Orion M.C.

Frequent heavy showers on the Saturday didn’t stop Julian, Neil and I having a great weekend at Suardalan. We arrived late Friday and floundered over gushing burns in the dark to the bothy. Other incidents on route were a burst can of lager spraying over the inside of my sac and dripping down the back of my trousers (second time this has happened to me walking into a bothy), while Neil tried to mantelshelf a dry stone wall but his heavy pack tipped him over the wall and dumped him on his head

Reaching the bothy we found someone already in residence but in bed. This provided us with a lit fire for our arrival

Friday night in the bothy…smashing fire, much wine and good craic


Outside the bothy in the morning



After a late night in front of the fire we emerged into a very damp Saturday and headed off to do Beinn nan Caorach and Beinn na h-Eaglaise from the bothy. In the photos below note Julian’s new design in hill waterproofs…he had forgotten his gore-tex jacket and I suggested (half in jest) that he could manufacturer one from a bin liner

The only sign of sunshine all day. Looking down to Arnisdale and Loch Hourn from the shoulder of Beinn nan Caorach. Knoydart and Ladhar Bheinn are just over there somewhere in the cloud



Julian completes his jakey look by using a wine bottle as a water bottle



Heading for Beinn na h-Eaglaise during a brief break in the weather.



Top of Beinn na h-Eaglaise. Which way now



We couldn’t get any wetter, so on the walk back to the bothy we pretty much gave up using cunning when trying to get across burns which were in spate. Instead we adopted the march straight through approach

Arriving back at the bothy, with Sgurr Mhic Bharraich behind.



After an evening of drying gear in the bothy the next day’s weather was much kinder We walked out to the car and Neil dropped off Juilan and I to do Sgurr an Airgid, while he went a little way up Glen Shiel to go up Sgurr na Sgine.

Loch Duich from the top of Sgurr an Airgid



Descending the hill



Beinn Fhada and Gleann Lichd



Looking over to Beinn Sgritheall, next to where we had been the previous day.



Strath Croe and the head of Loch Duich from lower down our hill



Two points of interest for anyone intending going to Suardalan in the future.
1. You can no longer drive up the forestry track to the bridge about 1km from the bothy, but instead have to park just before Moyle. However, it’s not a great hardship as the walk in from here is only about 2miles.
2. The upstairs is now blocked off (as discussed elsewhere on the forum) and twin two tier sleeping platforms have been constructed in the left hand downstairs room.

Oh, and I just pulled a tick from out of my face tonight…presumably from the weekend. Pretty gross, eh

The photos look much brighter than your description but, regardless, I can't believe we have got fair weather Neil out in the rain twice this year
....Crackin' photo of Julian by the river. He looks like a proud blan'yre boy!

Love the photos of Julian wearing the bin liner aswell.

I take it from the first photo that Neil gave the comfy chairs to the two old yins?

Nah, it's just that age gives you the experience to grab 'em first

A pleasant if rather damp weekend with many enjoyable river crossings


Thankfully Sunday was dry and at one point almost sunny.
The Saddle from Sgurr na Sgine

Hey Neil, I see that you didn't rise to Gordon's accusation that you might be a fair weather type of guy

Mind you, I think you put paid to that at the weekend

Another hilarious photo of Julian in his bin bag outfit This one was taken by Neil.

Julien. Lovely mountain attire indeed. Very very funny. Still havent stopped laughing.

What can I say, you will be seeing that wetlook style on the catwalks of Paris next spring and it will be available in the high streets the year after that. And ity worked, I was no wetter than the other two eejits with their fancypants goretex this that and the next thing.

Three corbetts succumbed to the imporvised waterproofs. A Ben bag in a bin bag.

Handy hints for finding the bothy in the dark (i) when you get to the bridge, stay low beneath the trees, don't follow Scott up the higher ground it is a pathless bog (ii) once you cross the tributary burn after a few hundred metres you can just about cross the river after another 20 or 30 metres (iii) once across, leave the wall well alone it's a killer, instead all you have to do is follow it to the left and then when it takes a right angle turn follow it up and it takes you straight to the bothy door.

Main room of Surdalan hasn't changed much...this pic was taken in 1995 (I think), the first of many visits to Suardalan.

We had intended to go to Kinbreak that weekend, but flooding of the road up the side of Loch Arkaig made this impossible and so a decision was made to go to Suardalan insted.