UKC

Plan to do the Fisherfield 6 including Beinn a' Chlaidheimh from Corrie Hallie some time next weekend or the following week.

The plan, although flexible, is to do it over 2 days and 1 night. The intention is to camp at height in the hope of having enough breeze to keep the midges at bay.

My question is does anybody have any strong feelings as to whether clockwise or anticlockwise is better?

Any reliable water sources higher up?

Cheers 

I attempted to do all 6 in a day from a tent based half way up Gleann na Muice, going clockwise.  We got to the col between Beinn Tarsuinn and A'Mhaighdean and baled out, knackered (going straight up the west face of Beinn a'Chlaidheimh first thing in the morning may have been a mistake in retrospect!).  

If I was to do it again, I'd go anticlockwise - the initial ascent up Ruadh Stac Mor is a lot gentler until the final 150m.  You also avoid the long, long grind up A'Mhaighdean that you have going clockwise, and it's less ascent doing Sgurr Ban anticlockwise as well.  You should be able to find water at/close to the bealach between Beinn Tarsuinn and A'Mhaighdean.

If the weather is fine and you choose to do the first two Munros late on day 1, the summit of A'Mhaighdean is a fantastic place to watch the sunset over the west coast and then spend the night.

Enjoy!

I was there yesterday, plenty of water options between Beinn Tarsuinn and A'Mhaighdean at the moment although I have struggled in the past to get any.

When I did it clockwise, I was struggling to find water source after Mullach. Ended up descending between A' Mhaighdean and Ruadh Stac Mor and there was plenty of water. 

Doing it anti-clockwise might actually make it easier as you can rely on finding water in the West. Saying that, I think we had at least 4 parties doing it from Shenavall and all of us did it clockwise. 

Thanks for the replies

I once did it clockwise with a camp by the Lochan in the Coire on Beinn Tarsuinn.

Just to add to your thoughts. I did the 5, the Corbett could easily be added, by walking into Lochan Fada from Incheril and camping there. Next morning I was up on the ridge below Beinn Tarsuinn within 45 minutes and was back to the tent in 8 1/2 hours. Appreciate the midge situation but water is available and you would have a daypack plus there is only 1 river crossing

I was also up there this weekend (it was fairly busy!), and did a 2-day clockwise round from Corrie Hallie and camped at Lochan a Brachad (although we skipped the corbet). Didn't find any ground that was 100% dry in that area, but there was easy access to running water between the 2 lochans and a slight breeze to keep the midges away most of the time.

Other places with drinking water: the col between Beinn Tarsuinn and A'Mhaighdean, more or less where the ground starts to level off on the descent from Beinn Tarsuinn. We could also hear running water when decending A'Mhaighdean, but didn't investigate.

My vote would be for a clockwise round, but only because I didn't manage to keep my feet dry crossing the bog in front of Shenaval. Much preferable to walk in wet boots for 2 hrs than for 2 days. Rivers were pretty low and easy to cross.

Only ever done these hills in winter. That river crossing can be a major issue. I'd advise getting the 1:25k mapwmap would give a pretty good idea where flowing water is to found.

Have a good trip.

Hi Snoopdawg, Curious as to how you did the Munros after Beinn Tarsuin? Did you carry onto Sgurr Ban and then just retrace your steps backover the 3 you just came over or did you cut across to Ruadh Stac Mor after Sgurr Ban? Thanks for any info

I did this on a wet day and after 15& 1/2 hours, 3 river crossings, deep heather, viscous midges, arrived back at Coire Hallie totally fu*ked! Repeated it via Loch a Bhraoin and it was no different apart from better weather and easier river crossing. It's a tough day out!

I seem to recall a bivvy cave of sorts on the col between A'Mhaighdean & Ruadh Stac Mor.

sounds like a sticky situation...

.... and an epic day out! I’ve still got Fisherfield to do- paying close attention to tales like these!

Hi after Sgurr Ban I dropped down to Loch A Bhrisidh and down over untracked ground by the burn to the glen floor then followed the burn N and ascended rough steep ground by the Alt Leachan Gorma up to Lochan A Bhraghad and onto Ruadh Stac Mor. Hope that helps

It does makes sense. Thanks for replying

I've done them as a 'round' once in summer and twice in winter from Corrie Hallie. I've always gone clockwise on the basis that you get the most arduous ascent done with fresh legs, and the return home is on good low gradient stalkers paths, with fine views intermittently alongside streams and burns for rests, water and a brew, which all act as a nice tonic to the up and down of the round, a sort of warm-down, albeit a long one! Doing it the other way would mean a thigh jelly-wobbly knee bashing steep descent at the end. 

The col after Tarsuinn is a bit boggy, better to either stop short if a nice opportunity presents itself, or drop into Tarsuinn's north facing corrie with a lochan, or if the weather allows  pick up water on the way up A'Mhaighdean and camp on its summit plateau.

