AN CLISEAM (CLISHAM) & UISGNEABHAL MOR

[kathy]

TRIP REPORT: Show trip details

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Date: Saturday 24.07.10
Weather: Low cloud, breezy on tops, very damp
Attendees: Terry & Kathy
Maps: OS 13 or 14
Stats: 16km, Ascent 1700m, 7:40

Apologies for the lack of pictures in this- it was a pretty dreich day!

We'd watched the clouds roll in on our midnight walk on Ceapabhal and didn't really hold out much hope for a clear day. SimonP had already been in touch to tell us the weather was fine further east which only served to further dampen our spirits. I'd been looking forward to this trip for so long, and now that it was finally here, the prospect of spending a couple of wet days didn't exactly fill my fun bucket. Apparently An Cliseam is a 'gracefully shaped hill, with the edge of the steep crag of Aonaig Mhor, on its north flank, just visible but well defined.' The only thing that was going to be well defined today it seemed was the 20 feet or so in front of our compass.

I have to admit, I played the girlie card on this walk and persuaded Terry to do the navigating. The route we'd worked out was mostly straight forward but would lead us through some pretty wild country, reminiscent of Mountain Marathon territory. It was after all, going to be Fun.....
I can't remember the last time I wore full waterproofs, I'm a hardy Fifer and wet doesn't bother me, but after listening to the rain thrumming on the car roof for a time, my mind was made up. Okay, maybe a Cat B fun day ahead. (author's note: Cat B fun is the type of day that sounds great when you're telling all your friends about it in the pub later, but purgatory in its execution)

We set off from NB 131 043 on the B887 road (space for a car or two) heading northeast on a path. This was rather intermittent at best, and after less than a km we'd already had enough and struck off towards Tarsabhal.


There's a path here somewhere, trust me!

Navigation was fairly easy at this point: from the 378m top there was a ridge to follow that swung round north then north-northwest, becoming a little steep from 400m. Our main issue was the rocks. They were everywhere! Boulderfield after boulderfield, comprised of that stone which makes for perfect ankle snapping terrain for the unwary.


One brave step for hillwalkers....

A few gymnastic moves were required to keep our balance enroute, and this also made it tough for Terry 'Goatman' to keep on-bearing. That man lives up to his nickname for sure: the summit trig came straight at us out of the clag- no rummaging around the summit on this occasion!


Summit trig. Yay!!

From here, more fun was had in yet another boulderfield as we dropped to an unnamed bealach before a subsiduary top and the 743m summit of Mulla-Fo-Dheas. We both agreed this would be amazing in clear weather, the ridge narrow enough to be interesting and some easy hands-on work required in places. We stayed on this until Mulla Fo-Thuath before dropping nothwest to the bealach, a lowly 250m in height. It was a long way back up to our next target, the graham Uisgneabhal Mhor. Even though we couldn't actually see it, we knew our legs were in for a time of it, with 480m of climbing yet to suffer. My spirits were pretty low at this point I have to admit.

To save some of that climb, Goatman took us under some crags to the south of Teilisabhal before heading northwest again to reach the high bealach at 570m. My legs were really starting to burn by this point, reminding me I really should get a little fitter for these big trips! Terry and I are great at joining the dots on Memory Map, but the execution phase sometimes lets us down. Constantly looking at the map was also starting to fry Terry's brain (so I was informed) so I guess we were both more than a little glad when our final summit cairn finally came into view.


Last big climb done and dusted.... now, where did I leave the car?

We headed south to Loch Brunabhal, not that we could see it in the murk but relied instead on Terry's homing instinct and our trusty compass, and then struck across country following the loch outflow for a time before crossing the Abhainn Eadarra high up the glen and then aiming for the top of the path where it joined the Abhainn Thorabraidh at NB 136 058 (what great place names, huh?)

The ground was sodden; water was filling our boots at every step; we were absolutely drookit; my backside was doing a great job of eating my pants every few steps; we still couldn't see where we were going, and then poor Terry went into a bog- knee deep too. After almost breaking his toe on Thursday night, this just seemed to be the icing on the cake and the expression he shot me, kind of like a dog who's had his bone taken from him, sent me into hysterics, probably from the sheer lunacy of it all. We were at this point around 2km from the car.
My companion's timely reminder of this sobered me up fairly quickly and I resumed my head-down-arse-up position in silence behind Terry to follow the path back to our start point.
This was the same one we'd tried to follow in the morning. It's a lot better further up the glen so progress was good until the last 500m or so where we found our own way back to through a gate and then to the roadside where the warmth of a dry car awaited.
We were thoroughly disappointed not to get any sort of views on this walk, other than of our feet. We'd been inspired by previous trips reports by Shillers such as Chirs, bowlsey and munroist2926, our appetites whetted by blue-sky day photos and smiling faces all round. Hummmph!

Well, I guess all this has done is inspired us to go back! Cat B fun day or no, this was a brilliant hill that is definitely on our to-redo list

[summerwalker]

Pity you didn't get good weather for this

I'd like to say your trip sounded like fun but I'm sure it was character building.

Hopefully you'll get better weather next time.

[SimonP]

Ouch, ow. A brilliant depiction of the sort of day we all get sometimes. Remind me why we put ourselves through it? Excellent Kathy, gripping reading. I was feeling for you through every kilometre. Well done to the pair of you. (Is it evil of me to confess that I chuckled several times?)

[Trekpete]

Sure looks like you had a fun day out . Think I would have had a lie in.

[doogz]

maybe would have just had a lie in and a few local low down sights..

still you seem to have enjoyed it

cheers
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its this way!...you sure?...over here..no no over this way....how do you know we havent been here before..? typical day out unless you walk alone
Doogz

[Lochivroan]

Well done for toughing it out. Once you are on b***dy Harris you have little alternative. Your weather looked very familiar.
The one sh** day in a good week on Skye I travelled across to The Clisham. It was desperate. The bowl of soup in the cafe in Tarbet was the best thing about it. How on earth was it open? I was thankful for small mercies.

Your report gave me the shivers!
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On a clear day you can see Criffel from here!

[AdrianL]

I thought Lewis was all about blue skies and golden beaches. Well, that's another myth you've debunked.

[Hils]

Sums up July pretty well kathy! Shame after looking forward to it so much, never mind, next time eh, well done for doing it..

[ChrisM]

What a soggy day! Poor you two. Enjoy reading your reports Kathy. You write really well.
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[RCFC]

Was it like our recent walk on Skye or worse
I did Clisham in bad weather on a cold cloudy April day

[munros111]

when we done it also the weather was totally crap , shame as the views would be excellent . nice report though .
thanks for posting

[kathy]