Leaving Ullapool we opted to head for Seana Bhraigh, the munro we could have added on yesterday but didn’t due to the inclement weather. Having now done it I’m still undecided if I would have enjoyed it yesterday. It was quite a lengthy walk, although didn’t look that much of a leap from Eididh nan Clach Geala.
Starting out at the same car park we followed the good fire road for a time before branching off. While the track remained good, it did climb quite steeply to begin with, and I was glad of Bruce’s company on reaching the deer fence as I couldn’t get the gate open. I really wouldn’t have wanted to climb over it!
Continuing to climb, coming out of the trees the views opened up and with beautiful clear skies they truly were stunning. As the path flattened it also became a little boggier, although even crossing the peat hags we were fortunate in not getting too clarted in muck, and conditions underfoot were better than we’d expected.
Further on, crossing the Allt Gleann a’Mhadaidh was easy with stones to hop across. Even I wasn’t phased by it! As we progressed we could see yesterday’s hill and the views in all directions were stunning. An Teallach looked particularly impressive and we could see Stac Pollaidh, Cul Mor Suilven and Canisp.
Passing the lochans we headed towards the gully. This took us quite steeply down the side of a stream, the path ahead for Seana Bhraigh tantalisingly visible, but frustratingly far with regard to distance still to cover. This area was quite marshy and had the potential to be boggy and a directional challenge if not walking on such a fine day. Debating the best route, we found our middle ground and were soon on the final ascent.
This proved to be the most challenging part of the day. The ground was very wet and boggy and we had to diagonally traverse the hillside in order to gain the summit. There are two cairns, the first being the lowest, so we skirted around this and headed for the main summit. The final pull was blessedly short and we managed to reach the top ahead of the rain that we could see moving in towards us, drinking in the lovely views before donning the waterproofs for the descent.
At this point, Bruce suggested this may be the equivalent of using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. However, although we did have the jackets on and off a few times, we did also get a couple of brief, but heavy showers and a short spell of more persistent rain before the skies cleared again. An Teallach provided our weather forecast – when it was in cloud or with rain visible we knew it wouldn’t be long before it reached us.
The return route was simple, retracing our steps for the most part. It was a long walk back (as it was a long walk out) but we made decent time overall, finally reaching the car just after 8 hours from leaving, 17.5 miles in our legs! Mission accomplished. How glad was I to get to sit in the car!
Clare, happiest outdoors! 