UKH

Can anyone advise the details of the Loch Mullardoch ferry. Does it still run? Thank you

If you haven't yet done the walk-in or out along the shore then I'm not telling you, you need to walk it first, taxi's only allowed the second time.

You need Karl the boatman. http://www.scottishsport.co.uk/walking/mullardoch.htm

I’m not questioning you, but I’m sure I read that a/the boatman died a few years back. Hopefully it wasn’t him?

Not sure about the last guy (I thought I heard he moved away?). But current boatman is Angus. He has a Facebook page updated this week; resuming April.

Karl went back to Denmark several years ago. 

Thanks for picking this up, I am indeed wrong. My logs actually say Angus the boatman took me into the Seldom Inn in 2013. From Kevin Woods reply, Angus can be contacted via https://en-gb.facebook.com/Loch-Mullardoch-Ferry-Service-234843487002295/

For interest the 'Seldom Inn' is not some out of the way hostelry but a small chalet type building at the confluence of the Allt Socrach and the Allt Coire a'Mhaim, grid ref NH 1408 3118. It took me about 2 hours from there to the summit of An Socach.  I remember it being quite expensive as I was on my own but I wanted an early start to beat the weather and remembering the lochside path on the walk out the first time it was worth every penny. The weather did arrive on top of Sgurr na Lapaich. I met a German at the summit and he told me he would accompany me to Carn nan Gobhar which annoyed me a bit as I didn't want any company. He then started to get a bit shrill and shouty when I headed off east towards Carn nan Gobhar, I got my map out and went through the motions of taking a bearing again and showing it to him but he wasn't for listening. My last memory is of an irate German shouting "Nein, zees vay" as he stomped off southwards, I never saw him again as he disappeared into the whiteout. I like to think it was an error in translation and he, perfectly competently, knew where he was going (the southern Top perhaps).

....then you are a huge cheat!!

Yes, one of my hardest winter days was coming back all the way along the shore in the dark in hideous winds and torrential rain.  It went on FOREVER.  All the time imagining coming across a good track or a path, but there's nothing.  Miserable but memorable!

I remember it being at a sloping angle all the way back so my ankles were killing me by the time the dam appeared. It was 14 years ago so perhaps my memory is playing me tricks, but I'm in no rush to repeat it.

I got horribly stitched up on the Mullardoch round.  My OS map showed a landrover track that doesn't exist.  Instead there is a steep and bouldery hell of deer fences.

I've always done the four then continued southward to Mullach na Dheiragain. To that end, I have never taken the lochside path and intend not to! I've taken the boat a few times which gave a good view of the nasty walk I was missing.

Like the people who do the south Glen Shiel 7 Munros using a car at each end to avoid walking back on the road?

You are only a cheat if misrepresent what you have done.  Taking a boat is fine so long as you admit to it.

If you insist that all mechanical aids are cheating then I hope that all your walks start and end at your front door and take several weeks.

One of my least favourite places, as I once crawled/hobbled back along it after doing the 4 munros, having sprained my left ankle and twisted my right knee coming off An Socach. It took an abominably long time (8 hrs?), but at least it was a nice day in June so didn't get dark.

Front door!!? What do you take me for? I start again from sea-level for every top.

My front door is below sea level.  It will be in a few years anyway.

No need for the boat at the weekend, or the lochside walk, perfect neve every step of the way round the whole Mullardoch Round.  However I can't be too smug, I've done the walk out twice along the Loch shore, once in the peeing rain where downing was a distinct possibility.

Bloody good effort crawling that terrain Iain. Having crawled off a hill in winter once (over ten hours), I was glad of snow cushioning the ground and having padded paramo aspiras.   Dooing that in light summer troos.....and 8 hours for c. 11Km is impressive, respect.  What state were you knees, elbows and wrists in after that................

Knees were not great, the twisted one was pretty swollen and I'd worn holes in my (extremely cheapo) trousers and got a bit bloodied. I found an old fence post part way along and used it to hobble bits, which was more painful but quite a lot quicker. My tent was at Mullardoch dam and I just collapsed into it about midnight. Managed to hitch out the next day, with a lift from the keeper from just below the dam. I've had intermittent problems with the knee ever since but the ankle healed fine. At least the weather was good - crawling off in winter sounds much worse! Where was your epic?

Wasn't too bad, being winter my clothing provided a lot of padding, and I managed a fair bit of sliding on snow, or along water ice on the path. I was caught slight off balance by wind while on some frosted scree just below the col on Beinn Dearg aggravating/twisting an historic angle injury, so crawled back down Gleann na Sguaib.  Once in the forest I cut a couple of improvised crutches, which made progress a lot better.  Still made less than 1km an hour on average.   I remember the day or two after being stiff as hell, along with black and blue knees, elbows and wrists, more than the crawl itself.  Swear I employed muscles that I hadn't used since I'd been a toddler....bloody good 'core' workout.

Could be the next fitness craze! 

In my view the Mullardoch shore would have been far harder, at lest I was overall going down hill.

I'm sure neither of us is in a hurry to repeat the experience!