At last having said never again I obviously applied, and got in, and decided SOLO, was the way to go, and a decent set of hills to start after the lst 2 sets of disappointments. Even then I could have done with being a bit more adventurous.
I had managed to also organise a taxi for this trek, with a lady called Reah, who would collect from Inverness and drop off at Torridon.
I was booked into the YHA.
I would also for the 1st time meet up with some people who I would meet again and again, and count as friends over the years.
The taxi incumbents were, according to my records..
Heather Thomas-Smith
Andrew Walker (Me)
Keith Pickup
Ian Cotterill
Andy Desmond
Nik LawcockI cannot even remember if everyone was there, but I have email correspondence from them all still in an archive just to check.
So Reah picked us up at the designated time, and we hurtled to Torridon.
I expect beer was involved that evening.
This year 2020 I was going to do my 2nd Torridon start and TGOC No 15.
Fingers 🤞🤞 for 2021 then.
Too Long in Exile Live
Day 01 - Fri Torridon to Craig Hostel (24km 970m)
We started the day about on time, and I was walking with Ian and Heather.
All doing similar (ish) routes and all finishing at different places.
Initially down the road.
I can't actually remember where the sign out point was that year.
Then pretty much straight out into hills.
One of the joys of Torridon is that it is directly into big stuff, with stunning views.
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| Looking towards Beinn Alligin |
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| Leaving YHA |
We came across Steve (Steve featured in 2006) and Pete by the first stream crossing.
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| Ian in Camera Mode |
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| Torridon Hills looking to Bein na Eaglaise |
We continued up To Bealach Ban and then round towards the small Lochan between Sgorr Ruadh and Bienn Liath Mhor having a short break here.
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| Heather and Ian |
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| Looking back over to Liathach |
Then Heather headed up to Sgorr Ruadh and Ian and I continued on, starting the descent to Achnashellach.
My now 2021 plan will be to take in Beinn Liath Mhor.
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| Ian heading down |
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| Me & Sgorr Ruadh behind |
Ian was cracking on a bit, I was stopping at the hostel.
I seem to remember that Heather stayed at the hostel also?
So I banged on the door, and Gerry (it is now run by his son as Gerry passed away a couple of years back) answered the door.
I had contacted him about staying earlier. He welcomed me in and as I was about to enter, he suddenly went "AND TAKE THOSE BOOTS OFF OUTSIDE".
This was Gerry, and interesting and somewhat UP & DOWN character.
Boots off, and as the 1st one there, I was given a tour, shown where I would be sleeping, and where the shower is and the sitting room and fire (that only GERRY was meant to touch).
Then Gerry went off, and I settled in, had a shower and waited for others to arrive.
I have no idea who was actually there that night. It is all a tad vague.
I think Heather, Steve and Pete were all in, and some others, whose names totally elude me. Odd really how some memories fade.
I won't say it was the best shower ever....
There was a teetering pile of TGO Magazines there that seemed to go back to the 80's.
And a table with labelled food and tins that you could buy.
An interesting % was out of date. I am sure I had a tin of custard that was 5 years out of date. Seemed OK...
That night there were several in as I said.
At times Gerry would come in, sometimes happy, sometimes grumpy because people had touched the fire. TBH, he wasn't that scary.
It was a good night sitting round a fire.
I soooo wish I had taken pictures 🤷♂️🤷♂️
Day 02 - Sat Craig Hostel to Loch Monar [Sheep Pens] (21.2km 1445m)
I started out possibly walking with someone.
Saw Keith Pickup's tent a short way down the track near the trees.
Recognised it as Keith's because of the umbrella.
Long walk out down the track, all the way to the ruins.
It was not a bad day.
At the ruins I waded across the stream, and then headed up.
Following the track initially, and then for some reason, which I do not know, following the stream up.
I should have stayed on the track and taken the Allt Fhuar-thuill Bhig.
Maybe I though I could get up via the lochans.
