KYQ4: Beinn na h-Uamha, Ardgour

Tuesday 25 October 2016

Beinn na h-Uamha, Ardgour

Beinn na h-Uamha beyond Loch nan Gabhar

Monday, 24 October 2016
Ascent: 846 metres
Distance: 16 kilometres
Time: 5 hours 31 minutes

c Beinn na h-Uamha 762m 2hrs 50mins

Breakfast at the Ariundle Centre was a bit of a luxury for us but we had time on our side today for the comparatively easy walk up Glen Gour to the rock girt summit of Beinn na h-Uamha. We parked by the old bridge at Sallachan and began the walk up the beautiful glen. The day was windless and from the good track the views were sublime towards the distant peaks. Reflections of the mountains in Loch nan Gabhar and the copper hues of the grasses made the views exquisite. Swans were cruising on the loch, a cormorant skimmed by, there was peaceful silence that allowed us to hear the birdsong in the birchwood. It is a 4 kilometre walk along the track with virtually no ascent. The river then had to be crossed but it was in low flow and proved relatively easy, even in trail shoes we emerged with dry feet .

We had decided to climb the south east ridge, crossing a meadow of long grasses first before climbing steeply alongside a burn that cascades from the end of the ridge. It was warm work and jackets were removed as we eased upwards to the top of the burn and then negotiated our way through the rock bands that provide two intermediate tops along the ridge. There is a flatter section from where a deeply incised burn cuts down to the glen, a drop of 550 metres. We decided that this would be a better route down. Thereafter it was an enjoyable climb for the final 200 metres of ascent with the views into the Ardgour hills opening up.

We reached the summit just before 12:30pm. It was a perfect autumn day with excellent visibility, a warm sun, no wind and vistas to dream about. Westwards we could see some of the small isles beyond Rois Bheinn but the pride of place was Sgurr Dhomhnuill, a soaring peak just 3 kilometres away but probably a 2 hour walk with all the descents and ascents along the way. To the east we could trace our route along Glen Gour and along the ridge to the summit and to the south the massive
flat summit of Garbh Bheinn looked like an anvil. As a place to eat lunch this has few peers on a day like today, we were aware of the privilege. John reflected that we had earned it from all the wet, frozen, windy days when we had no view and stopping at the summit would guarantee getting cold, wet and miserable.

We spent 40 minutes enjoying this rare spectacle before beginning the descent. To my surprise we found an easy route down the ramp at the side of the burn to the river about a mile upstream of where we had crossed on the ascent. There was a good sample of indigenous oaks and birch along the water courses and sprouting from erratic boulders. We crossed the river and found the track which was waterlogged in places but we had just 5 kilometres to cover to return to the car. As the afternoon sun began to sink, the length of our shadows and the walk seemed to extend. But this had been one of the most enjoyable outings on a hill that I had not known and will have trouble remembering by name. It means 'hill of the caves'.
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