Tag: 10km – 20km

Tagged posts relate to routes between 10km and 20km in length

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Scout Scar

Dog walking to the summit of Scout Scar in the Lake District

…and Cunswick Scar Route Introduction

Walking up to the summit of Scout Scar
Walking up to the summit of Scout Scar

Scout Scar and Cunswick Scar are two of Alfred Wainwright’s Outlying Fells of Lakeland. They’re situated on the south eastern edge of the Lake District National Park. This route card suggests a fantastic route for someone peak bagging the Outlying Fells of Lakeland.

Adventurer Nic walked this route on Saturday 13th June 2020. These were Outlier numbers 24 and 25 of 116 for Nic. Here, she explains how you can bag these outlying fells too.

Scout Scar and Cunswick Scar Route Stats

Fells: Cunswick Scar (207m) and Scout Scar (233m)

Total Distance: 10.4km / 6.46miles

Total Ascent: 50m / 164ft

Approx Walk Time: 3 hours

Grid Reference Start: SD 489924

GPX File:Available To Download Here

Scout Scar and Cunswick Scar Route Report

The Lead Up

Earlier that week we’d hiked Caermote Hill in the north-western Lake District on our mission to hike all the Wainwright Outlying Fells during the summer of 2020.

We agreed to meet friends local to Kendal for a walk in the south-east so these two nearby fells fit the bill nicely.

The handy car park, high on Underbarrow Road meant that there wasn’t much ascent to the route, but we extended the walk to include the full ridge of Scout Scar to make a great 10km circuit.

We met our friends, Laura, Chris and Aggie and three dogs Willow, Molly and Eve, and set out.

The Ascent

Kendal local Aggie took the lead as we hiked up from the car park through a small section of woodland before a gate led us out onto the open hillside.

The start of the route to Cunswick Scar
The start of the route to Cunswick Scar

There are many trails that run along the wide ridge to the summit and they are popular with runners, dog walkers and hikers.

View ascending Cunswick Scar
View ascending Cunswick Scar

Alfred Wainwright described this walk as ‘A walk above others: a pleasure every step of the way’ in his book, The Outlying Fells of Lakeland.

Views from the ascent of Cunswick Scar
Views from the ascent of Cunswick Scar

We continued north towards the summit. It’s near impossible to get lost here as the summit is on an (almost) perfect northerly bearing.

The Summit – Cunswick Scar

The cairn on the summit is particularly wide as cairns go!

Adventurer Nic and Molly on Cunswick Scar summit
Adventurer Nic and Molly on Cunswick Scar summit

Molly the cocker spaniel was keen to pose for a photo with me by the summit cairn.

Cunswick Scar's large summit cairn
Cunswick Scar’s large summit cairn

In the distance, we could just make out the higher fells of the Lake District. Jagged and pointy peaks like Crinkle Crags, Great Gable and the Langdale Pikes stood out the most.

Linking the Fells

We made a variation on the route back towards the car park.

Immaculate wall on Cunswick Scar
Immaculate wall on Cunswick Scar

A very attractive wall ran along the east of the ridge. We walked alongside it for a while before we looped back to the gate into the woods.

Approaching the woodland on Cunswick Scar
Approaching the woodland on Cunswick Scar

The woods led us back to the car park, but our walk wasn’t over yet!

Trail through the woodland back to the car park
Trail through the woodland back to the car park

We crossed the road and walked along it for a short distance to a large gate which led to the ridge of Scout Scar.

Trees lined the trail
Trees lined the trail

Trees lined the well maintained trail.

James Forrest appreciating the views on the way up Scout Scar
James Forrest appreciating the views on the way up Scout Scar

As with Cunswick Scar, this fell had a variety of route options along the ridge.

Laura looking out at the Lake District countryside
Laura looking out at the Lake District countryside

We chose the path that hugged the western edge of Scout Scar.

