Sgurr na ciche via loch nevis
A justifiably popular destination for sea kayakers, Loch Nevis also offers what is arguably the best means of approaching Sgurr na Ciche. It is a trip I have made on at least half a dozen occasions, though only twice have conditions and circumstance combined, allowing the conical summit to be bagged after leaving the kayak on the shingle far below. The first was a fleeting overnighter, the summit reached as the sun settled on a distant horizon. The second, a trip I wrote about within Northern Horizons. It was, at the time, among the most challenging of rounds I had attempted. Perhaps I will repeat it one day.
But the real joy of such trips is in their self contained nature and to my mind, unequalled sense of liberation that comes from loading a boat and heading into the hills, even just for a few days, entirely reliant on your own skills, humour and luck. And while the west coast of Scotland is tailor made for sea kayaking, there are relatively few trips where the sea lochs offer an approach to the hills that does not feel contrived in some way.
On this occasion, we launched from the white sands of Morar, giving the small but bustling port of Mallaig a wide berth, before heading into the loch. There followed three magical days of light winds, blue skies and snow capped summits.
The intense cold of those two nights camped close to Sourlies has all but been forgotten among memories that will last a lifetime.
