply above the beautiful Wester Ross coastline. Here are my adventures over the last few days. Summer time on the hills is here and it didn't rain.

SATURDAY 26 JUNE

LIATHACH

A fine day to be out on the 2nd finest mountain on planet Earth. Warm sunshine with a little high, thin cloud cover at times. A T-shirt job all day.

The classic view of Liathach's ridge

Ridge walking 

Spidean Coire Leith 

Spidean a Coire Leith 

That beach

Fine views

My favourite viewpoint

Looking East

I can never tire over traversing Liathach. 

Beinn Dearg

Beinn Alligin 

Mullach an Rathain 

Loch Torridon 


Late afternoon light
SUNDAY 27 JUNE

BEINN ALLIGIN 

That other Torridon Giant. The Jewel Mountain. Another glorious and sunny day. Temperatures a notch warmer than yesterday.
Bog Cotton 

Liathach

Sgurr Mhor

View from Tom na Gruagaich 

Sgurr Mhor

Eag Dubh

Enjoying the view from Sgurr Mhor

Baoshbhain 

Summer walking 




MONDAY 28 JUNE 

Hot and Sunny with glorious blue skies. A leisurely wander over to Dundonnell. 
Little Loch Broom Sunset

TUESDAY 29 JUNE

AN TEALLACH

An Teallach above an inversion

On Monday afternoon I met up with friends Issi and John. We stayed in the comforts of the Dundonnell Hotel. A nice break for me from the wild camping over the last couple of days. The weather forecast for tomorrow was looking promising. Light/no winds, dry and warm with light cloud.

Emerging out of the cloud


Temperature Inversion!

We headed out to do the classic circuit of An Teallach. Issi and John are an experienced couple with lots of Munros under their belt. They were keen on seeing what this An Teallach was all about. I'd been enthusing about it to them for a while.

We walked up through light cloud on our way to the first of An Teallach's many summits, Sail Liath. At the 900m contour we could see and feel the sun breaking through the thin cloud cover. Next minute we were into clear blue skies and above a sea of cloud! A temperature inversion!
Stunning views back to Sail Liath

Temperature Inversions in the mountains are one of the greatest, most memorable weather phenomina you will ever experience. We were gob smacked.
Ridge walking above the clouds!

Brilliant!

We sauntered along the fine ridgeline of the best mountain on Earth. We had to keep stopping to take in the astonishing views. Only the highest summits of the Fisherfield Forest, Fannaichs, the Beinn Dearg Munros and, of course, the tops of An Teallach were visible.
A sea of cloud

An Teallach's ridge line

Fabulous

Smiles all round

Lord Barekeley's Seat

Lord Barkeley's Seat piercing the clouds

Sgurr Fiona

All too soon we were over the ridge and onto the first of two Munro summits that make up An Teallach. We hadn't seen anyone up to this point.
Bidein a Ghlas Thuill

An Teallach Goats

We had come across many families of feral goats today. I usually spot one or two of the 'An Teallach Goats' when up here. We counted at least 8 separate groups of them on this occasion. All of them were on the ridges. Were they up here enjoying the sunshine as much as us?
The temperature inversion lingered all day

More of An Teallach's many tops

The classic view of An Teallach

Second Munro

Bidein a Ghals Thuill

Time to saunter down

What a fantastic day. We reluctantly and slowly made our way down off An Teallach's second Munro, Bidein a Ghals Thuill. The temperature inversion stuck around throughout the entire day. Some times they burn off, especially in the summer months. Not this one. We descended back into the cloud and back into that 'other world'. Up above us  it was a truly different heavenly scene.
Toll an Lochain in cloud

THURSDAY 1 JULY

CAIRNGORM WILDLIFE

Loch A'an under hot sun

The gorgeous weather continues! I had an easy wander back in my local hills in search of Dotterel which I have not seen this season. I was quickly off any paths and out exploring my usual locations for wildlife with fab views.

Mountain Hare

Within 10 minutes of leaving a main path and only 30 minutes from leaving the 'Cairngorm construction site' (currently the highest building site in the UK as they plough millions of pounds into fixing the train) I came across a lovely wee Mountain Hare enjoying the peace & quiet of the mountain side.

Looking down on the beautiful Loch A'am beaches

Later on I wondered over the beautiful grasses, mosses and crowberry vegetation, high up on the Cairngorm plateau and away from the noise. It was glorious warm skies and another day of just T-shirt conditions. I spotted a wonderful pair of Ptarmigan.

Hen Ptarmigan looking beautiful and elegant in her Summer colours

The Male not far away

It was lovely lying on the soft, warm grasses photographing this pair of Ptarmigan. The Hen's colours are by far the most beautiful in Spring and Summer plumage. In sunshine they are stunning.



I had a good walk across the plateau but once again I had no luck with Dotterel. The views made up for lack of wildlife though.
Trailing Azaelia 

Coire an t-sneachda & Cairngorm plateau 



Dwarf Cornel 

Another glorious end to the day.

Loch A'an basin

Coire an Lochain


Gorse below the Northern Corries 



FRIDAY 2 JULY

MONADHLIATH MOUNTAIN HARES

Mountain Hare in high summer

Another beautiful morning but skies clouding over in the afternoon. The end of a fine spell of weather. I was out with friends showing them our wonderful Mountain hares today. We were not disappointed.

Summer pelage

The ground and vegetation very dry again in this hot spell of weather. 

Clouds forming over tge Cairngorms 

Heath Spotted Orchid

Green


Sleepy, lazy summer days

Surrounded by a fine crop of food

SATURDAY 3 JULY

NAVIGATION IN THE MONADHLIATH 

Great terrain for Navigation 
The Monadhliath is the UK's largest tract of high ground. This massive area contains just 3 Munros though and they only occur a tiny area of the Monadhliath. Height isn't everything, with many hills between 500m-800m. They are very featureless these mountains are brilliant places to hone your navigation. 

Pathless hills

No paths down here either

These hills are also pathless in many parts. Great for map and compass skills. Despite a forecast of showers we finished the day dry.

Flora outstanding 






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