Scout Scar views over the Lakeland countryside
Scout Scar views over the Lakeland countryside

There was a steep cliff drop to our right as we walked along the ridge. Set into the cliff were thick trees so you can never quite see the bottom.

Scout Scar views towards Morecambe Bay
Scout Scar views towards Morecambe Bay

In the distance we could see Whitbarrow, another of the Outlying Fells that we’d hiked the previous weekend. It is an almost identical limestone ridge running parallel to this one. Anyone who likes one walk will almost certainly enjoy the other.

Beyond that we could see Morecambe Bay.

We then rounded the corner at the end of the ridge and walked along the eastern side beside another attractive wall.

Following a lovely wall on Scout Scar
Following a lovely wall on Scout Scar

We visited the trig pillar on Scout Scar but continued on towards the large shelter, a bit further up.

Touching the trig pillar on Scout Scar
Touching the trig pillar on Scout Scar

The Summit – Scout Scar

Upon reaching the summit we had a sit down in the shelter.

Adventurer Nic and Willow in the Scout Scar Mushroom
Adventurer Nic and Willow in the Scout Scar Mushroom

The shelter was put up in 1912 and is a memorial to King George V.

Adventurer Nic with Molly and Willow at the Mushroom on the summit of Scout Scar
Adventurer Nic with Molly and Willow at the Mushroom on the summit of Scout Scar

It used to have a view finder, to help hikers appreciate the views around them, but sadly it was vandalised and removed.

View from inside the Mushroom on Scout Scar
View from inside the Mushroom on Scout Scar

The summit shelter is fondly referred to as The Mushroom, as it resembles the fungi in shape.

Plaque on the Mushroom of Scout Scar
Plaque on the Mushroom of Scout Scar

The Descent of Scout Scar

It was a very short descent back to the car from the Mushroom.

Wrapping Up

Our great afternoon walk was topped off with pizza in our friend Katie’s garden in Kendal. We left Kendal late in the evening with smiles on our faces.

Next on the list for tomorrow was Black Combe, White Combe and Stoupdale Head.

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Outlying Fells of Lakeland Route

About the Author

Photo of Adventurer Nic on a Loch in the Scottish Highlands

Adventurer Nic is a Munroist, Wainwright ‘Compleator’ and is hiking her local Outlying Fells of Lakeland in the wake of the corona virus pandemic. Let her know what you thought of this post by dropping her a comment.

Follow Adventurer Nic on Instagram

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Whitbarrow

The summit of Whitbarrow, one of Wainwright's Outlying Fells of Lakeland

Route Introduction

Whitbarrow is a fell that features in Alfred Wainwright’s guide book – The Outlying Fells of Lakeland. It is situated on the southeastern edge of the Lake District National Park. This route card suggests a fantastic route for someone peak bagging the Outlying Fells of Lakeland.

Adventurer Nic walked this route on Sunday 7th June 2020. This was Outlier number 19 of 116 for Nic. Here, she explains how you can bag this outlying fell too.

Whitbarrow Route Stats

Fells: Whitbarrow (215m)

Total Distance: 10.2km / 6.34miles

Total Ascent: 200m / 656ft

Approx Walk Time: 3 hours

Grid Reference Start: SD 452840

GPX File:Available To Download Here

Whitbarrow Route Report

The Lead Up

Our previous peak bagging walk was Watch Hill in the north-west Lake District, it was now time to head to the south-east.

This walk was very special for me as it was my first time meeting friends for a socially distanced walk in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie, Laura, Aggie and Graham joined James and I at the meeting point – a large layby south of Mill Side. Three dogs also joined us for the walk – Willow, Molly and Eve.

The Ascent

We walked away from the cars in the direction of Mill Side before turning off to the right at a finger post. This path led up through a farm and into the woodland.

The path zig-zagged uphill before leading us out onto the open hillside.

Cocker Spaniel on the main path up Whitbarrow
Cocker Spaniel on the main path up Whitbarrow

Willow, the young cocker spaniel, enthusiastically led the way, up to the north.

