Day 3:
I had spent a night of fitful sleep, punctuated by wakefulness occasioned by the rain drumming on the tin roof and the wind howling in the chimney. By the time the first tinges of morning began to lighten the small square of window opposite my bed I was glad of the excuse to get up and start the day.
After a quick breakfast of cereal bars and coffee I packed the minimum I needed to carry for the days’ outing into my rucksack, the rest being left in the bothy to be picked up on the return journey; then ventured out into the clag and rain. I took the faint path that led from behind the bothy towards the steep slope of Sron a Ghobhair, and into the flatter but extremely wet hinterland that took me past the foot of An Grianan and on to the col between it and my first target, Creag Riabhach NS-115. With incessant wind-blown rain from above and ankle deep water below this was a miserable experience, and I was very glad to eventually cross the burn at the valley bottom and start the final ascent. After the drudgery of the last stage I laid on with a will and soon achieved the summit. As is often the case the “door” to the summit shelter faced the wind, so I quickly set up in the lee of the shelter, bungeeing my pole to the shelter wall. I deployed the rig in “protected” mode, buried deep within the rucksack.
Set up on a wet and glowering Creag Riabhach NS-115
Conditions on 60m were as dire as the weather, and only G0RQL,G8MIA and G3YPQ made it into the log. A change to 40m brought in Andy and Don again, followed by another nine of the “usuals” finishing with Rod M0JLA. This wasn’t the weather to be hanging around on an exposed hilltop, so after five minutes of responseless calling I went QRT, packed up, and prepared for the short journey across to An Grianan, NS-121.
Sheets of rain blowing across the valley between Creag Riabhach and An Grianan. Note the sandy beaches!
The walk down off Creag Riabhach was easy, but trying to be clever rather than head for my previous crossing point I tried to shorten the route and made for the lake shore, only to find the ground to consist of gloopy bog into which I sank up to my knees. My feet which had miraculously to this point been warm and dry were now cold and sodden, which added a new dynamic to being out in the foul weather. Having eventually negotiated the bog and found my way to the imposingly precipitous North East face of An Grianan, a steep but feasible route presented itself on the right hand flank of the hill which I climbed then looped round to achieve the summit itself.
“Beehive” cairn on An Grianan, NS-121 - pole again attached with bungees
As I set up, the rain abated somewhat which made life a little more comfortable. Radio conditions took a turn for the worse however, only Don G0RQL making it into the log on 60m with 33 reports both ways. 40m fared a little better, with eight calls logged. Despite the disappointment of the poor show on this summit, I was glad when the five minutes’ calling failed to produce any further contacts and I packed up with only slight regret at the low number of chasers worked from this rare summit.
I kept to the higher ground on the way off An Grianan, and soon the bothy hove into view again.
Strathan Bothy from the back - hot coffee and dry socks beckoning
After a brief refuelling stop, I repacked the rest of my kit and bade the bothy a fond farewell. Perhaps predictably, with the heavy rain over the last 24 hours the previously benign river which I had forded with impunity on the way in was now a raging torrent, and I abandoned any hope of crossing with dry feet choosing instead to wade straight across, using my SOTApole to steady myself on the slippery rocks against the strong current. After a quick stop on the other side to wring out my socks (should’ve anticipated this and waited to change them…) I set off at a brisk pace up the slope that would take me out of Strath Shinary. The 5.5km walk seemed a lot longer on the way back, but eventually I arrived at the car and changed footwear for the journey back to Durness Youth Hostel, a hot shower and another microwaved curry