Three Munros for the price of one in magical glen
Climber makes it 200 not out on tough but rewarding hike
Hidden deep down Glen Affric, Mam Sodhail is among a clutch of hard-to-reach Munros. Bagging any of the peaks here demands commitment and requires long days.
Glen Affric is often described as “Scotland’s most beautiful glen” and campaigners have long believed the area should be designated a national park.
The glen is home to one of the most wonderful examples of native pine forest remaining in Scotland, containing many “granny” pines – ancient, gnarled trees several centuries old.
Mam Sodhail, on the north side of the glen, can be climbed as a single Munro – but the Munro of Carn Eige (3,881ft) lies less than a kilometre from the summit and doesn’t involve much up and down. Most walkers will take in both hills. Keen Munro-baggers often try to include Beinn Fhionnlaidh, (3297ft) in the round – it lies 1.2 miles north of Carn Eige.
Treated as a there-and-back, this third Munro will add a good couple of hours to the day but that is balanced against the fact it’s incredibly difficult to reach any other way.
The route I recommend takes in the three Munros as a day walk – a long day. It’s a slight modification of a route I did with my friend Andy Buchan. We added in the Munros Toll Creagach and Tom a’ Choinich which lie at the eastern end of the glen before ascending Carn Eige and Beinn Fhionnlaidh.
We camped at the Bealach Beag, at the foot of Beinn Fhionnlaidh. The next morning, we skirted Carn Eige to climb Mam Sodhail, my 200th Munro.
Whichever route you walk, I recommend including Sgurr na Lapaich, an official Munro Top of Mam Sodhail. With a separation of 2.2 miles from the main summit and reaching 3,399ft, it was once regarded a separate Munro, being deleted from the tables in 1921. Future revisions should, I believe, see it restored.