View of Quinag from Canisp
Canisp:
Canisp stands in the Glencanisp forest, a beautiful and wild area of Assynt in Sutherland. Composed of Torridonian sandstone, Canisp rests upon a base of Lewisian Gneiss. Canisp — is thought to come from the old Gaelic word can, meaning white. Canisp’s Cambrian quartzite crown is too nutrient deficient to support soil and vegetation, thus giving a white appearance. The badge of Clan Sutherland is cotton sedge or bog-cotton, canaichean in Gaelic. Some have proposed the Norse word kenna ups, though the Gaelic origin of White Hill or Mountain is more plausible.
To the west of Canisp stands the celebrated icon — Suilven. Nonetheless, Canisp is a worthy climb giving excellent views of Assynt & Coaigh and — of course — the megastar Suilven. In the latter part of our family holiday near Lochinver, I planned to wild camp on Canisp. The weather on the tops was not the best for photography. Nonetheless, I knew ideal conditions wouldn’t be on the cards for the rest of my stay there, so I decided to take my chances and head off.
The Route:
The starting point was on the North edge of Loch Awe on the A837. The plan was to hike from there to the ‘White Mountain’, wild camp and walk to Lochinver the following morning.
From the starting point, I crossed the river Loanan via a small wooden bridge. This route to Canisp is quite boggy except where Cambrian Quartzite is underfoot, which makes for a pinky crystal looking footpath. As height is gained more boulders come into view and underfoot becomes a lot firmer.
For the most part, however, don’t expect to stay dry if you attempt this route, I had holes in my boots in any case so I couldn’t complain.
Stunning Views:
As further height is gained, the views to the east, of Ben More Assynt and the mountains of Inverpolly to the southwest are stunning. Yet nothing could prepare me for the view of Suilven. Due to the angle of the sun, Suilven became a towering black mass which dominated the scene.
Revealed before me, was the colossal, almost unreal titanic forces of nature. The unique character of Suilven has always fascinated me: yet, from this angle, in this light, projected an impression of Suilven I will not readily ever forget.
Suilven from Canisp
As I neared the summit the strength of the wind increased. I passed a natural hollow and thought this would make an excellent plan b campsite in the event the summit winds proved too strong.
Nutter On The Loose:
Canisp has a fine rocky summit with two excellent wind shelters. One feels almost perched on the very edge of the mountain and ready at any moment to collapse into the abyss below.
As the sunset, I spent my time trying to get shots of Quinag to the north, and Suilven to the west. Yet such was the strength of the wind that a bag of rocks was required to keep the tripod standing still (well to an extent!).
Any casual observer — watching me jog from one side of the mountain to the other — buffeted by strong winds and equipped with a bag of rocks in my left hand and camera and tripod in my right. The only conclusion that anyone could feasibly determine; was some nutter was on the loose!
Imagining the scenario of such a casual observer casting doubt on my mental faculties, brought about a broad grin whilst I negotiated the boulder-strewn obstacle course of Canisp to find the best compositions.
With the sun now set, there was a final shot to be had of Conival and Ben More Assynt. The sky was deep blue with shades of pink. The moon shone brightly in the sky.
Twilight: Conival and Ben More Assynt from Canisp
To be fair, I can’t give an adequate description of the scene, but it was unusual and beautiful. I quickly composed the image and set the exposure. From nowhere, however, clouds whipped in a furious circular motion around the summit. The lens misted over, and although I took the shot, the initial scene was lost. From then until 2am, the ‘White Mountain’ was cloaked in cloud and nothing further could be observed.
Wild Camp:
Canisp was now enveloped in cloud, high winds, and driving rain. The idea of a summit camp was soon dismissed. So from there, I proceeded to the hollow I had previously noted. Visibility was down to about 15 meters, nevertheless, I easily located the backup campsite.
Although marshy the hollow offered fine protection from the strong winds. The tent was quickly erected. And after a fight with a dodgy door zip, I was soon changed into dry kit and lying in a toasty warm sleeping bag.
The cloud shifted around 2am giving way to a sky full of stars. Prospects for a sunrise shot seemed on the cards. Yet prior to dawn as I packed away the tent, drizzle and cloud were soon on the menu. I waited a while on the summit in hope, but it soon became apparent the cloud was here to stay and nothing was to be gained from hanging about.
Stormy Sky over Loch Bad na Goibhre, Canisp & Suilven
The Route Back:
I descended through thick cloud and eventually could observe Loch Na Gainimh, below Suilven. Soon afterwards I was on the Glencanisp path for the long walk to Lochinver.
The Glencanisp path can be a bit of a slog. After what seemed hours of desolate bog and heather, the view to Glencanisp Lodge and Loch Druim Suardalain appeared like some sort of distant oasis, which sent an energy boost to my tired limbs.
The plan was to get picked up in Lochinver, but, as I had made good time I headed over to Loch Druim Suardalain to get a couple of shots of Canisp and Suilven. With good light excellent shots could be composed around this loch, however, for me, it was too overcast.
Continuing on to Lochinver, I was prematurely met by my pick up (the wife and kids). I was, nevertheless, duly notified there was no room in the car (long story). So dropping off the mountain bikes my eldest son and I biked back to Torbreck which finished off nicely: a grand adventure.
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Fragmented Memory 🙂
