14 July 2021
Ben Loyal is a Corbett and so not as high as a Munro. Corbetts are defined as Scottish mountains over 2,500 feet (762 metres) and under 3,000 feet (914.4 metres), with a drop of a least 500 feet (152 metres) between each listed hill and any adjacent higher one. Ben Loyal has a distinctive profile and is known as the Queen of Scottish Mountains even though it is not of Munro status.
I was fortunate to pick a nice clear day. My husband dropped me off at the car park south of Tongue. The walk started easily enough along a track which turned into a path. The dry weather meant that it was the least boggy it would ever be.
I was anxious not to miss the place to turn off on the bealach so in fact took an early path to the right which became indistinct. I passed the wreckage of a plane from 1943. This was a Handley-Page Hampden bomber which was on a mission to search for another aircraft that had been reported missing. One man survived the crash and was rescued by a shepherd together with a local doctor.
Having reached the summit plateau near its north end, I climbed to Sgor Chaonasaid before crossing the plateau and following the path and a short scramble from the west to the trig point at An Caisteal (high point at 764m).
It was quite windy on top albeit with excellent views so I descended to the path on the west of the peak making a short and easy detour to Beinn Bheag, then decided not to make the longer detour to the most southerly summit which involved further descent and would require a return the same way.
I made my descent over the grassy but steep slopes to the east of the main summit, passing near Loch na Creige Riabhaich. I actually found the main path down which met up with the point where I had turned right on my ascent.
Unfortunately it had become very windy during the day so the zip wire ride that I had hoped to stop for on the way back to our campsite at Durness was closed. In fact on our return there was consternation with some tents having succumbed to the wind. We added storm guys, which had never been previously used, to our tent and tried to secure the vulnerable looking tent of the family camping next to us as they were still off the site.
Where's Kathryn? 