Meall nan Tarmachan: Bruce Compleats the Munros!

Yet another early start saw us on the 8 am boat from Knoydart back to Mallaig. Meall nan Tarmachan was our target for the day. This munro had been on the back burner this week and was weather dependent. The forecast looking okayish, we opted for a detour on route home. Exciting times lay ahead as this would see Bruce compleat his munro round – all 282!

A Long Journey

Arriving in Mallaig we made the decision to stop in Fort William for a second breakfast. McDonald’s won!

Revived by coffee we continued down the road. This was a bit of a road of reminiscence for Bruce as we passed through Glencoe and he recalled the hills he’d summited throughout his journey.

The weather changed as we drove. At times the skies looked ominous, dark and brooding, at other times there were glints of sunlight and the promise of blue skies. By now we’d committed and pretty much decided that today was the day!

Meall nan Tarmachan

There’s not a lot to this munro, an easy up and down from the car park (which is around halfway up the hill) and this is one of the reasons why Bruce saved it for last. That and the fact that a day trip from home is do-able. Had various things not conspired to folly his efforts this year it may have been a different day, but he wanted to get it done and felt it right to go as a two as I’ve been his companion on many occasions over the years.

Reflecting on our journey on return, the reality is still setting in for him that his goal has been achieved, while I felt quite emotional on his behalf as we started out on our walk today.

There’s a path leading all the way from the car park to the summit so no navigational skill was required. The biggest challenge was the steps, again still wet from recent rains with mud on the paths too. The danger of a path like this is that people veer off it to avoid the mud and there were small sections of erosion and widening of the path, although not to the extent of the Ben Lomond motorway, thankfully!

Reaching a high point of just over 900 metres, we had a very short descent before heading around and up onto the summit. Bruce had been clear – no banging of sticks, no great fanfare. I did however tell the other chap at the summit cairn that Bruce was compleating though and he offered congratulations, raising his beer in a toast as we had a celebratory nip.

Summit shots taken, quiet celebrations over, we descended back the way we’d come. The Tarmachan Ridge is supposedly well worth doing, but it’s been left for another day. It was a little windy and I think Bruce was probably being kind to me also.

It transpired that the weather Gods were looking down on us as we had literally returned to the car and taken off our boots when the heavens opened for a heavy downpour. We were then blessed with a beautifully bright and full rainbow as we left.

Congratulations Bruce!

I’m super proud of Bruce for compleating the munros. It’s taken a lot of planning, time and effort over a few years and I’ve enjoyed sharing in some of his journey. He’s agreed to humour me by doing an ‘interview’ to reflect on the achievement, so watch this space – blog to follow.