Four out of Five Sisters leaves me wanting more...

Day two in Kintail and the opportunity to bag five sisters in a day...please don't tell me any of you would pass that up?? I certainly wasn't going to, that's for sure. lol

From our base at Kintail lodge we set off quite early in the morning (okay ten ish is early enough for me when I have no long drive to face) and headed along to the start point at the bottom of the Bealach an Lapain (also the start point for the Brothers ridge; see Never go walking with a Bon Jovi fan...lesson learned).  

When we arrived at the Bealach an Lapain the rain decided to join us also...waterproofs on and off we went, along the A87 to the faint path heading into the undergrowth. The ascent of Bealach an Lapain is arduous and strength sapping, almost as bad the second time than the last time I did it, a real thigh stretcher. Louise was doing her best to keep up with the pace, gotta love her for the effort and enthusiasm she puts into these walks. The rain eased slightly as we rose up the slopes and the views were opening up splendidly for us. The rise up the slopes is only a kilometre long but is 550m in height in that short distance...that's a fair old gradient!!

The path swings by the forestry area that is now sadly bereft of trees...a scar on the wilderness feel to the area. The route continues to rise and rise and rise, but at least there was a decent path all the way to the Bealach (unlike the last time Mike, when we howked straight up the slopes!!!). 
Once we reached the bealach the hard work was behind us...or most of it anyway. We took the opportunity to change out of waterproofs, as the weather had changed for the better, and set about worrying how long this would take us considering the Bealach na Lapain had taken two hours!!

Poor Louise was feeling slightly below par today and hadn't said anything on the way up...but things weren't right as we approached the first hurdle of the day (if you discount the bealach as one). Having tried to walk through similar problems in the past I could only sympathise...but was having none of her girly excuses and told her to man up!!! So on we plodded towards the first summit of the day...but not yet a Munro summit.

Apparently the hardest part of our day was behind us...well the proof would be in the pudding of that one. The first Sister to be breached today (can I describe it as a breaching on here??) was Sgurr nan Spainteach, or the peak of the Spaniards to give it it's literal meaning, 990m but no Munro...never the less a fine traverse and a nice clear path to boot. The wind had started to pick up where it left off yesterday, blowing us along nicely towards our second Sister of the day (and first Munro) Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe 1027m.

I persuaded Louise that if we could make it as far as here then we could make it the whole way...which actually turned out to be true. The further on we went the better she was feeling (I think) she certainly stopped telling me otherwise so I could only assume that she had perked up...of course this could be due to me threatening to kick her ar*e if she didn't man up and complete the round with me!! The summit of Sgurr na Ciste Duibhe 1027m is the second highest point of the day...Jelly McBaby loved the view from here and was pleased to see that the rain had been replaced by glorious sunshine and the wind had died away also.

The views along the ridge to the next two Munro tops were superb, real take your breath away stuff. The views back to the Brothers ridge were equally as sensational...it was an interesting comparison to be made...the Brothers ridge and the Sisters ridge...certainly from this angle the Sisters already looked as though it was a lot more sharp and gnarly then the Brothers could ever hope to be. Loch Duich was very prominant in our view now and provided an adequate backdrop to some of our (non posing) summit shots. We also had an absolutely stunning view of the two Munro's to come on this round...excellent day in prospect. The ridge stretches out in front of you, on a day like this, in all her glory, just begging to be walked...no need to beg my dear, I was going to do you anyway! The third Sister, and second Munro, on the route is Sgurr na Carnach 1002m and involves a rough passage to get to. There are many twists in the path and a few steep sections, as there are all the way along the length of the ridge today, but she is well worth all the grunting and effort and sweat it takes to climb atop her. She only gained Munro status in 1997, after another of those measuring surveys that so often now seem to see us lose another one from the list, but had obviously been getting climbed as part of the round anyway.

The views from here, especially towards the Forcan ridge, were as stunning as any I have previously seen in Kintail. We were able to pick out the route that we plan to take tomorrow (weather and legs willing) almost all the way along the ridge...canna wait! But for the here and now we were happy to celebrate our second Munro of the day with some more summit poses for the camera...that doesn't make me vain by the way...it just means I like to acknowledge my achievements and preserve them for generations of little McBabies to come. From the summit cairn the path carries on north and down to the Bealach na Carnach, this involves some easy scrambling through rocks, before starting to rise sharply again at the other side.

The path rising up the slopes of Sgurr Fhuaran is in the main easy to follow, visibility wise at least, as it snakes it's way up through some rough rocky ground. It is, however, also exceptionally steep and rises for over 200m back to the rocky summit cairn. When I pulled up onto the summit and saw the cairn of Sgurr Fhuaran 1067m, the tallest of the summits today, our fourth Sister and third Munro, I foolishly believed that would be the last of the ascending and that the rest of the trek back would be a let down...wrong wrong wrong!!!

