A long walk on the Isle of Skye 2012

Day Seven: 14th May

Weather: Mixed sunshine with showers, and a cold wind

Route: The Storr to The Quiraing - 13.3 miles with 4837ft of ascent

 

The longest day, and after yesterday’s walk and last night, my legs don’t exactly feel full of beans – full of lead maybe. But that’s just an excuse really and at least it wasn’t windy today, just a touch of rain on and off and some bastard stinging hailstones thrown in for good measure.
I was looking forward to the Trotternish traverse and was ready for a long day. I started out wearing all my wet gear, as it was raining to start the day and a cold wind to go with it. Ha – dried out all my gear to get it wet again. I put on my Meindls today, nice and dry and that’s the advantage of having my personal baggage carrier – though she doesn’t see it that way – and she doesn’t read this either!
I hunkered down in my bus shelter and faffed around, looking up above The Storr for any approaching blue sky, but it was clothed with a misty blanket which always makes the area around the Old Man of Storr more interesting. I had a short walk up the road to the Storr car park where there has been quite a lot of wood clearance since I was last here, opening up the vista a little more to the north. The information board is a good guide to the area and gives a little geological information to make sense of the crazy pinnacles. The same of course applies to the Quiraing. It’s a popular attraction is the Old Man and there was a right old mix of people going up there for a look. It’s a steady haul up the the slopes that soon has you puffing – up through the woods the path was very muddy where there has been logging, but beyond that it’s a well trodden route, with the odd set of steps thrown in here and there. I was glad to have the walking poles for stabilisers though. I feared the worse for the weather as it lashed it down once more as I moved out of the trees to open ground. The midges were briefly in evidence down in the woods, but it was too cold for them higher up and they didn’t pester when I walked through them. No reflection pictures across the small lochan below the Old Man, so I steadily plodded on up higher to the Old Man and beyond. I was here last October in glorious weather, and as I passed the crazy pinnacles the sky cleared and it looked ok ahead. Shame about the wind though, but cold as it was, it wasn’t strong enough to blow you over the edge. There’s some mighty big drops from the top of the ridge and it’s a real roller coaster of a walk with plenty of ups and downs – I'll summarise it as this -

Up to the Old Man, onto Coire Scamadal, down to Bealach a Chuirn, up to Hartaval, down to Bealach Hartaval, up to Baca Ruadh, down / up to Creag a Lain, down to Bealach a Lain, up to Flasvein for lunch, down to Bealach Chaiplin, up to Groba nan Each, down to Bealach Amadal, up to Beinn Mheadhonach, down to Bealach Mhoramhain, up to Beinn Edra, down to Bealach Uige, up to Drum Ma Coille, up to Bioda Buidhe and finally down to the feckin car park.

There were a German couple and two ladies walking from the South at the same time as me. I’d met them on the boat from Elgol, and then again on the walk to Portree from Sligachan. I didn’t meet them on the wet and windy day – they were far too sensible, although the ladies did venture out for a circuit around Ben Chracaig. I met them again today, catching up with them at Hartaval and they weren’t that far behind me when I finished at the Quiraing – well done ladies, you did brilliantly.

Anyways once the sun had come out to play I could see the escarpment stretching away from me to the north, with a misty Isle of Raasay and occasional glimpses of the mainland to the east and over to the western part of Skye to my left, with views to Maclouds Maidens in the distance – some flat topped hills set in a soggy landscape. I only got a misty glimpse or two of the Cuillins back down to the south, but I knew what they looked like by now. The Trotternish ridge has some rough ground here and there but close to the edge there is an increasingly well trodden path along the sheep cropped grass. But step back a few yards and it becomes short tussocky grass, interspersed with moss and heather – that’s ok when it’s not too boggy, but it’s energy sapping if you stay in it too long. I had a great lunch spot today up on the side of Flasvein, a big boulder with a natural seat which allowed me to shelter a while from the continuing cold wind. As I munched my sarnie in the distance I saw a big bird whirling on the wind – is it a crow, raven or buzzard thought I – is it hell, it’s an EAGLE! I knew it was a big bird, but wow, it’s big. But as with the otter from a few days ago, there was to be no picture – at this moment I’d decided to return to Skye again, rent a cottage and spend some dedicated time looking at wildlife. I didn’t wait around too long after that as time was ticking away. The weather continued fine, but I could see the passing showers coming and going, so had plenty of time to get my hood up and gloves on. Hard to believe its the month of May – if you look at some of my long walks you’ll see it’s mostly been warm and definitely not down as low as 5 degrees C.

