Bloody Scottish summer!!!
I had hoped to find that the weather would have improved, in the two weeks since I was last out this way, but to no avail.
Certainly down at the car park at the nature reserve the sun, though not shining, was threatening an appearance. Unfortunately that all passed without coming to anything as I climbed along the path leading to Aberarder, then hung a right at the smallest cairn on the path to trudge uphill through boggy waist high grass. Thankfully that doesnt last too long, then I struck out across shorter boggy grass to reach the height of Na Cnapanan 623m.
From there its a good hard climb, on a decent path at last, to reach the vast summit plateau of Carn Liath 1006m. I wish there had been a view to speak of, unfortunately the mist had closed in at around 800m and remained like that for the rest of the climb, instead all I got was a brief glimpse of the Loch far below me, then the mist enclosed around me again and I was walking blind for the rest of the day.
I did get a snap of Jelly McBaby on the summit, and a self snap of myself in some rather natty head wear...
The path off the summit plateau is almost non existent...but that matters not a jot as the drop down to Meall an t-Snaim is quite gentle in comparison to some of the hills I have been on lately. The path appears, disappears, then re-appears between here and a strange bealach...almost like a trench in the hill...at Uinneas Min Choire...before heading sharply uphill and becoming more prominant as the ridge thins out between Sron Garbh Choire and Sron Choire a Chriochairean.
The path passes quite close to steep drops on both sides...unfortunately I could see nothing so no pics to prove it. There are a line of rusty fence posts leading to the summit cairn of Stob Poite Coire Ardair 1053m, indeed the cairn is on the path and is the second cairn not the first one you arrive at.
A well defined path brings you downhill to the bealach known as 'the window' and from there the path climbs back up the lost height until it reaches the summit plateau of Creag Meagaidh...which is vast. Skirt away from the rocky cliffs on the left of the path and head across grassy top to the right for almost a kilometre, pass 'mad megs cairn' and follow the path until it concludes at the true cairn on the summit.
I dont know why the other cairn is called that...perhaps I will google it tonight.
Once off the summit retrace your steps back down to 'the window' and start to carefully pick your way along and down the steep rocky path to the Lochan a Choire below.
Once there the return path is of good quality and is around 5k back to the car. The rain that had been threatening all day arrived just as I started my descent...so I got wet after all...but at least had the foresight to bring my winter jacket with me for protection...gotta love Mountain Equipment MRT Kongur jacket xxx
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