Lord knows.
All I do know, is that in my foolishness I decided to head straight up from the lochans.
Let me tell you, that this is a definite NO with a big pack and poles.
I found myself taking an age doing this.
It also involved collapsing the poles and putting on the pack, so I could take the pack off, and put it up on ledges to enable me to then climb up without the pack dragging me off backwards. That is why there are NO pictures of this bit, because it was as they say.
AS HAIRY AS FUCK in places.
Anyway, after some considerable time and effort and moments of OH SHIT, I finally clambered over the top, and pack back on ok, with poles out I had a brilliant plateau walk over Carn nam Fiaclan and round to Maoile Lunndaidh.
Taking the spur off the summit and heading down some bits that were craggier than it appears on the map to eventually pick up the stream.
The track down, (once you find it) is quite narrow and windy in places but easy to follow, all the way to the bridge over the Allt Toll a Choin, then along the Toll Breac Odhar
As I approached the sheep pens, it was getting a lot breezier, and there had been a small amount of rain.
There were two people already pitched up, who I later after a chat discovered were Bert and Suus.
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| Bert |
No checking for TICKS back then.
TBH, I wasn't really aware of ticks 🤦♂️🤷♂️
I pegged out the back of the Laser Comp and watched the inner in it's bright yellowness, fly out in the wind and head tumbleweed fashion across the sheep pen, finally and luckily snagging on the wall the far side.
Thank the lord the wind was not blowing the other way, or it would have been off into the Loch...
I ran, nay hared across to grab it, before another flurry, saw it take off again.
With enormous relief, I brought it back.
Took the outer end down and pegged in the inner before then putting the tent up again. I had accidentally not attached the inner when I had cleaned it before the Challenge 🤦♂️🤦♂️🤦♂️
A bit later Steve and Pete arrived to set up camp.
They had taken the longer track down, coming down the Coire Fionnarach
And that was pretty much it for day 2.
I cooked some food, and settled inside for a blustery wet night.
Day 03 - Sun Loch Monar to Cannich (30.3km 905m)
I headed off along the edge of the loch, to follow the track round and down to Monar Lodge.
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| Steve and Pete breaking camp |
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| Me ready to leave. Still using the ludicrously heavy Karrimor Pack (approx 5lb which I still have) |
Nice we gorge down to the Loch as seen from the track on the way to Monar Lodge
From the Lodge, it is then a walk round to the damn and the start of the tarmac stretch.
Following the Farrar, I cut off after the bridge over the Allt Uchd Rodha to a small bridge the other side of the open ground.
Crossing the bridge I then had a stop by the side of the river where I met Bert and Suus again.
Steve and Pete caught up too, and together we headed up the Allt innis na Lairach to get over the bealach. Starting on the east bank, but I seem to remember changing to the west bank for much of the climb.
There is a faint path on both sides, although it definitely comes and goes (or it did)
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| Pete heading up |
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| View over the top |
No idea why, as it is quite an ice walk down the other side, keeping to the left of the woods and picking up a faint track that eventually passes through the woods to come out on the road.
Now, I had originally planned to go further east and come out near Craskie, but my vetter Alan Hardy had warned me that the man at Craskie had dogs and was not that pleasant to walkers. Well, what with my name being Walker, I had erred towards a safer route, although now I would probably have taken the bigger hills and gone down that way. My 2021 route is to take in Sgorr na Diollaid and then drop down to Cannich further East.
The road is a bit of a drag TBH, but after a long day, we eventually arrived in Cannich, and booked in to the campsite.
No pictures of that either 🤷♂️
So these next three are taken from a much later crossing just to show a couple of bits, inc the campsite
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In fact no more images of the next day ( I may pilfer some from a later crossing to show at least part of the route), until the ferry crossing.
I am guessing that there was a PUB involved in the evening though.
Possibly the Slaters.
Listen, it was nearly 13 years ago, it's a bloody miracle I can remember anything at all.
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