24th April 2012
As Bob was still recovering from his accident and I was still being plagued on and off by the foot problem we had decided to have an early start on the ridge.We`d give ourselves plenty of time and if one of us struggled then we`d just take it easy and enjoy the day.As the going was liable to be dry and rocky I opted for my trainers in the hope that it would prevent any inflamation on the tendon and anyway,it`s a much more pleasurable day out in them I find.
Up with the dawn and a nice one it was to boot although the picture can`t tell you how cold it was 🙂
Sunrise on Loch Scresort.
Faffed around a bit and eventually headed off and took the path up the side of the castle which leads up Coire Dubh.
There were a few wild goats hanging around on the way up…
Wild goat.
We could hear the noisy spaniel coming about twenty minutes behind us so opted to leave the path and head across country to point 411 in the search for peace and quiet.Pottered around the hut where the manx shearwater ringing is carried out until we were sure Yappy the Spaniel was well ahead 🙂 It was still a bit cold and the cloud was blanketing the summits but we knew it would be nice and sunny when the sun got a bit higher.A brief stop on the top of Hallival and we wended our way through the bands of crags on the way to Askival as the sun eventually broke through.
Heading off to Askival…
Askival.
Looking back to Hallaval with Bob bottom left.You can see the crags on the pic below which were easy enough to take direct but might be more of a problem in misty conditions.
Hallaval.
As luck would have it an isolated murky cloud then appeared out of nowhere and decided to park itself over Askival.We wandered along and up to the base of the Askival Pinnacle but it was still in the shade and the rock was pretty greasy so a quick detour out left took us back to the path that avoids the difficulties.The path peters out a few hundred feet below the summit and there is a bit of scrambling up to the ridge where the sun had by now consigned the offending cloud to oblivion 🙂
Looking over to Ainshval and Trollaval from the Askival ridge…
Ainshval and Trollaval from Askival.
Looking back down the ridge to Hallaval and Skye in the distance…
Hallaval and Skye.
Myself on Askival.Pic from Bob.
Askival summit.
This was more like it. A sunny day and time to spare 🙂 There was no urgency,the sun was out,there wasn`t a cloud in the sky,my foot and Bob`s knee were enjoying their day out and there wasn`t another human being for miles.
Ainshval and Trollaval.
Self timer on the summit.Bob was in raptures about the views as you can see 🙂
Alex and Bob
From here we weaved our way down to the Belach an Oir where we bumped into another two walkers.Angus was from Grantown on Spey and his pal from Forres I think.I`m sure Angus wouldn`t mind me saying that he was a fair bit older than me 🙂 Three years ago he had four Corbetts left to go when he had to give up with chronic pain.However, a recent new hip replacement found him back on Rum for Ainshval.This was his hardest remaining one and he knew if he managed it the rest would be plain sailing.We traversed together under the south eastern flank of Trollaval together to reach the Bealach an Fhuarain.It was here that I discovered that I had left my camera behind somewhere.What to do…
A pic from Bob of Angus reaching the Bealach an Fhuarian…
Angus and his new hip.
My camera was either at the lunch stop back at the Bealach an Oir or at the summit of Askival.Bob ,having been up Ainshval before and having a knee twinge anyway kindly offered to go traverse back to the bealach to have a look for it while I made a quick dash up Ainshval and back over Trollaval to meet up with him.If he didn`t find the camera I was going to have to reascend Askival and if I was up there I`d be quicker reversing the whole ridge.Funnily enough I wasn`t too bothered with the idea.It was still early and there was no pub to go to anyway. Bob smiled as he presented me with a spare camera he had squirreled away in his rucksack as I set off 🙂
Pic taken from Trollaval of the route up Ainshval.
Ainshval
I took the slanting rock ramp in the shadow at the bottom,up the buttress above and then followed the scree path up the ridge to the summit.