The boulder howff mentioned above isn't very inviting and would be midge hell, I've heard rumors of a much better doss but never found it.

The area repays multiple visits (before you consider the climbing), and you miss a lot if you just do the round and not go back, other fine outings are over Slioch and along the Bein Lair Ridge. Coming in from Poolewe and doing the NW ridge of A'Mhaighdean, then exploring the ridge and hummocks to the mountains south on the way back, rather than heading to Rhuaidh Stac. In winter a very short section of the a ridge on Sgurr Dubh can be with the right build-up as narrow as anything on the Cullin being a bonus find, or a shock depending on your outlook, and the nearby slabs above Loch an Nid either in descent or ascent are surprising feature.  The corbett Creag Rainich opposite has a deary ascent but is a fine view point across to the Fisherfield. If you do Beinn Dearg Mor the rock crevasse at the lip of its eastern descent corrie is sobering in scale and worth the detour, you wouldn't want to walk into that in a white out and the 1:50K only gives the merest of hints to its presence. A great area for poking about. As ever in winter it can be harder, or easier. I have a friend whom only made Loch Bhrisidh on day one and decided to dig a snow-hole rather than camp as it was a bit breezy and finish the round next day as at elevation the going was good (in retrospect he decide to plough up the wrong aspect at the start). On another occasion I didn't even make one top, but was compensated by finding the remains of an illicit still on the edge of Strath na Sealga.  Alternatively my partner predicted perfect neve and ran round them on a February blue sky day, being back at Corrie Hallie well before dark. Have fun.

Only done the corbett, when it was a munro, before bailing out. A late spring weekend and rain hit on my ascent of Beinn a'Chlaidheimh, first 'muro' of the trip, turning to sleet then snow and finally a near white out in heavy snow on the ridge. 

I walked along the ridge to what I have always taken to be the summit but this was in the days before I carried a GPS. I've always wondered, though, if I only made it to the mid-peak between spot height 900 and the true summit at 914.

One of those very few summits that I am slightly annoyed with, due to snow masking the terrain.

Actually the bivvy on the A' Mhaighdean/Ruadh Stac Mor col is really comfortable (for one, would be poky for two). Stayed in it thursday night (and have used it before). Midges did arrive at first light, but that turned out to be a bonus, driving me up to a gobsmacking sunrise view above the cloud sea from A' Mhaighdean, double-haloed Brockens and all.

Agree with the clockwise round being better and absolutely that the place deserves multiple visits and lots of poking about. Carnmore is one of the best scrambling areas in Britain, for a start. I was completely blown away by it first time round and am still finding plenty of good things I didn't know about after 18 visits.

Magic place.

The howff must have improved since I last looked in.

Seeing as you have popped up.  Bells route on Beinn Airigh Charr, I followed the lower third with no problem, up the left to right diagonal line, and small walls then broken ground to the apex of the blunt spur, below a compact wall stretching left to right, with the ground dropping steeply off on the left. The right hand side looked like a grotty steep slab, the left hand side just left on the apex, above a big fallen block looked very steep and widely improbable for the grade. Consequently I assumed I was lost and escaped via the gully on the right, thus never made the fabled ground above. So where does it go?

That sounds like the steep wall on the second buttress (that Jimmy Bell confusingly called "Lower Buttress"). The two times I've done it I started up right (probably onto the left edge of your "steep slab"), then moved left on quite big but sloping holds. Wasn't hard but was airy. It gets easier after that to the top of "Lower Buttress", then the third section is easy fun to where the route proper runs out. The optional finish on the other side of Staircase Gully is great though, with a ludicrously exposed couple of moves on the right hand side of the arete. Big holds but a 300m drop below you.

Thanks for all the replies, especially your comprehensive one Scraggy Goat....

Right up until the night before, the plan was to go anticlockwise. This was because we liked the idea of staying ultra hydrated on day 1 to keep us on form.

Anyway, we heeded the advice regarding the grueling descent on day 2 when done anticlockwise and opted for a clockwise round.

The varied steep terrain of blocks, boulders, and loose stuff meant we were very glad to be ascending it rather than descending the following day.

We were starting to run out of steam as we passed Meall Garbh but weren't quite prepared for how difficult finding a fairly flat, rock free pitch for 2 tents would be. (A bivvy would have been much better)

Pressed on to Beinn Tarsuinn and down onto the Table top plateau where we struck camp.

Completed the round the next day and were glad of the abundnace of water and comparatively easier day.

Both having a fairly limited number of Munros under our belt, and having only explored a select few areas of Scotland, more so on Winter climbs than big hikes, this area and the views really blew us away! The heavy rain and subsequent midge frenzy from Shenavall back to the car didn't even kill the enjoyment.

Although these mountains aren't that high by Scottish  standards, they have the feel of huge mountains. What a place, what a 36 hours.

Thanks all