The route was easy to follow and led us over solid terrain at a gentle gradient. We were chatting away, with lots to catch up on after months apart.

Views from the first of many cairned tops on Whitbarrow in the Lake District
Views from the first of many cairned tops on Whitbarrow in the Lake District

There were multiple cairned tops on Whitbarrow but we aimed for the furthest one, which is marked Lord’s Seat on the map.

Limestone along the Whitbarrow ridge
Limestone along the Whitbarrow ridge

Whitbarrow was actually made a nature reserve in 1969 by The Lake District Naturalists’ Trust (now the Cumbria Wildlife Trust). It’s a joy to walk along the ridge surrounded by sections of beautiful limestone pavement.

The ridge runs parallel to the ridge of Scout Scar – another of Wainwright’s Outlying Fells of Lakeland, which we hoped to walk the following weekend.

The Summit – Whitbarrow

Upon reaching the huge cairn on Lord’s Seat, we noticed the memorial plaque to Canon G.A.K. Hervey, founder of The Lake District Naturalists’ Trust.

Memorial plaque on the summit cairn of Whitbarrow
Memorial plaque on the summit cairn of Whitbarrow

This is not the highest point on the fell though, that accolade goes to the rib of rock 15 metres to the southwest of the cairn. So that’s where we paused to eat our lunch.

Eve poses next to the highest point of Whitbarrow
Eve poses next to the highest point of Whitbarrow

We admired the views towards the Langdale Fells before starting our descent.

Whitbarrow summit views towards the Langdale mountains
Whitbarrow summit views towards the Langdale mountains

As we set off on our descent we looked back one last time at the immaculate cairn.

The large cairn on Whitbarrow
The large cairn on Whitbarrow

The Descent

We descended a short distance north before peeling off to the northwest.

We reached Bell Rake and commenced a section of the path that was a bit steeper, with loose scree underfoot. There was also the opening to an eerie cave on this part of the trail.

The steep section on the descent of Whitbarrow
The steep section on the descent of Whitbarrow

At the bottom of the descent we turned left to head south along the woodland trails that run parallel to the ridge of Whitbarrow. These would lead us back to the cars at Mill Side.

Woodland trails on the way back to the car
Woodland trails on the way back to the car

As we entered Mill Side we passed some stunning cottages with immaculately kept gardens and vegetable patches.

Wrapping Up

Before the walk had ended we’d already made arrangements to walk together again next weekend.

Four of us went for a takeaway coffee in Staveley before James and I walked Reston Scar and Hugill Fell later that evening.

Find your next
Outlying Fells of Lakeland Route

About the Author

Photo of Adventurer Nic on a Loch in the Scottish Highlands

Adventurer Nic is a Munroist, Wainwright ‘Compleator’ and is hiking her local Outlying Fells of Lakeland in the wake of the corona virus pandemic. Let her know what you thought of this post by dropping her a comment.

Follow Adventurer Nic on Instagram

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East Drumochter Munros

Adventurer Nic hiking towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag - Munro mountain in the Scottish Highlands East of the Drumochter Pass

Route Introduction

The two East Drumochter Munros covered by this route are A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag and Carn na Caim. These two mountains neighbour each other and sit just east of the Drumochter Pass. This route card explains the quickest and easiest way of getting to both summits for a peak bagger.

Adventurer Nic walked this route on Friday 24th May 2019 as part of her Munro Bagging Challenge. These were Munro numbers 51 and 52 of 282 for Nic. Here, she explains how you can bag these Munros too.

East Drumochter Munros Route Stats

Mountains: A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag (936m) and Carn na Caim (941m)

Total Distance: 19.2km / 11.9miles

Total Ascent: 700m / 2,297ft

Approx Walk Time: 6 hours

Grid Reference Start: NN 639819

GPX File:Available To Download Here

East Drumochter Munros Route Report

The Lead Up

James and I had climbed 50 Munros as part of our peak bagging challenge. However, we’d taken a break after hiking our 50th Munro – Ben Ime – in order to undertake a couple of work commitments back in England. One of the commitments was to speak at the Keswick Mountain Festival, an event I love to go to every year. It’s a great opportunity to catch up with friends.

