{"id":848,"date":"2014-09-20T01:51:18","date_gmt":"2014-09-20T00:51:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=848"},"modified":"2014-09-22T10:25:25","modified_gmt":"2014-09-22T09:25:25","slug":"little-wyvis-ross-shire-scotland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/?p=848","title":{"rendered":"Little Wyvis, Ross-shire, Scotland"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s one hell of a climb to the pride of Mid Ross, the 1,046m crown of the great whaleback mountain called Ben Wyvis &#8211; too much, really, for this scorcher of a summer\u2019s day. <script type=\"text\/javascript\">window.onload = setupZoom; function popwalk(walk) {var url = \"\/Walks\/amap.php?f=\"+walk; varwalkwindow=window.open(url,\"walkwin\",\"height=800,width=1130,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes\"); if (window.focus) {walkwindow.focus()}}<\/script><br \/>\nFirst published in: The Times <a href=\"javascript:popwalk('LittleWyvis.gpx');\" rel=\"nozoom\" title=\"Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window\">Click here to view a map for this walk in a new window<\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2901\/14639259487_f517b346be.jpg\" title='female ptarmigan'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2901\/14639259487_f517b346be_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5572\/14802796356_1ea0b7177b.jpg\" title='cairn at the summit of Little Wyvis - Ben Wyvis beyond'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5572\/14802796356_1ea0b7177b_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5589\/14802799076_3d1670dec7.jpg\" title='mottled stone'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5589\/14802799076_3d1670dec7_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2940\/14825808205_90ab2d992f.jpg\" title='harebell'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2940\/14825808205_90ab2d992f_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2934\/14822720671_94d164f233.jpg\" title='&#039;sea of peaks&#039;'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2934\/14822720671_94d164f233_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2902\/14639159359_0700097f40.jpg\" title='&#039;sea of peaks&#039;, looking SW'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm3.static.flickr.com\/2902\/14639159359_0700097f40_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5584\/14639112270_bc71ecb89f.jpg\" title='looking SW from Little Wyvis track'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5584\/14639112270_bc71ecb89f_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5585\/14802812446_437209c24c.jpg\" title='lochan 1'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5585\/14802812446_437209c24c_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3901\/14639117780_12e42797f0.jpg\" title='lochan 2'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3901\/14639117780_12e42797f0_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3914\/14639282767_e19dd8c8d9.jpg\" title='flank of Little Wyvis'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3914\/14639282767_e19dd8c8d9_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3840\/14845666333_9698af2012.jpg\" title='dark green fritillary'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3840\/14845666333_9698af2012_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5588\/14823462344_a977933f37.jpg\" title='falls of the Black Water'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm6.static.flickr.com\/5588\/14823462344_a977933f37_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3879\/14825465262_d05e90cd31.jpg\" title='Little Wyvis from the approach track'><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/farm4.static.flickr.com\/3879\/14825465262_d05e90cd31_s.jpg\" alt=\"picture\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nFacebook Link: <script src=\"http:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/all.js#xfbml=1\"><\/script><fb:like href=\"http:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/wordpress\/?p=848\" layout=\"button_count\" show_faces=\"true\" width=\"200\" colorscheme=\"dark\"><\/fb:like><br \/>\nBut Little Wyvis, a couple of miles to the south-west, looked just the job at 764m, a good upward pull on a fine stony track, and no-one else to share the mountain with us.<\/p>\n<p>Grasshopper ticked in the grasses, bees were busy in the wild thyme and bird&#8217;s-foot trefoil flowers. The thistles were out in royal purple, with dark green fritillary butterflies opening their black-and-burned-orange wings over the brushy blooms as they delicately sipped the deep-sunk nectar. Halfway up the mountain we stopped for a water break, and sat on a rushy bank to watch a meadow pipit perched on a fence post as it preened its speckled breast and dark wing coverts.<\/p>\n<p>The zigzag track rose up the flank of Little Wyvis, the sun striking a million diamond winks out of its mica-sheathed rocks. We plucked juicy bilberries, sweet and sharp on the tongue, beautifully refreshing to the upward climber. The delicate white flowers of starry saxifrage dotted the acid-green sphagnum in the wet ditches along the track.<\/p>\n<p>At the summit of Little Wyvis we found a little rocky cairn infested with scores of bees. Ben Wyvis rose to the north, a double hump with precipitous slopes facing in our direction. Through binoculars we saw the red and yellow dots of walkers sweltering in the sun as they struggled up the leg-twanging ascent. Rather them than us. Standing by the cairn we took in a truly stupendous view, from the lumpy mountains of Torridon way out west to the long sea lochs at Dornoch in the east, a vista of green mountains and steely waters that might fittingly have been labelled &#8216;Heart of Scotland&#8217;.<\/p>\n<p>On the way down, two plump birds stood on a rock, staring us down. White patchy bellies, feathery feet, salt and pepper backs, and a bold red eyebrow on the male. A pair of ptarmigan, no less &#8211; my first ever sighting of these elusive birds of the high mountains. And just beyond them, a beautiful mountain hare motionless under a peat bank, his ears short and neat, his pelt ridged as though combed into dreadlocks. What a thrill.<\/p>\n<p>Start: Car park on A835 Inverness-Ullapool road (OS ref NH 402639).<\/p>\n<p>Getting there: A835 towards Ullapool from Inverness; 1 mile north of Garve, pass A832 turning; in another 1\u00bd miles, car park signed on left just before bridge.<\/p>\n<p>Walk (7 miles there-and-back, strenuous, OS Explorer 437. NB: online map, more walks at christophersomerville.co.uk): Cross A835 (take care!); left for 100m; right up roadway. In 50m, left past gateway post (ignore warning sign &#8211; it&#8217;s aimed at 4&#215;4 drivers!). Follow gravel track. In \u00bd mile pass barn (407640); on through deer gate. In another mile, at 2nd gate, left up track (418640). In another \u00bd mile, track forks (422646); continue to right here, up zigzag track. In \u00be mile, just below summit at 700m, rough track goes left (427643); ignore this, and keep ahead upwards. Go through remains of fence, and on up to summit cairn (430645). Return same way.<\/p>\n<p>Conditions: Clear track all the way. NB &#8211; this is a mountain walk with 650m of climb; take hillwalking boots, clothes, equipment.<\/p>\n<p>Refreshments: Picnic<\/p>\n<p>Accommodation: Aultguish Inn, By Garve, Ross-shire, Scotland IV23 2PQ (01997-455254; <a href=\"http:\/\/Aultguish.co.uk\">Aultguish.co.uk<\/a>): cheerful, welcoming inn; also budget rooms and bunkhouse.<\/p>\n<p>Info: Inverness TIC (01463-252401)<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/visitscotland.com\">visitscotland.com<\/a>; <A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.satmap.com\/\">www.satmap.com<\/A>; <A HREF=\"http:\/\/www.ramblers.org.uk\/\">ramblers.org.uk<\/A><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It&#8217;s one hell of a climb to the pride of Mid Ross, the 1,046m crown of the great whaleback mountain called Ben Wyvis &#8211; too much, really, for this scorcher of a summer\u2019s day. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":849,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-walks","category-3-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/849"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=848"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=848"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.christophersomerville.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}