The rocky, rocky slopes of Canisp

Hill: Canisp (White Hill)
Type: Corbett
Height: 847m

The Assynt terrain is one of the most spectacular in Scotland, if not the world and I still have a number of its hills on my To-Do list. On this trip I was keeping my walks local to Ullapool so today was the turn of Canisp.

Canisp side view shows off the gentle gradient

Canisp has a long walk in from this side and is a conical peak as found by the latter steep ascent to its top. Sadly for Canisp, its main claim to fame is its views of the nearby iconic Suilven, but it is still a fine walk in its own right.
After I parked the car I got changed in record time as the midge attack was ferocious.
Canisp is known as the white hill due to the stones that dominate its surface.
The initial path/track across the moor was much drier than I feared so gaiters were not really required.

The view from the moor track

This is another walk where the Walkhighlands route appears outdated. On my outward route I followed the initially well trodden path which is clearly the new popular ascent and did not take the WH deviation. I did return that way, more of which later.
On a clear day like this you can see all ahead of you. There are no dangers until the upper stages so visual guidance the order of the day. The trick is to try to find the infrequent and small patches of moss/grass to avoid walking on the stones. A track is vague and infrequent so the visually picking your route is the key.

Spot the well camouflaged birdie

Plenty of deer droppings, some fresh but again no sight of them today. There were also plenty of ptarmigan droppings and 3 flew downhill as I almost stood on them but one stood its ground. I don't know if it was the male but from past experience they can let you get very close.

For a short section these slabs aided the walking

The gradient is super so a steady plod gets me to the final section and the views open out. I have already had excellent views of Cul Mor, the ridge and its huge bowl corrie unseen on previous walks.

Suilven comes into view

Now it was the turn of the iconic Suilven. This sand island rising from the Assynt terrain is a spectacular sight particularly with the sea views behind all the way to the Western Isles.

Getting there final two steep sections

The final zig zag up the steepest section before a boulder scramble to the large shelter and more magnificent Assynt views. 

Crumbling cairn shelter

Unbelievably the midges were in full attack mode up here so a shortish food and view stop before descending.

Rugged terrain

The dramatic steep views down over its point and onto the terrain and lochans below are another dimension. A pair of ravens are mucking about, I wonder if it is new or re-bonding.
This time I picked out good grassy gullies which took me over Meall Diamhain. It pushed me further away from my ascent track so I crossed some very rough terrain to regain it. Probably not worth the effort.
Then i decided to follow the burn section to see the Falls of which the water was bright green but little of it flowing.
The WH route here is clearly rarely used and path almost non existent.

This stony descent taking its toll on my tendon

The rocky/stony terrain was so awkward that for the last 30 minutes or so I was painfully aware of the tendon. My new inserts designed for the Planter tendon have worked very well recently so this was a bit annoying. Hopefully clear up quickly.
Still another good workout, back to my expected walk timings and no energy crashes.

Wildlife: Raven; Ptarmigan; Meadow Pipit
Ascent: 770m
Distance: 12.8km
Time: 4.11