Date: Friday 29th May 2015
Company: Myself and John
Distance: 5.6km, Ascent: 645m
Time: 2Hrs 40Mins
We had hoped to visit St. Kilda yesterday but the boat did not run due to inclement weather
. We therefore needed a Plan B that would not involve ascending any new Marilyns as we were saving our 1000th Marilyn for St. Kilda.
On my first visit to Harris, I ascended Clisham but saw very little in the way of views. A re-ascent of Clisham was therefore my objective. As the weather was due to improve around lunchtime, we were in no particular hurry to set off walking.
On arriving in the small parking area below Clisham, we sat in the car watching the rain for at least 30 minutes. When the rain stopped, we got suited and booted and commenced our walk.
Click here to see a map of the route undertaken
From the outset, the terrain was very wet underfoot. This has been a recurring theme in recent walks. We need a prolonged spell of dry weather.
Ascending the lower slopes of Clisham:
We made our way up the lower slopes trying to avoid the wettest sections of ground. During the ascent it was nice to look back to Todun; an excellent Sub2000ft Marilyn.
Looking back towards the A859 with Todun in the distance:
Ascending Clisham:
As we made our way up the hill there were numerous nearby showers. We were fortunate in that they all skirted past Clisham.
Looking back at showers over Loch Seaforth:
As we approached the rockier upper slopes of Clisham, we started to get views of the hills and beaches of South Harris.
View towards South Harris during ascent of Clisham (zoom):
John ascending the upper slopes of Clisham:
I will hopefully visit Taransay at some point in the future. View towards South Harris including Ceapabhal and Taransay:
Loch Langabhat:
On reaching the top of the ridge, we made our way across towards the large stone shelter at the summit of Clisham.
Looking towards the summit stone shelter:
I climbed into the stone shelter and took some photos from within. It had only taken us 1Hr 20Mins to reach the summit.
John at the summit of Clisham:
View from the summit of Clisham:
Looking towards Mulla bho Dheas with Harris Fionas beyond:
After taking some photos, we returned back to the car via approximately the same route. We had to take our time during the descent owing to the wetness and slipperiness of the ground. It took us the same length of time to descend as it did to ascend!
Loch an Tairbeairt and Scalpay:
As I type this at 05:45, we are hoping that our boat to St. Kilda will set sail today at 08:00.