Scaling Beinn Alligin ⛰️ Iona's Munro Adventure

Iona had one burning ambition for our time in Scotland this year: to climb a Munro. Last year, we conquered Beinn Dàmh, a Corbett (a mountain over 2,500 feet). This year, the goal was Tom na Gruagaich, part of Beinn Alligin, which stands at 3,024 feet above sea level and is part of the Torridon Mountains. Tom na Gruagaich, meaning "jewelled mountain" or "hill of the maiden," is the southern Munro peak of Beinn Alligin. Most hillwalkers tackle it as part of the circuit traverse of the full Beinn Alligin ridge, including the “Horns of Alligin.” But for Iona and me, it was our solo summit target and a chance for Iona to become a Munroer. You start at just 50 feet above sea level, and from the moment you begin, you're climbing. The sound of a waterfall tumbles down, and trees surround you. Quickly breaking out from the trees, the path leads you upwards, with Tom na Gruagaich towering above, black and forbidding. For us, the top was shrouded in cloud, adding an air of mystery! As you climb, the view over Loch Torridon and the surrounding mountains and valleys is fantastic, requiring frequent breaks to soak it all in (or at least that’s the excuse we gave ourselves!). Of course, we also enjoyed a Haribo or two. Stopping for lunch as we reached Coire nan Laogh, we appreciated the views and the music of the nearby mountain stream while munching our sandwiches and cakes from Crumbs of Gairloch. Then came the final ascent, up steep steps impressively created by volunteers working on the route, into the swirling cloud around the summit. With whiteness all around and utter quiet, it felt very "otherworldly" as we crossed the final few meters to the trig point marking the summit. A lot chillier than the valley below, we donned our bobble hats and gloves and took a brief moment to appreciate the achievement before retracing our steps back down. Every now and then, the cloud would break, and finally, we got to see the summit we had just climbed. Wow. The other advantage of descending is facing Loch Torridon and enjoying the panorama every step of the way, as well as spotting furry caterpillars. We saw several other groups as we descended, including another young lass, aged 8, who’d done the whole ridge. Impressive! Back at the car (which we dived into quickly to escape the midges), we started our journey back to Gairloch. But I’d promised an ice cream for Iona, and fortunately, the Old Hall Cafe was open in Kinlochewe. We stopped off, sat down, and enjoyed this welcome refreshment to celebrate Iona’s fabulous achievement. Another fantastic adventure in the Scottish Highlands, and she’s already committed to coming back to climb more Munros! Hope you enjoy the film of our adventure, please like and subscribe to our channel: https://www.youtube.com/alittleadvent... Useful Links =============================== Route up Beinn Alligin - https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/torri... Crumbs, Gairloch -   / crumbsgairloch   Old Hall Cafe - http://www.theoldhallcafe.com/ Water to Go Bottle - https://amzn.to/3XjacYA =============================== About Ian, Iona and Family =============================== Each week on this channel Ian (Dad) and Iona share our little adventure experiences, often joined by Ewan (Iona’s older brother) and Ruth (Mum) too. Our weekends often start with parkrun. Iona is on a non-repeat parkrun tourism streak having now visited over 100 different places since she started parkrunning. But we don’t just do parkun and dash home, we love exploring the area and often use bikes and trains for our travels to keep our carbon footprint low and because it adds to the adventure too. When school holidays arrive, longer adventures are possible with Ewan and Iona both being keen cycle tourists and mountain climbers! So if you like heading outdoors and your idea of a perfect weekend includes parkrun, climbing a mountain or exploring new places on two wheels then we would love to have you join us on our adventures. We’d love it if you subscribed so you can follow our journey and hopefully be inspired to get out the door and have your own little adventures. Do like and leave comments on our videos too on questions you might have or ideas for places to explore or adventures to go on. =============================== Standard Filming Kit =============================== Fujifilm X-S20 with 18-55mm kit lens: https://amzn.to/45nb4NR GoPro Hero 10: https://amzn.to/3Jy1axA GoPro Media Mod: https://amzn.to/3JxeVga RØDE VideoMicro Directional Mic: https://amzn.to/45nb4NR SYNCO G2(A2) Wireless Lavalier Microphone: https://amzn.to/3rxcLZv ULANZ 59Inch Selfie Stick Tripod: https://amzn.to/4c73iKm Music from Epidemic Sound: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra...