Approaching
Suilven
Suilven 731m
Suilven may not even manage to
be a Corbett but it is one of Scotlands most stunning mountains.
As it was high summer I decided to walk in
and camp at the base before tackling the ascent the following morning.
There is a good car park at Inverkirkaig a
few miles from Lochinver. From the car park, cross the road and go
through the gate to the right of the access road to the bookshop.
Just stay on this path, passing the right hand turn to Kirkaig falls
(worth the detour, if you have the time). As you rise gently
above the River Kirkaig, you will reach a left turning to avoid the
peninsular at the head of Fionn Loch. Some guide book suggest this
is hard to find. It is not! If you think it
is difficult to find, you will, like me, end up choosing
one of the indistinct paths and get yourself into a right mess!
Stay on the path around the head of Fionn
Loch, then along the NE shore of the loch until you reach the stream
leading down from the Bealach Mor, then turn left. Until now the
going has been very easy, if a
bit boggy in places. Now you start to climb grassy slopes
until you reach the base of the mountain. It looks an impossible task!
It was here that I camped. Next morning I
was up by 6am and on my way to the summit. Remarklby, it really is
not that difficult, just take it steady, there is a short scramble
just before the Bealach Mor, but nothing difficult. Upon reaching
the Bealach Mor, turn left through an amazing bit of wall, from here
there are a
few short climbs with some exposure, but its not too bad.
At the summit is a wonderful flat green area with sheep grazing!
Return is by the same route.
I guess it would
take about 10 hours if you did it all in one go.
The west
summit (not accessible to the likes of me) from the Bealach Mor.
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