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Walk Report for Sunday 18th July 2010 by Dee Taylor Liathach (915m),(1055m): Torridon

The weather on the day did not look promising on meeting but the 3 members who chose to take part in the walk decided to go to Torridon and see what the situation was there. Happily, although by light low cloud, conditions were dry and Liathach was very inviting. We followed the distinct steep path following the Allt an Doire Ghairbh upwards passing fine pools and waterfalls taking us onto the first ridge for our accent of the top Stu`c a` Choire Dhuibh Bhig (915m) on the Eastern side. Initially in low cloud, we were rewarded by sudden cloud movement and amazing views of Beinn Eighe and beyond. Making our way then to the summit of Spidean a` Choire Leith (1055m) was tricky over much rock, slabs and scree and a great deal of scrambling but the dramatic views drifting in and out of the cloud made it all worthwhile. Sadly the summit provided no views and our only short burst of heavy rain. From the summit looking back eastwards, our inward path was now clear, so returning the same way; we enjoyed the fine views of the rugged ridges we had tackled. We were also privileged to be in the company of three very laid back Ptarmigan who were calmly walking the path only a few feet from us quite happy in our presence. On reaching the first ridge again, looking west now, the summits were all clear and blue skies above....sods law again! Taking this into account, two of us decided to take a second "run up" to the summit of Dhuibh Bhig just to experience the grandeur of the ridge in total clarity, well worth it. Descending by our inward path, with many slips and slides, we were amazed by the number of deer grazing around us at all levels. The day turned out to be very memorable and it was good to be in the company of someone who knew their wild flowers so well. It was a 9-hour day in total.