Hike date = May 19, 2024

Cul Mor was the first full day hike we did as part of a week of guided hiking in Assynt – a sparsely-populated landscape north of Ullapool on the west coast of Scotland. Dave, our Wilderness Scotland guide, deftly managed our group of 8 hikers, despite the wide range of experience and capability. Just over 13 km/8 miles and 750+ meters elevation gain, Cul Mor provided Dave with plenty of time to assess just who was up to the challenge of hiking Suilven later in the week.

Getting There

From our accommodations just outside Ullapool, we piled into the Wilderness Scotland van and headed north along the A835. About 20 minutes later, Dave pulled into the parking lot for Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve. With one-lane in each direction, the road was straightforward. But we were glad to have someone behind the wheel with decades of experience driving the left hand side of the road!!

After some of our group used the bathroom facilities, we crossed the road and paralleled the fence edging the road. At the northern end of a small lay-by there’s a gate marking the start of a stalker’s path heading northwards.

As for weather, it was as expected – fast moving cloud and quite gray, with occasional patches of mist or light rain. Later in the day, we enjoyed some patches of blue sky.

Ascent

The first 1.5 km is relatively flat, passing through another fence and then past a large pond / lochan far enough off the trail that no one seems to approach the shore line. I particularly liked the water grasses growing at the end closest to the A835.

A few minutes beyond the pond, the path dropped slightly before beginning to climb.

Another 1 km or so on, we were trekking with a wall of cloud to our right and a bit of sunshine on the left. Somewhere along this stretch, we passed a school class out for a day of hiking. Mr GeoK chatted with one of their leaders, who shared a tip on where to get the best photographs at the summit.

Clouds to the right, sunshine to the left held, even as our path transitioned to stonier ground, across a light boulder field. Cairns aided with wayfinding as we worked our way up to a minor top, which I later learned is called Meallan Diomhain.

The Cul Mor towers were shrouded in cloud. Mr GeoK and one other member of our group charged ahead across the boulder field, generally making towards the grass-covered eastern shoulder. Dave, our guide, soon called them back. Herded us generally north, across Meallan Diomhan to a lochan (pond), where we turned west to climb a path up the north-eastern shoulder of Cul Mor.

Mother Nature occasionally made a gap in the clouds, providing glimpses of Loch Veyatie. But honestly, as we made our last push towards the summit, we wondered if we’d have any views at all.

Fortunately, we were not overly pressed for time. After settling in to enjoy our packed lunches (supplied by a local coffee/sandwich shop in Ullapool), we abandoned half-eaten sandwiches to photograph Suilven when most of it appeared for a few moments.

Then the clouds rolled back in, obscuring any views from the location described by the students’ leader. None-the-less, I grabbed a few shots of Mr GeoK making his way between the pancake rock formations that reminded me of something out of The Flintstones. And our guide took a photo of almost our whole group.

Descent

Our guide opted to descend from the eastern shoulder, where there isn’t really a defined path. We worked our way down through boggy sections, parallel to a small creek for a while. Along the way I spotted some lovely bog orchids and a bumblebee drinking from raindrops. Another member of our group noticed a brown frog.

All too soon, we were back down on Meallan Diomhain, the boulder field. Our guide was in the lead; he took this photo.

Just moments later, I heard a thunk and someone cried out. One of our group members had tripped and fallen, hitting her head on a rock as she went down. A retired nurse, she immediately asked for something to put pressure on the laceration, which was bleeding a LOT! I shouted for our guide to come back to us and then left him and another member of our group – a qualified doctor who had not practiced in many years – to administer first aid.

The rest of us layered up, had a snack and gave the incident team some space. A short while later, our guide confirmed that patient, guide and doctor agreed to call for mountain rescue. So we settled in to wait for them.

There was plenty to see, including Loch Veyatie…

…interesting textures of the surrounding landscape…

…and, relatively soon, a Coastguard helicopter searching for a safe landing spot.

The pilot eventually opted to land on Meallan Diomhain, the boulder field, about 75 meters from the patient. One crew member hung over the side to assess the position of boulders vs tires during the landing.

Within about 30 minutes, the patient walked to the chopper with minimal assistance, and away they flew.

Then our group resumed our descent. I hustled ahead, to read the information signs just of the parking lot for the Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve.

Wouldn’t you know it? The sun came out just as I was ready to re-cross the A835 at Lochan an Ais.

BTW, the injured member of our group was back at our accommodations that same evening. Her hiking activities were curtailed for the next 2 days.

Summary

Thanks in part to the mountain rescue, this was a long day. It took us almost 8 hours to cover 13.1 km (8.1 miles). Total elevation gain was 764 meters, 626 net. Despite the clouds and the accident, it was a solid start to a great week of hiking in the Scottish highlands. Mr GeoK’s Relive for this hike can be viewed here.

Note: Cul Mor is classed as a “Corbett” – a Scottish mountain between 2,500–3,000 feet (762.0–914.4 m) in height with a prominence of at least 500 feet (152.4 m).