TROTTERNISH, PORTREE AND THE BRAES
Ben Edra from Glen Uig
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1. Take the side road which leaves the A87 near the Uig Hotel - signed for Sheader and Balnaknock. Park near the end of the road - there are a couple of spaces by a house, otherwise there is space on the grass verges in the Fairy Glen. Take care not to block a passing space. Once on foot, follow the road to the farm at the end. When the track forks into three, take the middle track which has a footpath sign marked 'Ben Edra'.
2. Pass through a gate and ascend slightly before leaving behind the farmyard and passing through a second gate. The rough track fords a stream (the stepping stones are not usually needed) and crosses grassland until reaching a second gate, around two kilometres from the start.
3. Ben Edra is the leftmost of the high summits around the head of Glen Uig. You should be able to make out a straight line leading from a small area of crags which heads right up to the col to the right of Ben Edra. This forms the best line of ascent, but the key is getting to the small area of crags. The path shown to this point on the OS 1:25000 map does not exist on the ground and leads through an area of almost impassable peat hags. Instead, after passing through the gate, leave the track and follow the fence to the left. This ascends slightly before beginning a gradual descent to the stream. The ground hereabouts is very boggy; as you gently descend, bear slightly away from the fence. Once the stream comes into view, aim for the wooden footbridge (not marked on OS maps).
4. The worst bogs are now behind. Cross the bridge and follow the stream upriver on sheep tracks. After about half a kilometre, leave the stream and head uphill towards the low crags (which are out of sight at first). If you are lucky you'll find the bottom end of the line you could make out earlier, where a path has formed on top of an old earth dyke. It leads straight to the crags. If not, make sure you find it just below the crags where it is clearest.
5. Follow the path along the old earth dyke, scrambling over or round the crags. The path/dyke continues in a dead straight line up the hillside towards the col and gives drier going than the rest of the moor. The climb lasts for two kilometres with improving views of Uig bay behind. Upon reaching the col, a fabulous panorama is revealed down the far side of the ridge. Staffin, Loch Mealt, the Isles of Rona and Raasay and the Torridon mountains on the mainland are prominent. The dyke is directly lined up with the great domed summit of Ben Alligin on the horizon.
6. Turn left and ascend the initially steep grass slopes to the north, before continuing along the edge of the escarpment to the trig point on the summit of Ben Edra, at 611m or 2006'. The best views are from the prominent peak fifty yards further on. In 1945 Ben Edra was the scene of a horrific air accident as a B17 flying fortress carrying nine American service men flew into the precipitous east face. Parts of the aircraft can still be found far below.
7. The return is by the same route. If you have lots of spare time, it is possible to continue along the escarpment descending to the Bealach Uige a couple of kilometres further north. From here, a descent can be made across difficult peat hagged ground to find the end of the track on the north side of Glen Uig, as marked on the OS Map. Follow this track, which becomes a road, all the way down to the bridge on the main Uig road - it is not possible to cut back across the valley to the start point. Instead, walk south on the Uig road and return to the start by turning left after the Uig hotel and following the Sheader/Balnaknock road back to the car. Returning by this route will add a couple of hours to the walk.
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