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
a little different from the previous day - my favourite bus shelter
the start of the path up through the trees at the car park
a bit dark and dismal through the plantation
but it opens out and the Old Man of Storr comes into view
along with some crazy pinnacles
the path winds up past the Old Man of Storr to the crest in the middle of picture
a decent height gain already looking back to the Old Man
the path turns the corner around to a small rocky short scramble
above the crags, the path can be seen on the hillside ahead running left to right
looking down from above Coire Scamadal, Loch Scamadal below and the Isle of Rona beyond
looking down to Bealach a Chuirn, then up to Hartaval
The Basalt crags below Hartaval, with Baca Ruadh in the cloud
looking back from the summit of Hartaval to the slopes of The Storr
up on top of Hartaval
showers come and go, looking west down the River Romesdal
blue sky at last descending to Bealach Hartaval before the climb up to Sgurr a Mhalaidh
still raining to the west over Waternish, the River Hinnisdal below
Bealach Hartaval
looking back to Hartaval
forward towards Baca Ruadh
The Storr in the background. Some deep gullies down through the cliffs
nice springy turf on the way over to Baca Ruadh
the interesting shape of Sgurr a Mhadaidh Ruaidh. The route goes down to the left to another bealach
a long way to go yet. I cut the corner here before another flog up the slopes to Creag a Lain
looking back on Sgurr a Mhadaidh Ruaidh and some fellow Trotternish Ridge walkers
not too close to the edge as the crags are high above the valley below
you can see how good the path is along the edge, a pleasure to walk along
looking west once more down Coire lomhair
it was still windy today and I was amazed to see such a fine wall up here at the Bealach na Leacaich
a lovely patchwork of colour in the lichen, and fine wall building
I climbed up Flasvein and found a boulder to shelter at for lunch. I spotted an eagle from here over Hartaval
there were a few ups and downs ahead on my way over from Flasvein
looking back to Flasvein from Groba nan each
the path ahead leading to Beinn Edra from Beinn Mheadhonach
glorious views from Beinn Mheadhonach back along the ridge to a distant Storr
Staffin sunbathing down on the coast from Beinn Mheadhonach
the view on the way up to Beinn Edra
looking west from the summit of Beinn Edra
Looking back to Beinn Mheadhonach
the only trig point of the day - Beinn Edra
some heavy showers passed me by mostly, but I got a little wet now and again
more rain to the west
this was when I realised I had another big down and up and down
Loch Corgasgil below with the pointy Cleat ahead, and the Quiraing waiting for me tomorrow
following the edge down from Beinn Edra
and the view back up to the top
it's a long haul between Beinn Edra and Bioda Buidhe, and it's wet
thankfully I wasn't quick enough to meet up with this one
superb scenery, looking over to Bioda Buidhe and Cleat
Staffin glowing in the sunshine once more
looking back towards Beinn Edra - my fellow walkers are still in sight on the way up to Bioda Buidhe
and to the west it looked promising for the day ahead, apart from the stormy bits
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
nice and sunny now up on Beinn Edra
ahead the Quiraing was looking very inviting
up at the top of Bioda Buidhe, looking back to Beinn Edra
the final bit of down from Bioda Buidhe in darker skies
a very welcome sight of the car park below - wish the tea wagon had been open
and a final drop down to the end of the day - absolutely fabulous