On the morning of 24th May 2019, we left James’s home in Cumbria and travelled north. We planned to climb our first two Munros within the boundary of the Cairngorms National Park. We parked up in a layby on the A9 (Pass of Drumochter).

It was time to recommence our peak bagging mission. Starting with the East Drumochter Munros – A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag and Carn na Caim.

The Ascent

Crossing the road, we headed up onto a wide track which initially headed east before turning to head south.

We were grateful that the car was parked at 400m to begin with. These kind of treats don’t come very often in the Munros. Many Munro walks start at sea level, or if my smart watch is to be believed, below sea level in some cases!

About half an hour into the ascent I realised I’d left the caps on the ends of my new walking poles. I’d been a convert to walking poles for about a year, feeling that they took a great deal of pressure off my knees. Unforunately, as I’d used the poles for half an hour the plastic tips were well and truly stuck. James actually had to bite them off, whilst all I could think of was the sheep poo that I’d most likely already walked through.

The track led us to a point in the track where we had to choose left or right. It really made no difference which Munro we headed for first so we just took the right fork to bag them alphabetically (as there was no other compelling reason)!

Adventurer Nic hiking towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag - the first of our east Drumochter Munros
Adventurer Nic hiking towards A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag – Munro mountain in the Scottish Highlands East of the Drumochter Pass

The scenery was fairly underwhelming by Munro standards. The ground was firm underfoot and the rolling hills reminded me of the English Howgills more than they did the jagged peaks I associated with Scotland – like An Teallach.

Adventurer Nic hiking towards A' Bhuidheanach Bheag - Munro mountain in the Scottish Highlands East of the Drumochter Pass
Adventurer Nic hiking towards A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag – Munro mountain in the Scottish Highlands East of the Drumochter Pass

The Summits of the East Drumochter Munros

A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag

We skirted around the summit of A’ Bhuidheanach and down to a peaty col before hiking up to the summit of our first Munro of the day – A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag.

At the summit of A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag we met a father and daughter who were taking a great deal of selfies with their dog. Meeting someone at the summit meant we got a nice photo of us both for a change.

Adventurer Nic and James Forrest on the summit of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, the first of the East Drumochter Munros
Adventurer Nic and James Forrest on the summit of A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag Summit

We were really impressed with the weather at this point, it was far better than the forecast led us to believe. So much so that we started to wish we’d taken advantage and tackled something a bit more challenging. After trying multiple weather forecasting apps throughout the challenge, we generally trusted the Met Office mountain forecasts the most.

Adventurer Nic hiking towards Carn na Caim - Munro mountain in the Scottish Highlands East of the Drumochter Pass

Peak bagging is full of ‘what ifs’. What if we’d done Aonach Eagach instead? What if we’d started an epic multi day in Knoydart?

But I didn’t dwell. There are only so many sunny days in a year and to be honest I was happy just to be back in the hills on a nice day. The East Drumochter Munros might be a little bit unremarkable but it beat sitting behind a desk.

We retraced our steps back to the split in the track where a right hand turn led us towards the summit of Carn na Caim.

Carn na Caim

We followed the track northeast. Half way up Carn na Caim we passed a large group who were descending. I smiled fondly as they were doing what I’ve done a hundred times before. Walking in a big group but split into smaller groups of 3’s and 2’s, walking side by side, deep in quality conversation, smiling and looking content in each others company. It made me miss my hill walking friends.

