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Loch Mullardoch North Shore

I'm just putting the finishing touches to my route for 2015, but there's something that is bugging me, and I wondered if anyone who has passed this way before might like to comment.

The idea is to go up from Iron Lodge onto the ridge of Munros north of Loch Mullardoch (snow permitting ...) with an FWA of following the north shore of the loch. There is a path shown on the map for most of the way, and I'm not really all that bothered about the apparent interruption. Even if it's slow going picking my way across a rough open hillside, it's going to be manageable.

What bothers me, however, is the number of hefty-looking watercourses coming in from the north - some of them draining basins of 7 or 8 square kilometres. In spate these could be devils to cross ... and going upstream to find viable crossing places will add a LOT of distance to the day, possibly in vile conditions.

In these parts, however, I have sometimes found bridges which the OS haven't mentioned on their maps ... a bridge or two would certainly make a BIG difference to the viability of the FWA. Sooooooooo ... if anyone else has passed along the north shore of Loch Mullardoch, I'd be ever so grateful for any information they may have regarding bridges (or lack of them) over the Allt Coire Lungard, Allt Coire a' Mhaim, Allt Socrach and/or the Allt Loch a' Choire Bhig / Allt Taige complex.

Thanks in advance for any intelligence which you are able to impart.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Hi Jeremy,

I used the north shore route some years ago and found it difficult going.

My vetter advised that 'time will pass slowly as you traverse the north shore of Loch Mullardoch'.

He was right.

The path is certainly do-able (I did it!), it's just not that easy underfoot. The watercourses aren't too much of a problem apart from one I remember that entailed a detour to get round. There was a rumour at the time that a Challenger managed to blag a boat ride across the inlet (estuary?!) and thus avoided the detour.

This was all around 7-8 years ago and things change, perhaps someone will come up with more up-to-date info for you.

Cheers,

JJ

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

We did this in 2011.
Hard long slog but no problems even with crossings.
See my blog post on 2011 crossing.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

I did this in 2012 and, like Andrew in 2011, don't remember any specific difficulties. So, worst case, your get out of jail card seems to be the bridge if you climb up beside the Allt Taige.

Colin.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Yes, these rivers are a problem, and caused me (and others) some problems on this year's Challenge. The rivers were fairly full, I assume due to saturated ground, the recent rain (though not heavy), and some snowmelt. I can't remember whether Allt Ciore Lungard is bridged or not, I don't remember any particular problem here, so even if not the river is crossable with care. The Allt Coire a'Mhaim and the Allt Socrach are both bridged at the little lodge at Benula. The Allt Mullardoch is also bridged near the loch. But the nasty one is the Allt Taige which is not bridged near the loch. When I arrived it was a roaring torrent in a small steep gorge, quite uncrossable. So I started to climb up. Though tired, I was prepared to go all the way to the top of Sgurr na Lapaich if necessary. However, at the point where the Allt Loch a' Choire Bhig and the Allt Taige meet (after a climb of 600 ft or so), the ground levels out somewhat, so that looked hopeful. As it turned out, there is a bridge over the Allt Taige at this point, and the Allt Loch a' Choire Bhig is fairly flat and can be splashed through. At this point, I saw a party of 6 people, having just crossed, heading off down the track to Mullardoch, whether Challengers or not I don't know. Later I heard some people had managed to cross the Allt Taige lower down, but this seemed very risky to me in the conditions. The paths, where they exist, broadly as given on the map, though I didn't find the path from Am Mam to Benula, are very boggy and rocky, and slow going.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Having done this route this year I arrived at the dam at the bottom of the loch after a nightmare of a tramp and wade, completely exhausted and vowing NEVER to take that route again. Some other challengers crossed into Glen Affric instead, after Iron Lodge. I must say that having gone down there last year I would contemplate this alternative, were I to start from Dornie again.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

I passed this way at the end of March after a tough day on the Mullardoch ridge battling high winds and unpredictable snow conditions. The return path is long and arduous with looooong sightlines down the loch. The Allt Taige wasn't in spate when I crossed so I was able to boulder hop below the lowest part of the ravine. There are a few photos towards the end of this report.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Thanks all for your comments and observations, which are very encouraging (yes, really!!).

My intended camp ht night before it at Loch Mhoicean, and my high level route is short in distance but long in ascent - do the four Munros, then double back from Carn nan Gobhar and camp by Loch Tuill Bhearnach. Day 3 then consists of descending the Allt Taige and taking the tracks / roads to Cannich and then on to Tomich.

If I am on my FWA, I shall aim to camp once I have crossed the Allt Taige. If it's a long, slow trudge, then so be it. With a whole day to progress from 068313 to 179321, I can afford to be slow!

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Having concentrated on the practicalities of the route in my earlier reply, I must add that this is fine route in magnificent surroundings - the Northwest Highlands at their best. Who would swap miles of pathless bog for a paved highway in such surroundings? After crossing the Allt Taige, I had a fine camp down by the loch. The next morning the loch was like a mirror reflecting the surrounding hills, and a herd of wild goats were foraging peacefully nearby. I was sorry to leave.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Thanks Derek - your comments are very much appreciated

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Worth bearing in mind that in 2012, while one search was looking for a Challenger later found to have been safe in Oban Bothy, another search was taking place on the ground for a chap later found to have got into severe difficulties on the north shore of Loch Mullardoch. If memory serves correctly, he'd been physically blown into one burn and had great difficulties with other crossings; fortunately he was found and assisted by another Challenger, then ferried down the loch in the factor's boat; after a couple of days drying out and getting his breath back in Cannich, he went home to face the music!

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

That sounds like "stormy Sunday". I went through on the Saturday and was in Tomich before everything went a bit wet and windy. There was actually more path along that north shore than I had been expecting - but I wasn't expecting much. There were one or two places where the path had eroded and one was aware that a slip would likely result in sliding gracefully, or otherwise, into the loch.

Colin.

Re: Loch Mullardoch North Shore

Bit late but only just seen this posting. We did Mullardoch this year NEVER AGAIN. Tedious exhausting slog, sheer rough path, and NO bridge over the Allt Taige, bad fast water crossing. 2 of us made it with extreme care but my partner went in. It took us 7hrs to do the last 7km along the Loch to the road! That does include the bad river crossing though and my partners dip and subsequent sort out and we are very slow anyway but it was tough going.