The ridge continues to snake out in front of you and has one last Sister lying in wait for you along the way. But that could wait for at least five minutes as we, again, posed for pictures on the summit and finished off the sandwiches. I only hope that the pictures I have taken do any of this route some justice...if not then go sample it for yourself...it's amazing! With the Munro's on the route complete some wallkers simply want to get down to the glen below, and this is their first safe opportunity to do so since climbing the Bealach na Lapain at the start of the route. You can chose to follow the west ridge down to Loch Shiel below, then walk back along the road to wherever your car is parked. This was never in our thoughts or plans today (we had parked my car at the end of our planned route in Ault a' Chruinn) so were doing the fifth Sister regardless.

The path is steep undulating and very good underfoot on the descent from Sgurr Fhuaran. As we started our descent a walker approached up the slopes. He had been out with his family and had struck out on his own to bag Sgurr Fhuaran, and was then going to about turn and head back to meet the family. I assumed he would be returning via the same path as ourselves and fully expected him to catch us on the return. We passed pleasantries and then headed off in different directions, if perhaps only temporarily. We descended to the Bealach Buidhe and followed the path as it snaked it's way along the edge of the corries below...some of the most impressive drops on the entire ridge can be found here...wobbly leg time again for me standing on the edge of some of them. The next peak on the route is Sgurr nan Saighead 929m (neither a Sister or a Munro) and there are alternative paths to choose. One of them skirts around her slopes and the other goes straight up and over...no choice really. From the top there is a path back down to the bealach and more impressive views into Coire na h-Uaighe. There is then another small bump to climb before being faced by Beinn Bhuidhe 869m and a choice of paths again. Unfortunately, on this occasion, I have to admit to not reading the directions fully and assuming that we had already scaled all five Sisters...meaning we chose the path around Beinn Bhuidhe and followed a steep descent down to Allt a Chruinn, crossing the river and following the path back on the north bank. This meant that we missed out on traversing the fifth and final Sister of the day, Sgurr na Moraich 876m, by following the route downloaded from walkhighlands into my GPS...even more gutting is that I didn't actually find this out until I sat down to type up this report!!! Even though four Sisters in an afternoon is impressive, I still feel somewhat cheated by not getting the fifth!! This also explains why the walker we saw never actually caught us and seemed to disappear altogether, he clearly went over the top of the end Sister to gain the path further on (not sure how much longer that would have taken us to do but I imagine it would have been considerable given the terrain). So we followed the path along the Allt a Chruinn, stopping all too briefly to admire the view down to the loch below (I say all too briefly because as I rummaged for my phone to get a decent picture I was eaten alive by the return of the dreaded midge!!!) to it's conclusion in the village of Ault a' Chruinn where the car was waiting, baking in the roasting evening sun. Thankfully the small shop was still open and we were able to purchase an ice lolly to cool us down. From car to car it took us just under the suggested eight hours to complete, pretty impressive given how Louise was feeling for most of it. During the descent of the river my phone had revealed a couple of missed calls during the course of the day...Chris being one and Angus the other...I returned these calls when my signal allowed and found that both wanted to come along tomorrow for the Forcan ridge, but had fitness (Chris) and work (Angus) issues to resolve before that can happen...I await a text from both in the morning to let me know either way.

  

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PS

There were two other walkers on the ridge with us today, staying just ahead of us at all times and never being gained on. The main reason for this was they just never stopped at the summits to admire the views, they just seemed to get there and move swiftly on...on a day like today!!! If I ever get THAT obsessed with bagging Munro's, forsaking the beauty of this wonderful land of ours to merely "get it done as quickly as possible"  then please take me out the back and shoot me!!!

Adendum; The Forcan ridge had to be called off on Friday as the weather was too inclement. We drove to the start point and watched as the rain poured down and the cloud hung too low over the tops to give us any hope of a view. If and when I do the Forcan Ridge I want it to be in clear conditions so that I get the most out of it, the views and the feel of exposure on the rocks. So after a quick stop at Cluanie Inn for a hot chocolate, we headed off in different directions until we meet up again in September to attempt Glen Affric. 

         

Plenty of bluster on Ciste Dubh...