Adventurer Nic and James Forrest on the summit of Carn na Caim, the second of the East Drumochter Munros
Adventurer Nic and James Forrest on the summit of Carn na Caim

James and I reached the cairn on the flat summit and posed for a cheesy selfie. I laugh looking back at photos like this. I can see I’m fresh faced and James had a haircut during the break. We look well rested, rosy cheeked and chilled. I had no idea that I’d involuntarily lose a stone in weight and age 5 years over the next 5 months!

The Descent

We looked across to the northeast to Meall Chuaich, another Munro that we’d yet to climb on this side of the pass. But it was too far away to link to this route so would have to wait for another day. Instead we turned back and followed the route of ascent.

We chatted lots on the descent. James explained (in as much detail as I could handle) about his University dissertation on the American Civil War.

We retraced our steps on the track to the main road and remarked that these two Munros would sadly be rather forgettable in comparison to other outings, but it was a pleasant day regardless.

Wrapping Up

The hill walking wasn’t over for us. We packed an overnight ruckack and headed to Blair Atholl in readiness for our next peak bagging outing and my first stay in a Scottish bothy.

We nicknamed the East Drumochter Munros:

  • A Balenciaga Bag – A’ Bhuidheanach Bheag
  • Carn Na Carn Na Carn Na Carn Na Carn Na Caimeleon – Carn na Caim

Find out why we nicknamed all 282 Munros here.

Find your next Munro Route

About the Author

Photo of Adventurer Nic on a Loch in the Scottish Highlands

Adventurer Nic is a Munroist and ‘compleated’ the list over a six month period in 2019. She stood atop each of the 282 Munro summits with her peak bagging partner in adventure – James Forrest. Let her know what you thought of this post by dropping her a comment.

Follow Adventurer Nic on Instagram

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An Teallach

Sgurr Fiona, viewed from the ascent. Sgurr Fiona is a Munro summit of An Teallach in the north west Scottish highlands

Route Introduction

An Teallach is a Scottish mountain with two Munro summits – Sgurr Fiona and Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill. Arguably the most dramatic and beautiful mountain on the UK mainland, An Teallach can be found south west of the village of Dundonnell in the far north west of the Highlands. This route card explains the quickest and easiest way of getting to both summits for a peak bagger.

Adventurer Nic walked this route on Saturday 21st September 2019 as part of her Munro Bagging Challenge. These were Munro numbers 228 and 229 of 282 for Nic. Here, she explains how you can bag these Munros too.

An Teallach Route Stats

Mountains: Sgurr Fiona (1,058m) and Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill (1,062m)

Total Distance: 16.5km / 10.3miles

Total Ascent: 1,090m / 3,576ft

Approx Walk Time: 6.5 hours

Grid Reference Start: NH 115848

GPX File:Available To Download Here

An Teallach Route Report

The Lead Up

An Teallach as seen from the approach road
An Teallach as seen from the approach road

The day before my boyfriend James and I climbed An Teallach we were ‘compleating’ our Black Cuillin Munros on the Isle of Skye under the expert guiding of Adrian Trendall. We descended our final Cuillin Munro, Sgurr Alasdair, and said goodbye to Adrian.

We headed part way to An Teallach and camped in woodland, a quiet spot somewhere in Strathgarve Forest.

After a decent sleep, despite persistent flashbacks the thrilling (terrifying) experience of the Great Stone Chute on the Black Cuillin the previous day, we got dressed and drove to the start of the An Teallach walk. Initially, we aimed for the Corrie Hallie car park, but this was a sunny Saturday so it was already full. Instead, we secured one of the last spaces in a smaller car park slightly further south.

Setting Off

Adventurer Nic on the early part of the walk with Beinn Dearg (Ullapool) and surrounding Munros in the background
Adventurer Nic on the early part of the walk with Beinn Dearg (Ullapool) and surrounding Munros in the background

We walked for a short section on the road before setting off on a track. This track was in fact the Cape Wrath Trail. Many of our Munro walks happen to use parts of this iconic long distance route. The track was wide and we nervously shuffled past a field full of cows. We are always anxious passing cattle after a friend was trampled by a herd in North Wales only last year.

