Last year I was in the same region but due to high winds and snow (in March), I never did some of the hills I wanted to.
This year, and with a decent weather window forecast, the necessary spousal permits having been issued, I booked up for 3 nights stay.
(Pictures at the end if you want to skip the verbiage!)
Thursday dawned per forecast, with some hill fog around. The day’s targets were A’Chralaig (The Basket) GM/WS-014 and it’s neighbour Mullach Fraoch-choire GM/WS-018, the two being joined with a ridge which has “spikes” - fortunately those can be avoided by bypass routes. Fog was billowing around all the adjacent hills other than A’Chralaig which was odd, but nice! The ascent is an unrelenting slope up to about 700m then a slightly more gentle rise to the summit. Last year was very windy and snow on the slope. This year was very sheltered (little wind anyway) and very hot!! As I worked up to the summit, the neighbours would show themselves occasionally and then disappear. I got set up in sunshine and activated - no-one else appeared there. The radio was tricky - with strange conditions. Very welcome contacts to The Hebrides - Seamus in Lewis was super strong and a great help over following days too. I had a couple of contacts on 2m and then on to try HF - lots of crashes and bangs suggested thundery weather around so I didn’t hang around too long - the air went funny smelling too.
I headed off the the required direction with visibility now down to <10m!! - Ideal for a ridge walk…
Mullach eventually appeared out of the fog, the bypasses were taken and even those were “airy” - just as well the drops into the corrie only appeared on the way back!
2m FM had to work as I’d broken the HF vertical on tear-down and had no back up with me. With 4 in the log and fog all around, it was time to get down. There followed a careful walk back along a few 100 metres to a drop-off into the valley and then out. Of course as soon as I got into the valley the sun appeared and the temperature rose even more (we were having a heat wave…).
Friday - tentative plan had been “the Five Sisters of Kintail” ridge - however the forecast was for fog and it was correct - lots of fog. So I went for a drive around instead - we had family holidays in the area 50+ years ago…
When I was out and about Jack highlighted the @GM3GAV was out and about, so I drove another couple of miles and parked up. Threw the end fed antenna up and worked him (thanks for slowing down!!) CW from less than 10 miles away…
Back to the campsite and as the fog had lifted a bit, I decided to “nip up” GM/WS-185 Sgurr Mhic Bharraich - the bulk of which (but not the summit) can be seen from the Glen Shiel campsite. So off I toddled - the track up has turned into a stream in places, so some dodging around is needed. I followed the route shown in the database by and large although tracks all seem to disappear around the lochan, so pick your own route the last 200m or so. I got set up then the rain started - not heavy but persistent… grrr…
I was in contact with Jack @GM4COX to see if we could work, 7Mhz skip was long, 2m fm had too many hills, so eventually we managed (just!) on 60m. The activation was short after that due to the rain - the descent was a lot quicker than the ascent!
Saturday - the forecast was good - sunshine and light winds all day…
5:30am some neighbours were breaking camp… I peaked out the tent and there was fog at about 100 height - groan… however I noticed a short time later that it was variable and the met office mountain weather forecast was still for clear on top, so off I went. Today’s targets were the 2 Sota peaks on the “5 Sisters” ridge @GM/WS-027 and @GM/WS-041 - the trouble(!) with them is that at >1000m and in the middle of a ridge of similar heights and involving scrambling, they are not easy conquests… there is no easy way off mid ridge either, so you are in for the duration!
I loaded up including 2litres of water - there are no sources on the ridge.
The initial route (tackled west to east by me) in up through a valley which had a sensible gradient (west to east starts off with a brutal ascent!) The sun shone, directly into my face so that picking a route up through the soggy parts was a challenge, however feet were largely dry on reaching the bealach to start the ridge proper. Made it up the first little lump and looked around - wow! inversion - hills breaking through all around - beautiful view along Loch Duich - spent too long just drinking it in! Much up and down later (including some scrambling 
- why not beautiful dry rock - warm day and never mind the drops… ) I arrived at the top of Sgurr Fhuaran @GM/WS-027 - I had it all to myself at first , then 4 younger chaps arrived - weren’t phased by me using a handheld for fun , the proceed to check in using their hand-helds to someone in the vicinity - I assumed training of some type and didn’t quiz them on their handhelds - too busy trying to work Jack! 3 2m FM with “the locals” - including the Isle of Lewis and of course Jack on 40m this time on cw.
Take photos, drink in the scenery (I stopped taking photos after a while as it was almost overload!)
On the the next summit (middle of the ridge) and met a lady and her son going the other direction - we’d briefly spoken in the morning when I was parking the pushbike for the (downhill) cycle back to the car. We were commenting on the beautiful views - The Black Cuillin showing up above the clouds, then she started reeling off what we were looking at and we were seeing a long way! Rhum Cuillin, Skye Cuillin, Liathach, Beinn Alligin, Nevis and the Anochs in the other direction - just ridges and ridges of hills… my brain was in overload with views by then…
So to @GM/WS-041 not before lots of up and down … 2m FM gave Seamus and John over on Lewis then the delights of hf - conditions seemed dire but big thanks to @m0rwx Robert replying to my cw calls on 40m then try 30m and got a few more - phew - long way to go for a non-qualifying activation!! but thanks all.
I was about now that I ran out of drinking water - 2 litres gone…another few km of ridge before any descent. Up and down a few final little lumps. //rant on// Saw a chap at the top of a scramble (near the end of my direction of travel - the start of his! - he was hesitant to come down. I climbed up and talked with him. He declined to climb down and was looking for a bypass route - there isn’t one, “do you want me to spot you down?” “no - I’ll find a bypass - what’s the bit after this like?” - Excuse me but it’s a ridge with known and publicised scrambling involved - what are you doing out on it alone if you can’t cope? It was also about 18:00h so he’d a few hours of daylight left, but at his pace he’s probably still up there…yes enjoy the hills, but be a bit sensible about it! //rant off//
Down to the bike and then to car. 200+ plus miles home - was a long day.
The drive home over the hills towards Invergarry (A87) was amazing… the sun was just setting, there were ranges of hills silhouetted with varying hues through the haze. My wee phone camera would never do them justice and I’d have been stopping every mile to take more pics.
It had been a truly amazing day in the hills - with a bit of Sota thrown in for icing on the cake.
There now follows a photo fest that I will try to label correctly…
A’Crailaig on approach
Am Bathach GM/WS-170 from A’Crailaig ridge
A’Crailaig summit still clear - just!
View north west on ascent to start of 5 sisters ridge.
Nice corrie wall it goes down “a fair way”!!
Inversion
Next is a pano - hope it works - 360 degrees from top of first proper summit on ridge - (non sota)
South Glen Shiel ridge
Sgurr nan Saighead (left) and Sgurr Fhuaran GM/WS-027 - still looks a long way away after about 2h30 walking!!
Goats on Sgurr nan Saighead
Rhum (left) and Skye Cuillin peaking through the cloud layer
Nevis in the distance
South Glen Shiel ridge - Forcan ridge on the left of it.
Skye Cuillins in the distance
That’s all folks - a “memory day” for all the right reasons with a bit Sota to top it off.
Alan
