[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 26th May 2000   Conival Ben More Assynt Map An early start. At 7.25 I left the car at the car park in Inchnadamph and set off up the track, missing the way briefly for 100 yards at the beginning but soon recovering, and after that it was an easy but long trek along the gently rising valley up to the base of Conival. There you have to scramble up a short rocky face but no problems. 7.43 - Croft (Glenbain?) with Conival behind it Then, unfortunately, instead of following the path - couldn't make it out anyway although I knew roughly where it should be - I decided to cut the corner and ended up committed to a dreadful, horribly steep ascent up a mountainside of loose, unstable scree. So steep I could only make a dozen or so paces between rest pauses and it seemed to go on for ever. Still I got to the top of it at last and after that it was just an easy lope along the ridge up to the summit (10.20). The weather had started OK, sunny at first but now it was cloudy and you could see rain falling on the neighbouring hillside only half a mile away, very localised. 9.03 - The view over Loch Mhaolach-coire to Cul Mor during the ascent of Conival Now it was just a case of following the ridge eastwards along to the next Munro, Ben More Assynt. Easy navigation, of course, but quite a bit of upping and downing and all over loose, sharp rocks - pretty rough going. There are two mini peaks at the summit of Ben More Assynt and it's not obvious which is the highest one. I reached the southernmost one at 11.05 and then strolled over the short distance to the northern cairn which, according to the book, is the actual top. Unfortunately on the return leg you have to do Conival again (11.55), but it wasn't too bad. 11.18 - the Ben More Assynt ridge Some light hail fell while I was traversing the ridge but it soon passed. I didn't cut the corner on the way back and it was much easier. I got very warm on the way down and was sweating quite a lot; there was also some more hail and then came a tremendous downpour - just after I'd reached the car, fortunately. (1.55). On the trip I saw one bloke on his own - older than me! - 3 lads, two couples, a dozen or so teenagers with a teacher, and some backpackers from Doncaster. The latter were making their way south from some dropping point and camping wherever they happened to get to that day, taking in a few mountains as they went; they were heading for Ullapool. I asked one of them about the walking poles he was using and he said he'd had them a while now and wouldn't be without them. Considering getting some myself. Got back to Ullapool 2.30. Trisha was out at museum and shops but got back couple of minutes after me.