Great Mountain Days in Scotland. Dan Bailey

      Ben Loyal from Ben Hope

      Approach 9.5km

      North of Kinloch Lodge is an unoccupied house just above the road; take the track past this, and at a junction in gorse thickets go right. Climb over a slight rise, and having crossed a burn make a long gradual ascent across open moorland. This approach follows the Moine Path, an excellent well-drained historic route linking the Kyle of Tongue with Loch Hope. Ben Loyal’s multiple rocky summits form a remarkable backdrop, while the sharp wedge of Ben Hope rises out of the moor ahead. After several kilometres the path begins a steady descent towards Loch Hope; leave it here and strike S over the bogs to reach the outflow of Loch na Seilg below the rugged, secretive eastern flank of Ben Hope.

      On the hill 20km

      Head WSW, where steepening stony slopes give strenuous access to Ben Hope’s north ridge, the best walkers’ route up the mountain. Follow the ridge onto a grassy levelling. The direct continuation is barred by an intimidating rock barrier, or Bad Step. Tackled on its right side this gives a short pitch of VDiff grade climbing in a serious position above the full height of the mountain’s huge northwest face. Most people will want to avoid it, and this is easily done via an obvious gully well to the left – a very basic but slimy scramble. Above this regain the crest of the ridge, where some enjoyable blocky scrambling leads airily to Ben Hope’s table top. With steep ground on three sides and a vast expanse of emptiness all around, the summit has a great sense of open space.

      From the summit trig point and wind break follow the edge of the eastern corrie, An Garbh-choire. Skirt just right of an unnamed top to descend rolling slopes of grass and rocks, then climb a little onto the outlying summit Sail Romascaig, which is marked with a cairn. Here bear E, descending carefully through a band of little crags then down a steep boulder-strewn slope onto a knobbly shoulder overlooking idyllic An Gorm Loch.

      Continue E through a deserted wilderness of bogs, rocks and pools (confusing in mist). Bear just right of the summit of Creag Chaol to pick up a quad bike track; this trends left as it descends to cross the Allt na Luibe Moire in a little flat-bottomed glen. Here gain a more distinct estate track, which is followed S to the shore of Loch an Dìthreibh, a lovely spot overlooked by the peaks of Ben Loyal. Stay with the track past a private estate bothy, and at a junction by the head of the loch go left to the ruined cottage of Dìthreibh.

      Beyond the cottage leave the track, cross a burn, then climb E onto a pathless pool-pitted bog land. Aim for the south ridge of Càrn an Tionail, Ben Loyal’s southern top, where the low-lying bogs soon give way to steep slopes. Follow the broad ridge to the summit. Head N over Beinn Bheag, a delightful stroll on springy turf, then climb to An Caisteal, Loyal’s well-named main top. From the south the massive summit tor looks impregnable; skirt left to scramble up its more manageable north side.

      An Gorm Loch and the east side of Ben Hope

      Sgòr Chaonasaid and the Kyle of Tongue

      Two further tors are worth exploring, first Sgòr a’ Bhatain, then the dramatic promontory peak of Sgòr Chaonasaid, the south ridge of which gives some optional scrambling. From the saddle south of Sgòr Chaonasaid descend ENE; at first it’s steep and rough, but a path soon takes shape. The lower slopes are dominated by the huge front face of Sgòr Chaonasaid. Pass left of the cottage at Cunside.

      Return 4km

      Beyond the Allt Lon Malmsgaig the path continues N across heather moorland, soon becoming a track. Here strike W over open boggy ground, passing south of Lochan Hakel to reach the single-track road. This leads downhill to a bridge over the Kinloch river and the start point.

WALK TWO

      Ben Klibreck

Start/Finish	Layby opposite the Crask Inn (NC 523 247)
Distance	26km (16 miles)
Ascent	1200m
Time	9½hrs
Terrain	A lengthy approach on a clear track, then a steep pathless ascent. Open grassy ground lacking the boulders and heather so common elsewhere on Scottish hills. Attentive navigation is needed in poor visibility.
Maps	OS Landranger (1:50,000) 16; OS Explorer (1:25,000) 443
Transport	Daily post bus from Lairg to Altnaharra on A836 – you won’t miss your stop, there’s literally nothing to confuse it with
Accommodation	The Crask Inn (01549 411241)
Summits	Ben Klibreck (possibly ‘hill of the speckled cliff’, Gaelic; or possibly ‘cliff slope’, Norse); Meall nan Con 961m (‘hill of the dogs’)
Sleeping Out	The shores of Loch a’ Bhealaich and Loch Choire are ideal for wild camping
Seasonal Notes	There are no particular difficulties in winter, although it might be sensible to reverse the direction of the walk so that the hill stage is done in daylight. The distance could be reduced significantly, too, by incorporating Meall an Eòin into the round instead of the more distant Meall Ailein. Bear in mind that the steep grassy slopes of Meall nan Con present a potential avalanche hazard.
Short Cuts	Climb Meall nan Con from the Bealach Easach, then return over Cnoc Sgriodain as described

      Caithness and Sutherland share a waterlogged nothingness unmatched in scale, yet the apparent desolation belies a rich habitat of international botanical and ornithological significance. This is Europe’s largest blanket bog, the least mucked-up ecosystem of significant size remaining in the British Isles. Commercial forestry wreaked great damage here as a 1980s tax break, but the Flow Country’s unique value is now recognised – not least as a natural carbon sink. The lone massif of Ben Klibreck rises as a rounded wave on the western side of this great moorland sea.

      From the A836 at its foot this gentle hump promises little, its sole attraction seemingly the ease of ascent for Munro baggers; but a linear dash from the road does neither the hill nor the hillwalker justice. This full circuit of Ben Klibreck has a sense of scale and isolation more worthy of the surroundings. Little-frequented Bealach Easach leads to the obscure lochs stretched below the mountain’s hidden eastern flank, a post-glacial landscape of unexpected grandeur.

      Ben Klibreck from Ben Hope

      Approach 11km

      This drawn-out approach permits a return along the full stretch of Klibreck’s high, grassy spine. The A836 is fairly close but this does little to dent the sense of remoteness; after all, it’s a single-track A-road on which a dozen cars per hour would count as significant traffic. Even the walk’s starting point has a back-of-beyond feel, the Crask Inn being almost the only habitation for miles (and a good place for seeing a spectacular night sky without braving the elements).

      Loch Choire from Meall Ailein

      Park opposite the Crask Inn, then walk a short way S along the road until