Ben More Assynth and Conival

Having spend a number of holidays in Sutherland, I was aware of the Munro attractions in this area but had discounted them on previous visits for the charms of the lower peaks such as Suilvan. With the Munro bug well and truly biting it was time to return to Sutherland to compete the two Munros in this area. The beauty of these two peaks does not come from the mountains themselves. They are both not particularly interesting but the views across Sutherland  to the wonderful neighbouring peaks that I had climbed previously made the day very special.

The day started cold but clear with considerably better weather prospects that then very tough conditions encountered on Ben Kilbreck the previous day. I started chatting to two walkers in the car park and as it happened spent a very pleasant day sharing previous mountain experiences with them. Thanks Andrew and Jenny from Edinburgh for your good company. Because we were spending too much time talking we actually missed the path at the beginning of the walk and ended climbing most of the way up Conival over rough ground. With the snow that was still lying this did not make a great deal of difference but was probably a bit steeper that the path route. The day was turning out very sunny but still cold and as we approached the summit of Conival there was a considerable layer of ice on sections of the route. After a short photo opportunity on the top of Conival the descent and re-ascent to Ben More Assynt was undertaken without any issues. Great views were had from both peaks. The return route was just a matter of re-tracing steps and negotiating the steeper snow slopes with the aid of my backside. A very fine day.