|
Best
viewed at |
|
 |
|
| Home | |
| Diary | |
| Recent Trips | |
| Archives | |
| Backpackers Club | |
| History | |
| Links | |
| Contacts | |
|
|
|
|
NORTHUMBRIA BACKPACKERS |
||
| The Five Sisters | ||
| 15 - 21 March 2009 | ||
|
15th of March saw
myself, Graeme Tutin, head for a few days base camped at the campsite at
Shiel Bridge. The campsite had just opened for the season and I had the
whole site to myself. Very reasonably priced at £5 pppn with clean
showers and plenty of hot water. It was raining as I arrived and this I thought would be the weather for the rest of the week. Monday: I headed (in the rain) up Carn Ghluasaid, Sgurr nan Conbhairean and Sail Chaorainn then back down to the car at Lundie next to Loch Cluanie. Full waterproofs all day however it did start to ease as the day went on and was clear enough to see where you were heading. Tuesday: This was Five Sisters day, so I left the car below Bealach an Lapain and bashed up onto the ridge. The weather was fantastic and my mostly winter kit was looking a little OTT. The ridge walk was great given the visibility but axe was required in places and even crampons to safely descend the last munro of Sgurr Fhuaran. The route took me straight back to the campsite where I jumped on my bike and plodded back up the road to collect the car. Wednesday say the dawning of another great day and I was already beginning to feel the effects of the sun on my face. I decided to tackle A'Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch-choire with its pinnacled ridge, two of the bigger munros in the area and a further top in-between to boot. Superb day with a couple of moments on the snow covered exposed ridge where I was a little out of my comfort zone but it does you good to push yourself, or so I kept telling myself. Thursday, rest day. Yet another bright day I thought this can't be wasted so it turned into a slow plod up An Caorann Beag onto Ciste Dhubh and back. Good day but a little knackered, some rest day. Friday was Three Brothers day, weather was great again but my bald head was now like an unspent match. Never thought to put a sun hat in the kit, just lots of warm ones. I chained up the bike just down from the Cluanie Inn and left the car below Bealach an Lapain again and struggled up the steep side onto the ridge this time bearing East away from the Sisters and over the 3 munros that make up the Brothers and off the edge of Sgurr an Fuarail to pick up the bike to descend to the car and back to the campsite. A fantastic week with fantastic weather, 12 munros bagged use of axe and crampons and it was nice to see the tops shrouded in mist upon leaving on Saturday morning. Report by Graeme Tutin |
||
 |
The Five Sisters | |
 |
Ciste Dhubh | |
 |
The Brothers | |