A Knoydart Weekend.Bidein A Chabair.

Twas a weekend of high Adventure to complement the fine end of march heatwave we have been enjoying.
Pinched this picture from Alex as its better than any I,ve got of me.This is scrambling up the wicked summit ridge of Bidein a Chabair,a surprisingly exposed and remote peak.Must be one of the top 20 best ever Corbetts. Knoydart was proposed as a place to visit for corbett bagging and I was keen as I,ve not been up this way for years.Would it have changed? Would it be busy?Would it be just as hard ?

We left Glasgow at 5 50 am and motored up past Fort Billy to Loch Arkaig where we parked.
Cycling in it was just as I remembered it except for a lot more signage en route and  a lot more cars at the  foot of the dead end road.

We had mountain bikes with us as the plan was to cycle into the bothy(a cool one this) drop off the extra gear then head off up the track to the hill.

This is us seeing Alex,s  Corbett for the first time.I have to admit,even for an area as good as Knoydart this mountain was a stunner.If the last forty are all as good as this one it will be a pleasure ticking them off.Good smooth track in as well for the bikes.

At the bothy ,of which there are many in this area,we dumped the wood,food,sleeping bags and extra gear.
I had two bottles already made up from my house.My vodka and coke bottle filled with the sweet noble Juice of the potato plus a  refreshing dash of coke.... and an  Identical bottle of coke.Trust me to leave the bothy with the wrong bottle then .A thirsty day ahead in heatwave conditions for poor bobby...  or a tragic non thirsty drunken stumble.What to do? I picked thirst and a  puddle sucking but clear headed outlook.Sadly every puddle seemed to have copious amounts of frog spawn jelly in it so it was rather soupy  slurping for my tastes.Never swallowed a single tadpole though.

Even when we left the bikes at the end of the track and set off on foot this Corbett only grew in splendour.It was a hard one to reach though  at the end of a long ,twisting  up and down ridge.I don't know if this peak is in the area known as the rough bounds of Knoydart  or just falls outside but it certainly feels like it.The terrain here is mighty rugged.

Looking South west over the  coastal range of peaks.Nice pastel colours due to rare heatwave conditions.

Seen a few deer but no sheep at all.Also collected my usual highland quota of sheep ticks,biting bugs,Assorted flying teeth and itchy critters about my person.In March!!! (And No,I didn't leave the house with them before you ask you cheeky buggers.)

Also spotted this famous two headed hind on a cliff above the glen.Strange place Knoydart.

Most folk ,according to Alex,s guide book, are too knackered to bother with the  lower peak  that lies beyond the Summit of Bidein a Chabair.This  summit seems to have two names incidentally as its down  on my 20 year old map as Sgurr nah Aide.  The  natural Batman sign Island of  Rum and the wedge shaped  coastal escarpment hills around Mallaig lie either side of this peak.
I was slightly surprised by how much bare rock lies on this ridge.Both summits in full winter conditions have turned back eager Corbett baggers with only 20 metres to go which must be a bugger if you've  came all this way.
The reason is the top photo.Both summits have an easy scramble to reach the final peak.Both are  remote and exposed and under snow ,ice or howling winds would be tricky.
Luckily we would not be denied and bagged both.
After an epic walk we returned to the bikes hidden in the forest then cycled back to the bothy in the dark.It seemed a long way.

It was the usual basic dry shelter but I was glad to see it had seats and still retained its coal fire.All you need really..and food and candles and  some coal or wood.
We had arranged to meet a few other folk here.Our freind Graeme was bringing a car load of three others up  and we also had a few strangers in by the time we arrived back.A German guy walking  across Scotland,s  west coast to Cape Wrath  and Two seasoned bothy to bothy explorers from Edinburgh.
A fine night was had around the fire, sipping head smoothing liquid libations and munching  assorted nuts then a very fine extra spicy Jamaican ginger cake homemade by Kev.Cracking times.

In the morning we awoke to our normal cloudless perfection in the highlands.,Alex was up early to bag another Corbett while I stayed in my cosy sleeping tube to read a book and fester around the bothy.
It was the first long  mountain day since being knocked down and I was happy with just one tentitive display of leg bashing up the hills.I felt not too bad though.Stiff and sore but nothing major in the pain department.
I noticed Alex had to walk up even the easy  hills on the track back to the car... as did I.
He,s still  a highly driven man though........If an old knackered one : o)

The wild and empty lands around Glen Dessarry