Rois Bheinn - Moidart
Once again the Hertz minibus with 9 happy faces set off for another classic weekender. First shocker of the weekend was that Keir announced that Cliffy was getting married, all in secret of course, and what no SMOKER! We all toasted Sharon and Cliffy and promptly opened our carry outs. However we also made a promise to give Cliffy a full Magic Circle plus a high birdie fly into the nearest Loch on his next weekender. The journey up the A9 passed quickly and we soon found ourselves in the Aonach Mor Hotel in Spean Bridge for a few more drinks. This in turn led to another stop at the Loch Eil Hotel and before we all knew it that downwards spiral was beginning to turn. Tonight we were walking to a bothy, where we planned to stay the weekend. In keeping with MBA tradition we are not at liberty to name or give the location of the Bothy, so you'll just have to guess its location and name yourselves. Fred who was driving (fully sober) dropped us off, he was sleeping in the minibus and planning to climb Gulvain next morning before coming to the bothy the next evening. Our walk in started steeply - and I actually hurt myself as I crashed down a steep railway embankment, with full pack on, carrying coal and half drunk! At 1-30am we arrived at a deserted bothy and soon everyone was in the land of nod. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!!!!!
A bothy deep in the heart of Moidart.
A Sketch diagram of the Rois-Bheinn group © Cameron Johnston 1997
Next morning the sky was blue and not a cloud could be seen. A cold north easterly blew but this just added to the sharpness of the morning. By 9pm we had all eaten our breakfasts and packed our gear, and were ready to enjoy what was to be a classic day out. Our objective today was to climb the three Corbetts in the NW of Moidart, these are Rois-Bheinn 882m, Sgurr na Ba Glaise 874m, and An Stac 814m. Today we saw only two people and they were in the distance. These hills like their Ardgour companions across Loch Sheil are rugged in character and despite the lowly height they are far grander than many a Munro. The other bonus is the lack of crowds, so perhaps I should not advertise these hills in this space.
Looking out west from Rois Bheinn.
A steep pull up from the bothy and we were soon gaining some fine views, our first top of the day was Druim Fiaclach which is not even a Corbett but is one of the finest little hills in the country. On route to its summit we enjoyed some fine short scrambles up outcrops. This was enlivened all the more with a view out to Skye, Rhum and Eigg. The rugged character of these hills combined with a lot of ups and downs makes this a hard day out. Soon however we reached the summit of Rois-Bheinn, where a fine stone dyke runs along the ridge. Dropping our packs we went out to the west top. The vista from here is stunning and the Azure Hebridean sea looked so beautiful, with Rhum and Eigg just floating in the background. Back tracking we collected our packs, then enjoyed a fine lunch whilst sunning ourselves. A final plod soon lead to our final Corbett, An Stac which also had a stunning view.
A long walk back to the bothy, meant we did not arrive back until after 6pm, a full 9 hours to do the round. That night Fred arrived as did Greg and we all ate, drank and sang around a blazing fire till the early hours. At one point we all ventured out to view the Hale-Bopp Comet which rounded off a great day.
A lie-in was order of the day, followed by breakfast. Sore heads and hangovers put an end to any hill plans today. A good excuse to come back and finish climbing the rest of the hills of this area another time. After the walk out it was time for a tour. Mallaig being the first stop for a pint, after which we back tracked round and down the coast to see Castle Tioram. This fine castle is situated on a small islet, it is connected to the mainland by a small causeway. A former Clan Ranald strong hold, it has seen its fair share of history. On we drove round Ardgour to the Corran Ferry for the crossing of Loch Linnie, followed by the as ever spectacular drive through Glencoe. Our next stop off was the Bridge of Orchy Hotel for more ale and food, then the last miles tae Dundee, finishing off another great weekend.
This page last updated 28th May 2002 - © Cameron Johnston 2002