An Teallach from the Cape Wrath Trail in the north west Scottish highlands
An Teallach from the Cape Wrath Trail

We crossed on a bridge over the Allt Gleann Charachain before the trail rose to 300m in elevation and we took the right hand fork in the path. Behind us was Beinn Dearg (Ullapool) and over to the left were the Fannichs. We were treated to a lovely view of An Teallach as we glanced up to the right. Parallel to Lochan na Brathan, we peeled off the trail and hit the open hillside.

The Ascent

We followed intermittent faint paths and generally stuck to a north west bearing, leading onto the ridge – first walking over 954m Sail Liath and then 960m Stobh Cadha Gobhlach.

Adventurer Nic en route to Sgurr Fiona - a Munro summit of An Teallach in the north west Scottish highlands
Adventurer Nic en route to Sgurr Fiona

From here you have amazing views of the pinnacles of An Teallach and both Munro summits. We paused for a while here to appreciate the view. A gorgeous blue sky, a sunny late September day in Scotland with no midges! It really doesn’t get much better than this.

Adventurer Nic standing looking across to the pinnacles of An Teallach in North West Scotland
Adventurer Nic standing looking across to the pinnacles of An Teallach

We followed a path steeply down, before rising up again, bypassing to the left of another pinnacle. It was only right that we stopped to enjoy lunch on a grassy platform with stunning views. We had a great vantage point from which we could watch people descending the mountain in front of us. We had a much longer lunch break than we normally allowed ourselves. The pure beauty of the scene demanded it.

Adventurer Nic is a dot in this photo, standing on a rocky pinnacle on the ascent of An Teallach, a Munro mountain in the remote Scottish highlands
Adventurer Nic is a mere dot in this photo

The Walker’s Bypass

James Forrest making his way up An Teallach in the North West Scottish Highlands
James Forrest making his way up An Teallach

We continued, following a loose gravel path upwards. And when it forked we somewhat reluctantly took the left option. This is the bypass option which cuts out the grade 3 scrambling over the pinnacles. Two back-to-back days on the Black Cuillin had sent my legs to jelly and my shot my nerves, so tackling some grade 3 scrambling without a rope seemed a foolish option to take. The pinnacles of An Teallach require a lot of down climbing. It felt a step too far for our skill level.

Adventurer Nic sitting to admire the view over to the Fisherfields from the ascent of An Teallach in the north west Scottish highlands
Adventurer Nic sitting to admire the view over to the Fisherfields

The bypass runs to the left of the pinnacles and we enjoyed beautiful views of the Fisherfield Munros from the trail.

The Summits of An Teallach

Adventurer Nic on the summit of Sgurr Fiona. A Munro summit on An Teallach in the North West Scottish Highlands

We made our way up to the summit of Sgurr Fiona from the bypass path. Standing proud at 1,058m tall, the Munro summit of Sgurr Fiona is marked by a cairn.

After seeing multiple other hillwalkers all day, we were surprised to find ourselves alone on the summit.

Next, we followed the ridge down and onwards towards Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill.

The weather really was as close to perfect as it could get, with glorious visibility all day and a light breeze so it wasn’t too hot.

The ridge soon rose back up again and led us onto the second Munro summit – Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill – the bigger of the two Munros. The sun nicely silhouetted the route of ascent behind us, creating a dreamy atmosphere.

Adventurer Nic walking towards the summit of Bidein A'Ghlas Thuill. A Munro summit on An Teallach in the North West Scottish Highlands
Adventurer Nic walking towards the summit of Bidein A’Ghlas Thuill

The true summit of Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill is reportedly a rock 6 metres south of the trig pillar. So, as usual, I stood on all the likely contenders!

