Torridon superlative- Seana Mheallan

17 April 2015

 

Participants: Neil and Ben

Where: Seana Mheallan, 437m/1,435', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 25, NG 929551

 

The forecast was excellent so I decided to head for Inverness for a few days. I used to go to Torridon a lot when I was in a walking club and climbing Munros and Corbetts but for some reason, since I retired, I hadn't been back. It was time to put that right. Only downside was that my knee was hurting me again but I reckoned that the views that I was going to get would be adequate compensation. There was hardly a cloud in the sky when I drove down the glen. I always get a thrill when the road bends round a bit to the right and Liathach comes into view. I just had to stop for a photograph- Seana Mheallan is the small hill on the left directly opposite the Grey One. That was why I was so keen to climb it- it paralleled the length of Liathach on the opposite side of the glen.....

 

 

I parked in the Coire Dubh car park at the start of the track to the Ling Hut. What a fantastic situation for a mountaineering hut! I've stayed in it once, many years ago. Here it is over Lochan an Iasgair with Seana Mheallan to the right.....

  

 

I had hardly started the walk and the camera was already working overtime. This is looking back from beside the hut to Liathach.....

There is a good stalkers path that goes past the hut and carries on up the side of the burn well up the hillside on the way towards the Corbett of Sgorr an Lochan Uaine. I remembered coming this way to climb that Corbett and its near neighbour Sgurr Dubh- they were rough hills. Not all that far along the path there was a good view back to Beinn Eighe.....

  

 

I crossed the burn fairly high up and it was then just a case of ploughing upwards to the east top over mostly short heather. I know that distances can be deceptive but the main top looked an awfully long way away from the east top. And there was a fair bit of down and up work required before I got there.....
 

 

Getting closer now.....
 

 

There are lots of wee lochans on this ridge and they provided good foregrounds for pictures of the surrounding hills. This is to Sgorr nan Lochan Uaine, Beinn Liath Mhor (Munro) and Sgorr Ruadh (Munro).....

and this is to Maol Chean-dearg (Munro).....
 

I was now passing opposite the Fasarinan pinnacles on Liathach on the other side of the glen.....

Eventually the cairn came into view, with a convenient lochan beside it for Ben to cool off in.....

What a magnificent viewpoint! West down Loch Torridon and over to Skye.....

Beinn Damh (Corbett) in the distance.....

The Fasarinan pinnacles.....

Beinn Liath Mhor and Sgorr Ruadh.....

and back along the ridge to Sgurr Dubh.....

It was a summit on which to linger- and we did- before heading back the same way and seeing the views all over again. Somehow, I managed to take almost 6 hours to do this one, but it is definitely in the top 10 of sub-2k's.