Glens are a real marvel
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THREE marvellous glens penetrate inland from the Ardgour coast of Loch Linnhe, throwing up steep-sided and rocky flanks that form a compact range of hills that, although comparatively low in height, are as rugged as anything in Scotland.
The Cona Glen, Glen Gour and Glen Scaddle all offer good routes into the heart of this rocky region, but the easiest route to the highest of these Ardgour hills, Sgurr Dhomhnuill, 2914ft/888m is from the glen of the Strontian River.
Every time I visit this area I promise myself I will come back with a tent and a few day’s supply of food, and fully explore the glens, the ridges and the closely packed peaks that form this wild region of Ardgour.
Bounded in the north-west by Loch Shiel, in the east by Loch Linnhe and in the south by Glen Tarbert and Loch Sunart, the area boasts no less than nine Corbetts, most of which are accessible from one of the glens I’ve mentioned.
You get a pretty good idea of the rugged nature of the Ardgour terrain as you walk up the track that runs through the Ariundle Nature Reserve forest. Just now and then you catch a glimpse of two of Sgurr Dhomhnuill’s outliers, Sgurr na h-Ighinn and Sgurr a’ Chaorainn, appearing as steep sided spires rising from the ends of rock covered ridges. Only the very top of Dhomhnuill is visible at this point.
Once clear of the trees the route of ascent becomes obvious, but first it’s worth spending a few moments considering the remains of the old lead mines that lie at the end of the track. It was here, in 1764, the mineral strontianite was found. Twenty-three years later the element Strontium was discovered in the mineral and was subsequently used in the production of fireworks. The link between Guy Fawkes night and this wild corner of Ardgour couldn’t be more tenuous.
Beyond the shafts the track disintegrates into a rather muddy footpath and while some guidebooks advise walkers to continue up the glen to the foot of Sgurr Dhomnuill itself it’s far better to climb onto the knobbly ridge of Druim Garbh and follow its course eastwards to its high point, a small cairned knoll at 803m.
Already the views west will have grabbed your attention and like me you may have to sit on a rock for a while working out which islands you’re gazing at. The Scuir of Eigg thrusts out of the sea like an elephant’s tusk, and immediately beyond it sharp peaks rise into the sky. But these are not what they appear, as Eigg doesn’t have mountains like that, so it takes a few moments to realise these are the peaks of the Rum Cuillin. To the left, dim on the horizon, lie the islands of Barra, Vatersay, Sandray, Pabbay and Mingulay.
Beyond the 803m top a sharp descent leads to a narrow col from where the steep, slabby west face of Sgurr Dhomnuill rears upwards, a tapering spiral of rock and grass that can look positively daunting, especially in misty weather.
Thankfully it’s not a long climb, and a route can be traced up the rock slabs, between the crags and along little grass ledges before the steepness begins to relent near the summit where a circular cairn has replaced the trig point that’s indicated on the OS map.
Like all these Ardgour peaks the views are wide ranging, but it’s the proximity of the other summits and rocky ridges that impresses most – the closely packed nature of the mountains and the deep, steep-sided trenches of the glens.
Indeed, it’s these deep glens that kill any enthusiasm for linking some of these Corbetts together – both Carn na Nathrach and Beinn na h-Uamha are less than three kilometres away from Sgurr Dhomnuill as the crow flies, but crows don’t have to descend and ascend steep and rocky slopes to get there. That why the appeal of a long mountain backpacking trip appeals so much…
The descent from Sgurr Dhomnuill is comparatively straightforward. The southern slopes are much less steep than the north and west aspects of the mountain and it’s an easy task to access the long, grassy ridge of the Druim Leac a’Sgiathain that can be followed back to the old lead mines and the track through the Nature Reserve.
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