The Descent

Adventurer Nic on the summit of Bidein A'Ghlas Thuill. A Munro summit on An Teallach in the North West Scottish Highlands

From the summit of Bidein a’Ghlas Thuill, we headed off northwards to a col before turning eastwards and descending down an eroded path into the valley.

Once in the valley, we picked up another intermittent path, which ran alongside a stream.

It was deliciously shady in the bowl of the valley and it was such a relief after a warm day.

We made an error towards the end of the route as we lost the path, ending up in the grip of some crazily high rhododendron bushes which spat us out into a field and into more bushes. We were trapped somehow between the bushes and the river. And annoyingly, the sounds coming from the road seemed so close! We backtracked to the field and were able to get back onto the road without having to cross the river. In hindsight it might have been better to have crossed the river earlier and approached the road on the east side of the river. Something to consider if you decide to follow this route.

It was less than a kilometre to walk back to the car to finish.

Wrapping Up

Adventurer Nic walking towards the pinnacles of An Teallach in North West Scotland
An unforgettable day in the Scottish Hills

We nicknamed these Munros ‘Slurry Fiona’ and ‘Bidding on a Glass of Fuel’. Find out why we nicknamed all 282 Munros here.

We re-fuelled our bodies, re-hydrated with lots of water and packed our overnight bags. The day wasn’t over for us as we headed back on the Cape Wrath Trail in the direction of Shenavall bothy, ready to walk the Fisherfield Munros.

Find your next Munro Route

About the Author

Photo of Adventurer Nic on a Loch in the Scottish Highlands

Adventurer Nic is a Munroist and ‘compleated’ the list over a six month period in 2019. She stood atop each of the 282 Munro summits with her peak bagging partner in adventure – James Forrest. Let her know what you thought of this post by dropping her a comment.

Follow Adventurer Nic on Instagram

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Ben More Assynt and Conival

Loch Assynt as seen from the slopes of Conival

Route Introduction

Ben More Assynt and Conival are two Munros which neighbour each other in the Assynt area of the northern Scottish Highlands. This route card explains the quickest and easiest way of getting to both summits for a peak bagger.

Adventurer Nic walked this route on Tuesday 17th September 2019 as part of her Munro Bagging Challenge. These were Munro numbers 220 and 221 of 282 for Nic. Here, she explains how you can bag these Munros too.

Ben More Assynt and Conival Route Stats

Mountains: Conival (987m) and Ben More Assynt (998m)

Total Distance: 17.8km / 11miles

Total Ascent: 1,070m / 3,510ft

Approx Walk Time: 6.5 hours

Grid Reference Start: NC 251216

GPX File:Available To Download Here

Ben More Assynt Route Report

The Lead Up

View of Ardvreck Castle from the shores of Loch Assynt and our camp spot
View of Ardvreck Castle from the shores of Loch Assynt and our camp spot

The day before this walk, we had driven up to Loch Assynt from Cockermouth, Cumbria. It was 350 miles and over 6 hours of solid driving. With a fuel stop (one), coffee stops (a couple) and a McDonalds stop in Inverness (crucial) – the entire journey took closer to 8 hours. It was dark when we reached the car park at Loch Assynt.

There were a few camper vans in the car park when we arrived. As I’d been there before, I knew to follow the path down to the Loch side and set up camp opposite Ardvreck Castle. There was a cool breeze. I noticed the tent structure didn’t look quite right. In our tired haze we’d fitted the central pole (the one that gives width to the tent) upside down. With a few frustrated huffs and puffs we corrected the schoolboy error and made our beds. For this leg of the adventure I had decided to swap out my Thermorest Neo Air Uberlite in favour of the X Therm plus my winter sleeping bag.

I slept well, but James had a fitful sleep and woke really early. We didn’t dither and got our camping kit put away, then I did the opening door reveal of Castle Ardvreck – a nice surprise of James who hadn’t seen it in the dark when we’d arrived.

It had rained in the night so the tent was a little damp, so we stored the inner and outer separately. We spotted two majestic stags by the castle as we de-camped.

