Assynt Explore From Inchnadamph: Ben More Assynt South Top & Glen Oykel

The landscape around Ben More Assynt is a great area to explore on foot as there are numerous options all around depending on the weather and what you’re in the mood for. This point to point journey took us on a section of the Cape Wrath Trail from Inchnadamph to Glen Oykel with a diversion to go up to the Ben More Assynt south top for some epic views. It was also Mila’s first wild camp! Read on for trip details and highlights.

Trip Essentials

• Starting / Finish Point: Inchnadamph Car Park
• Total Distance: ~25km
• Total Ascent: ~1109m
• Terrain: Mix of good paths, rough tracks, and long pathless sections, often boggy
• Map: Assynt British Mountain Harvey Map
• View GPS on OS Maps
• View this route and more in our Interactive Route Map

Field Notes

This trip demonstrates how adaptability can lead to a better and safer experience for all – the whole point with all this stuff is to enjoy it, right?

The original plan was to go up Ben More Assynt via the south ridge and onward to find the Avro Anson crash site north of Ben More Assynt (view my overly ambitious plan on OS maps).

This required a 10km hike into the depths of Benmore Forest, which is a beautiful journey in itself. We enjoyed the gentle start up Gleann Dubh and loved the sense of adventure as we diverged off path up Traligill Bealach – a long magical bealach full of erratic boulders and finishes with expansive views of Glen Oykel. The weather was also improving as the day went on – we started in low cloud but by the time we reached Dubh Loch Mor and the start of the climb to the south ridge, there was blue sky and no cloud on the hill.

We stopped for lunch – tortilla soup we’d heated earlier and packed in our thermos food flasks, delicious! – then continued the trudge up to the south top at 868m.

The views behind us to Meall an Aoanach (Eagle Rock) were fantastic.

We arrived at the 868m spot height to winds gusting 40+ mph and our first close up view of the south ridge leading to the main summit of Ben More Assynt. This ridge includes some scrambling sections that would be doable with care in good conditions. From our vantage point they looked pretty ominous!

Although we had great visibility, the winds rattled our nerves. We ultimately decided that the ridge was a stupid idea with two heavy packs and two tired dogs (we were a bit tired too after the long walk in!). We’d gotten to this point which was good enough for us, and the views were awesome. (Not sure the dogs notice as they were clearly ready for a rest!)

So there was a decision to be made as to where to camp. Do we walk back the way we came and pitch up along the way (going backwards, ugh) or carry down Glen Oykel towards the main road and hope for a lift back to our van in the morning? We decided to live adventurously and carried on south into Glen Oykel, a part of the Cape Wrath Trail that was new to both of us. It’s a beautiful glen and we were spoilt for choice for camping spots.

Wild Camping in Glen Oykel

We chose a spot above Glen Oykel and the main path for our pitch for the night. There were two immediate things we were looking forward to: swapping into comfy shoes (Crocs are a little bulky but they’re lightweight and a treat to put on at the end of the day) and a gin and tonic.

We had a nice chill out by a stream and even managed to capture some footage that proves that the sun does shine in Scotland!

This was also Mila’s first wild camp and we were delighted how well she took to sleeping in the tent. That said, we’ve decided that a two-person tent with two dogs is not big enough. Quoting one of my top films, Greatest Showman, “we’re gonna need a bigger tent”.

Journey Back to Inchnadamph

We got an early start at 6am as we knew our return to Inchnadamph could take some time. Plus, we needed to get back to the house to prepare the byre for our next guests. Time pressure! We made it to the main road by 8:30am – I promised Mark we’d be able to hitch a ride from someone passing by.

Only there were very few people passing by at that hour! So we decided to make for Ledmore Junction where, if all else failed, we could catch a bus back to Inchnadamph (bus route 809!). We didn’t, though, as two friendly tourists from Edinburgh picked all four of us up and took us back to our van. We had some enjoyable conversations on the short journey and re-established our faith in humanity. Generosity still exists in the world!

Track Recap – Including the road trudge!

You may also enjoy…

This earlier trip report from Ben More Assynt and Conival.