Looking ahead I could see the Quiraing in the distance and foolish me set to thinking its only down off here to the car park, what good time I’ve made – how very wrong could I have been. It was only big Beinn Edra In the way. How hard it was to muster the old legs for one final up when secretly they were already celebrating being near the car park. I should have consulted the map a little more often, not just when I’m writing up the blog! But I did remember one thing I’d been told by Ian Stephenson – ‘don’t cut the corner off on the way down’. So I didn’t, I cut the corner off on the way up to Bioda Buidhe to try and save some legwork. That worked ok once I was over the steep part, and it was dry enough.
Looking down from the summit I realised there was a way to go yet….tick-tock went the clock….though I told myself it didn’t matter. After wandering too far away from the summit I quickly realised I should be over to the edge, so yomped through some rough ground to gain the grassy edge once more and that’s where I stayed. It seemed a bit circuitous but the short cut was rough and boggy looking and would have been a big ask at the end of a long day. Eventually the car park hove into view far below, as did another hailstorm, and I could even see the tea wagon, although I knew it would be shut – I could have killed for a cuppa now. The long walk down from Beinn Edra took a while and the ground was a big soggier on the lower slopes, but in my line of sight now was the wonderful Quiraing, my last day tomorrow. Staffin was away down to my right sunbathing a little with a long line of white in the bay crashing over the shore. Down below the Quiraing there is plenty of evidence of old peat cutting, and some wierdd and wonderful landscape, but that was for tomorrow. Today finished at the car park and I had a quick chat with the B&B owner who was waiting for the others. I assured him that they were not far behind and pointed them out on the hill. He said he always gives people until 7pm then changes into his Mountain Rescue underpants – a good job they all arrived at 18:59:59. Another grand day out on Skye – this is turning into an epic walk

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a little different from the previous day - my favourite bus shelter

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the start of the path up through the trees at the car park

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a bit dark and dismal through the plantation

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 but it opens out and the Old Man of Storr comes into view 

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along with some crazy pinnacles

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the path winds up past the Old Man of Storr to the crest in the middle of picture

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a decent height gain already looking back to the Old Man

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the path turns the corner around to a small rocky short scramble

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above the crags, the path can be seen on the hillside ahead running left to right

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looking down from above Coire Scamadal, Loch Scamadal below and the Isle of Rona beyond

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looking down to Bealach a Chuirn, then up to Hartaval

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The Basalt crags below Hartaval, with Baca Ruadh in the cloud

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looking back from the summit of Hartaval to the slopes of The Storr

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up on top of Hartaval

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showers come and go, looking west down the River Romesdal

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blue sky at last descending to Bealach Hartaval before the climb up to Sgurr a Mhalaidh

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still raining to the west over Waternish, the River Hinnisdal below

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Bealach Hartaval

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looking back to Hartaval

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forward towards Baca Ruadh

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The Storr in the background. Some deep gullies down through the cliffs

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nice springy turf on the way over to Baca Ruadh

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the interesting shape of Sgurr a Mhadaidh Ruaidh. The route goes down to the left to another bealach

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a long way to go yet. I cut the corner here before another flog up the slopes to Creag a Lain

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looking back on Sgurr a Mhadaidh Ruaidh and some fellow Trotternish Ridge walkers

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not too close to the edge as the crags are high above the valley below

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you can see how good the path is along the edge, a pleasure to walk along

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looking west once more down Coire lomhair

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it was still windy today and I was amazed to see such a fine wall up here at the Bealach na Leacaich

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a lovely patchwork of colour in the lichen, and fine wall building

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 I climbed up Flasvein and found a boulder to shelter at for lunch. I spotted an eagle from here over Hartaval 

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there were a few ups and downs ahead on my way over from Flasvein

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looking back to Flasvein from Groba nan each

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the path ahead leading to Beinn Edra from Beinn Mheadhonach

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glorious views from Beinn Mheadhonach back along the ridge to a distant Storr

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Staffin sunbathing down on the coast from Beinn Mheadhonach

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the view on the way up to Beinn Edra

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looking west from the summit of Beinn Edra

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Looking back to Beinn Mheadhonach

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the only trig point of the day - Beinn Edra

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some heavy showers passed me by mostly, but I got a little wet now and again

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more rain to the west

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this was when I realised I had another big down and up and down

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Loch Corgasgil below with the pointy Cleat ahead, and the Quiraing waiting for me tomorrow

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following the edge down from Beinn Edra

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and the view back up to the top

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it's a long haul between Beinn Edra and Bioda Buidhe, and it's wet

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thankfully I wasn't quick enough to meet up with this one

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superb scenery, looking over to Bioda Buidhe and Cleat

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Staffin glowing in the sunshine once more

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looking back towards Beinn Edra - my fellow walkers are still in sight on the way up to Bioda Buidhe

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and to the west it looked promising for the day ahead, apart from the stormy bits

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the last haul up to Bioda Buidhe was a real flog for me, and a pick your own path as I tried to chop off the corner

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nice and sunny now up on Beinn Edra

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ahead the Quiraing was looking very inviting

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 up at the top of Bioda Buidhe, looking back to Beinn Edra 

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the final bit of down from Bioda Buidhe in darker skies

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a very welcome sight of the car park below - wish the tea wagon had been open

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and a final drop down to the end of the day - absolutely fabulous

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