The Ascent

Adventurer Nic and James, all smiles despite the drizzle on Conival

After walking back to the car we ate breakfast and drove to the start point for the walk (a small car park, just south of Inchnadamph).

We packed our day bags and set out, crossing the main bridge over the River Traligill.

We walked past the Inchnadamph Lodge. It was nice to know we were booked in there later so that James could work on an article for Sidetracked magazine.

Keeping on top of his day job during big adventures is a struggle for James and I feel lucky to be able to focus on the challenge full time.

The initial part of the walk is on the Cape Wrath Trail, the section linking Inchnadamph with Kinlochewe to the south and Cape Wrath to the north. It’s a trail I’d love to walk in full in the next couple of years – from Fort William up to the iconic lighthouse at Cape Wrath. The full trail is approximately, 330km / 200miles in length.

The initial track soon turned into a path and we crossed a concrete bridge to follow a muddy path beside a stream, before walking carefully over wet slippy rock. It was a good 5km walk in before the terrain started to get steeper. We were feeling strong and overtook a couple, who were taking a rest on a rock before overtaking a single male hiker on the ascent up to the col at 750m.

We gained the ridge and walked south along to the summit of Conival, our first Munro of the day.

The Summits – Conival and Ben More Assynt

Thumbs up from Adventurer Nic, a selfie with James on the summit of Ben More Assynt

We met a couple, eating lunch in the shelter which marks the summit of Conival.

After pausing for photo we headed east along the ridge towards Ben More Assynt.

The terrain became increasingly rocky. It was drizzling on and off, with cloud sweeping over both Munro peaks.

Our Cicerone guide book described the ridge perfectly – ‘The ridge from Conival to Ben More Assynt is a wonderful airy traverse to a high, remote hill. At times it narrows a little, but never deliciously so’. I couldn’t have said it better myself.

We make it to the summit of Ben More Assynt in the best weather of the day with clear views over the vast remote landscape.

At 998m, Ben More Assynt is only 2 metres shy of the magic 1,000m. The summit is marked by a small cairn.

The Descent

Because it’s a linear walk, we saw the same people we’d passed earlier in the day along the descent as we retraced our steps. First following the ridge back to Conival and then off the mountain towards in the Cape Wrath Trail and Inchnadamph.

Wrapping Up

We nicknamed these Munros ‘Ben More Or Less’ for Ben More Assynt and ‘Evil Kenevil’ for Conival. Find out why we nicknamed all 282 Munros here.

We took the car the short distance to Inchnadamph Lodge and checked in. Similarly to an earlier stay, we were in the annex. A different room but conveniently situated next to a small kitchen.

Ironically, I was carrying a small injury, not caused by the extensive mountain climbing activities but by an ill-fitting wedding outfit I’d worn the previous weekend!

As James headed to the main hostel building to work on his writing, I hung the tent up to dry (from the previous nights rain) and wrote my journal. Another task was to update my Munro bagging spreadsheet with much of the detail that makes it into these posts. I then cooked a Pasta Bolognese Summit to Eat meal and served it with extra spaghetti for a calorie boost.

It was then that we had a surprise email. It was from Adrian Trendall of All Things Cuillin to say that he had a cancellation and was free to guide us on the Isle of Skye at the end of the week. This would mean us completing our Black Cuillin Munros! But it was risky taking the slot. Not an easy decision as the forecast was for one foggy day with a chance of rain, and one dry and sunny day. After very few opportunities had presented themselves to climb on Skye this summer, we decided we had to go for it. So a new plan was formed… an early night tonight and Ben Wyvis tomorrow.

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About the Author

Photo of Adventurer Nic on a Loch in the Scottish Highlands

Adventurer Nic is a Munroist and ‘compleated’ the list over a six month period in 2019. She stood atop each of the 282 Munro summits with her peak bagging partner in adventure – James Forrest. Let her know what you thought of this post by dropping her a comment.

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