A downed bomber in a coire
Trip Start
Sep 12, 2006
1
83
100
Trip End
Sep 08, 2008
Torridon,
Scotland,
United Kingdom
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
We had a quick look around the area where we would be walking the following day before arriving in the tiny township of Torridon soon after 4pm. It was a somewhat strange sight in the highlands, a town nestled in a stunning location without a general store or a pub! The nearest was the Loch Torridon hotel, 2 miles up the road, and without anything better to do we made the short drive back up the road to settle with a cold one. It was a quiet evening, spent relaxing in the hostel with a couple of other outdoor enthusiasts, and we were happy to go to bed early in preparation for a big walk the following day.
Unfortunately the clouds didn't lift overnight, and we found ourselves facing the fact we may not be able to do what we originally planned on doing. That was a long loop taking in Coire Mhic Fhearchair and three munros, including Ben Eighe. The clouds were so low that we guessed there would be zero visibility above about 800m, so we decided to make our way into Coire Mhic Fhearchair and decide from there what we would do.
Coire Mhic Fhearchair was described as being one of the most outstanding corries in Scotland, reached by a low level walk through mountain glens and wild moorland. We also read that part of the wreckage of a Lancaster bomber that crashed shortly after WWII could be seen in the far west gully. These alone made it seem a worthwhile hike, and we tried not to let the inclement weather faze us too much.
On reaching the carpark we met up with another Australian (originally from Glasgow) named David, who joined us on the walk. The initial climb was quite gentle, passing some remnants of the villages that dotted the spectacular area before the Highland clearances in the 18th century. It was a 40 minute climb up to Coire Dubh Mor, passing beneath the eastern face of Liatach, another of the many munros in the region. After crossing a stream on stepping stones the path flattened out passing several small lochs before reaching the junction to Coire Mhic Fhearchair. From here we passed beneath the western flank of Sail Mhor, where fantastic views opened out across Coire Mhic Nobuil and Beinn Dearg. The path soon swung around to the east, climbing steeply beneath some impressive cliffs and beside a series of waterfalls before suddenly opening onto the boulder strewn rock slabs on the shores of Coire Mhic Fhearchair.
The view here was impressive, with a special alpine atmosphere and the 300m high Triple Buttresses at the back of the corrie looking particularly imposing. Unfortunately, as soon as we reached the corrie we bore the full front of the wind, and found ourselves hiding behind a boulder to eat lunch. The clouds were still low, and there were patches of rain, although we decided to push on around the Loch to try and find some of the wreckage.
The Lancaster TX264 crashed into the Triple Buttresses below Ben Eighe on the 13th of March, 1951, killing eight crew members. I wasn't really expecting to see any wreckage after more than half a century, perhaps at best some pieces of twisted rusting metal. However, when we reached the far side of the Loch and climbed a little I was amazed to see clearly identifiable parts of the bomber amongst the scree. We saw a few engines, parts of the landing gear, a fully intact propeller and a wing, among numerous other parts. It was pretty amazing, and the three of us spent more than half an hour in the now pouring rain looking at the wreckage and trying to imagine what must have happened. I later read that the weather was particularly bad that day, and because it crashed in such a remote area it took almost six months for the bodies to be recovered.
Although wanting to climb higher, we knew it would be dangerous in the cloud and rain, so we decided to make our way back the way we came and continue further north. For the best part of an hour it rained really heavily, so much so that we couldn't even talk, just watch our steps and make sure we didn't do ourselves any injuries. We didn't stop on the way to the carpark, although the rain did stop about 20 minutes before we got there.
Despite the terrible weather, it was still an excellent day. The scenery was stunning, and it was good to have some extra company in David, who had some pretty interesting stories about his travels in Afghanistan in the 60s. What they said about the scenery of Glen Torridon was true, and I knew it would be a place I'd definitely revisit given the opportunity. However, we only had six days to see as much as we could on our trip, and our next destination was a rustic hostel at Achmelvich Beach, another two to three hours to the north. It was going to be a long day!
