On planning a route onto Creag Ulladail, located north-west of Strathpeffer in Easter Ross, checked the Hill-Bagging web site and noted that a chap had climbed this hill a few days earlier from the south-west so decided to give that route a try.
Parked in the well-kept car park to the east of Loch Kinellan, reached along a single-track road from the A834 in Strathpeffer, and walked south-west then west along the vehicle track to the south of the loch, round the side of a locked stock gate.
At a junction of tracks went right, roughly north, to a second junction again taking a right and now heading east. There were a few unmapped tracks or paths but remained on the main drag which later turned north-east then north-west.
Beyond a rise in the track (NH46785838) and near the point mentioned in the Hill Bagging web site left the vehicle track at a break in the gorse bushes. A short walk across rough vegetation and some well-spaced trees led to a deer fence which had to be crossed. On the other side walked north-east through the mature trees but soon came across the gorse bushes and as recommended went left, north, until reaching some long heather and here climbed north-east into some younger trees and more gorse.
An area of the wood off to the north-west had been harvested and on approaching the summit crossed an extraction track keeping to the left of the fallen trees and onto the moss and lichen covered large rock which marked the highpoint of the Tump, Creag Ulladail.
It was sunny with no wind so sat here for a while with views of Ben Wyvis before returning to the vehicle track, not quite by the ascent route, then it was back to the car park by the approach route.
- Time taken – 3 hours 10 minutes.
- Distance – 7 kilometres.
- Ascent – 185 metres.