The cracking looking Beinn nan Stac from Ainshval summit with Eigg lying behind…
Beinn nan Stac
Askival and the ridge out to Beinn nan stac.This wee summit is high on my to do list..
South ridge of Askival
I had a good look over to Trollaval on the descent to see the quickest way up.You can just about make out a faint scree path about a third of the way up from the col.Up that,aim for the small horizontal white scar above that and then up the buttress directly above onto the ridge.
Trollaval from Ainshval
Trollaval has nice rocky summit to enjoy.Pic of the summit which is the furthest away top from the ridge…
Trollaval summit.
Looking back to the subsidiary top which you have to cross to get to the true summit…
Trollaval
Zoomed shot of the mausoleum at Harris from Trollaval.
Harris from Trollaval
Conscious of the fact that Bob was waiting below I didn`t hang around as much as I would have wanted to and set off down the easy eastern ridge only to find him sunbathing at the col.I gave him a prod with a sharp stick to wake him up and immediately felt guilty as he produced my camera which he had found earlier 🙂 We set off to traverse across the huge Atlantic Corrie in the late afternoon sun linking up animal tracks and having the odd seat as we went.We were keeping a backward eye open for Angus returning from Ainshval and were glad to see him starting to descend from the Bealach an Oir.He`s just a dot to the left of the col in this pic.
Angus at the Bealach an Oir
I thought about a quick jaunt up Barkeval on the way back but the thought of the tin of spam and beans washed down by a bottle of wine won out and we headed back down to the tents 🙂
On talking to Angus on the boat the next day he had already booked his celebration party on Jura for his last Corbett a month later 🙂
I`ve used Trollaval here but,likeBob,I`m sure it was Trallval in the past but I`ll go with the OS version here.
Scotlands Mountains 
Is that Beinn nan Stac even possible for non-climbers? It doesn’t look it! I just read a Rhum Coolin post a while back and was feeling comforted and thinking they don’t look too bad – you’ve made them really ferocious and spiky! 😮
I think it used to be Trallival in the past – I think that’s what’s in my little pocket guide book. I’d love to do the ridge but hope I’m capable of it! Definitely not one for me to do alone I don’t think – and definitely one for good weather.
That first (beautiful) photo looks kinda religious! 😉
Carol.
You won`t have a problem in good weather Carol.The only bit that has slight exposure is between the two tops of Trollaval and that`s not much 🙂
The first photo is my take on the Anthony Gormley statues down in the Wirral but Bob refused point blank to stand in the water 🙂
An uplifting ‘read’ first thing in the morning Alex. I’ve lost count of how often we’ve looked at Rum from Skye in glorious weather but have been too content (lazy) to move. Must get the ridge done next year. As usual, some lovely photographs.
I`d been saving it for years for a good day Gibson.Work and ferry timetables always seemed to defeat me but now that I don`t have to worry too much about the first part of that equation “the worlds my lobster” as that guy in Minder used to say 🙂
We need to get over to the islands sometime, they always look lovely in all the photos on people’s blogs.
No mention of the face photos I posted specially for you ? 🙂
Still think Canna provided me with the best trip on the Small Isles Chrissie.Unexpectedly brilliant.!
I apologise, I did notice them, but you do rather look like you’ve just had an argument 🙂
Strangely enough,I don`t think we`ve had an argument in 30 years.We`re just setting off this afternoon to White Laggan bothy down in Galloway for the night so there is a window of opportunity there.Shall report back on Saturday 🙂
Alex, what you need is a long piece of string tied to your camera that goes up one sleeve of your jacket, down the other sleeve and back onto your camera.
What a great day out. I had no idea Rum was so spectacular. That wild goat looks a bit fierce, mind.
Cheers, Alen McF
The only flaw I can see in your string technique Alen is that if I lose the camera again I also lose the jacket into the bargain 🙂
I remember my mum using the string thing for my gloves when I was a kid.Also had my scarf crossed over round my back and held in place with a safety pin 🙂