An Teallach from Dundonnell

Staying at JSMTC Dundonnell puts you right at the base of the famous An Teallach mountain, with the path approaching from the north starting about 100m from the centre. It would seem almost rude not to make an ascent of this glorious mountain at some point during the week.

Making our way up from the river onto Meall Garbh
Making our way up from the river onto Meall Garbh

After starting on the main path, we drifted to the south a little to follow the river which the map boasted had a number of waterfalls. This turned out to be a beautiful approach route, with the river cascading along and the immense looking Glas Mheall Mor reaching into the sky in front of us. Unfortunately, yesterday’s rainfall had saturated the ground and things became pretty way underfoot, forcing us to ascend the slope up Meall Garb to our right. The next couple of kilometres was relatively easy going, with little height gain and stunning views for a time. As we approached Sron a Choire, the skies darkened a little and the promised snow started to arrive, but not in the quantities hoped for.

After a brief lunch stop, we started our final ascent of Bidein a Ghlas Thuill, the highest of the peaks on An Teallach. With the cloud down and the snow flurries around us, we gained a limited appreciation of the stunning views of the coires to the east. However, the site of the trig point at the summit proved just as inspiring for some! At the start of the day, we had considered the possibility of also taking in the top of Sgurr Fiona – the second Munro on An Teallach but, with time drifting by and the tired body language from some, we decided to head back down.

As we made our way, we came across a number of snow patches, giving the opportunity to talk about a few snow related issues in the mountains as well as have a bit of fun. One particular patch had a gentle gradient and offered fantastic sliding qualities! Not steep enough for any serious ice axe and crampon practice, but good for messing about.

Today was much longer than yesterday, finishing with some tired legs, but it was great to get up to the top of An Teallach with the group. Hopefully, a good night’s rest will see them right for tomorrow.

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