Tern's Travels

TT Mountaineering from sea level: Suilven
We used to spend all our holidays and spare time rock climbing or mountaineering but going up Clisham on Harris was the first real peak we had done for years. Anchoring at Loch Nedd enabled us to reach the slopes of Quinag but it was too big for us to do the whole mountain, especially as there wasn't a path from the direction we were coming from. Nevertheless, the wilderness of the area and the views from high up were stunning and we hoped to get up more mountains in the area. So after a brief stay in the delighful anchorage of Drumbeg, we moved south to Lochinver. I say "moved" because the comparatively good weather and high pressure meant the mornings were often foggy with light winds by day so we motored the 17 NM and rounded the point of Stoer in thick fog and couldn't even see The Old Man. However, as we approached Lochinver we broke through the wall of fog into bright sunlight and the most amazing panorama of mountains on the skyline, with the iconic sugarloaf of Suilven looking tantilizingly close.
Lochinver is a serious fishing port with a huge langustine export trade involving a constant flow of massive refrigerated lorries loading up and charging back to France with their treasured cargo. It is also a sweet marina as long as you don't require showers, laundry facilities or much reprovisioning. The village has no shortage of eateries, however, and is a busy centre for holiday makers, mainly those interested in outdoor pursuits. Although there is no fish shop we were able to buy a very generous 1kg (a whole carrier bag full) of langoustine for £15 from our neighbouring fishing boat. Thus after achieving our goal of climbing Suilven, which was an 8hr excursion of 20km, we were able to feast on the freshest, feistiest langoustine you could ever hope to find! Recovering from our exertions the next day, we walked in the enchanting woods directly behind the marina and had another langoustine dinner - it's tough, this cruising life.