The first of three (hopefully) blogs from Kintail this week...bring an end to my leave in the best possible way. I had arranged this week of walking a couple of months ago, possibly just after meeting up with Louise again in Skye. We had arranged to book into the Kintail lodge bunkhouse for two nights (Wednesday and Thursday) and planned to attempt the Sisters Ridge on Thursday and Forcan Ridge on Friday (weather permitting). This left me with a window of opportunity on Wednesday to Bag one of the remaining peaks to elude me in Kintail, thus far, Ciste Dubh. It seemed the perfect chance also to not have to get up too early in the morning as Louise wouldn't actually make it to Kintail until evening, meaning I could take a relaxing drive up in the morning and not start this walk until lunch-time (estimated time between 5-7 hrs). I then had the good fortune to hear from Chris Bain, via FB, a couple of days prior to departure. He was going to be in Inverness with the family all week and would love to join us for at least one of the walks. He agreed to meet me at the Cluanie Inn on Wednesday, initially at twelve, and do Ciste Dubh with me. Unfortunately I forgot to factor in the nightmare that is Aberdeen morning traffic to my departure time...then also the nightmare that is tourists clogging up the Loch Ness road at 30mph...meaning I was running late and never arrived until nearer quarter past twelve. Once at the Cluanie it was a short drive to the start point, in Chris's car and leaving mine at the Inn. That was until I realised that I had left my long sleeved baselayer on the front seat of my car and the printed off route map in the boot...cue a frantic drive back to the Inn to collect said items then return to the start point.

Once back at the start and ready to go we were joined by a lone walker, Fraser, who appeared knowledgeable of the names of the local Munro's but seemed unclear as to the start points of any of the routes, or to be able to recognise any of the Munro's he was rattling off. Not wanting to be rude we invited him to join us on our route, which he gratefully accepted. We set off along the A87 to a break in the fence by a locked gate, then preceded to head off uphill...steeply!! 

The path follows an old stalkers path (apt really) through two sections of forestry, at a steep trajectory for almost two kilometres, finally levelling out at 734m. By this stage we had already lost our new companion...he had been informed that we hadn't met up in a couple of months so had a lot of catching up to do and would probably take our time as we chatted. When we pulled onto the level ground we could see him ahead of us, climbing the next rise. The views from here were already pretty stunning, yet another thing that would slow us down on the ascent, and a multitude of pictures were taken. The views to A'Chralaig and onto the Brothers ridge were especially stunning. Ciste Dubh nestles neatly between these other Munro's and provides a perfect location for some wonderful pictorial opportunities. The path dipped down slightly, then climbed gracefully, before reaching the heights of Am Bathach at 798m (a Corbett).

A small cairn graced the summit, but all eyes were on the ridge ahead, pointy and slightly moody looking, as it serrated its way out to Ciste Dubh. The descent to the bealach is on a fine wide grassy slope. The bealach is hagged with peat and looked quite boggy from here, though there would undoubtably be a path snaking through it to hopefully avoid wet boots. We could still see Fraser moving in front of us, through the rocks on the bealach now, but he would soon be gone from sight as we lost height.

We arrived at the bealach and set about finding  a sheltered area to stop out of the increasing wind for lunch. There was no sign of Fraser ahead. When we stopped looking for him on the Ciste Dubh slopes and turned to face the brothers ridge we spotted him higher up on a grassy broad shoulder...he had turned the wrong way at the bealach!!! We attempted a few shouts at him but had no chance of being heard in this wind...even at that...if I were that far up a Munro I wouldn't be for turning back to walk with two guys that were as busy putting the world to rights as we were today.
We gave up shouting to Fraser and instead watched him climb ever higher away from us as we sat in the lee of a rock and consumed our lunch. Then it was time to head up the slopes ahead of us...through a small section of bog then onto a faint grassy path as it wound it's way up towards a craggy section of ground. We continued gaining height quite quickly as the path zig zagged up through some rough ground to again level out and let us see the route ahead.

The wind was increasing in volume with each passing minute it seemed and we were being buffeted about quite violently at times. The path started to narrow out and gave the remainder of the walk a real ridge like feel to it, especially so as the wind seemed to choose to hit us most at the narrowest sections (or was that just how it felt??). We approached the next steep rise, a prominent and impressive peak, known as An Cnapach, with a choice of paths. One was rising faintly up An Cnapach and presumably down the other side...then there was the one winding around it and out of the wind. This was the one we chose to follow as it stayed away from any sharp drops which could be incurred by sudden gusts. Once beyond An Cnapach the route drops slightly to a point then rises sharply towards the serrated ridge of Ciste Dubh.

We climbed slowly and carefully at this point, the wind was exceptionally strong as we headed up towards the summit, I even had to lean forward on more than one occasion to steady myself after being battered by a gust!! The path narrowed the higher it got until arriving at a rather exposed cairn on the summit at 979m...a rather precarious place to venture out if your only 2cm tall and weigh the best part of sod all...but Jelly McBaby is made of stern stuff (I hope Bassett don't take offence to that).

The views from the exposed summit were no less spectacular than any others in Kintail...A'Chralaig...Mullach Fraoch-Choire to our right...the Brothers and Sisters ridges to our left...The south glen shiel ridge beyond them and in all probability the Saddle and Sgurr na Signe (Friday's target) at the end of that...Glen Affric, with a multitude of peaks I had never ventured near, directly in front of us. An all round panorama of beauty and ruggedness to behold. Then the reality of our present location as the wind built to a crescendo and tried to take us closer to the edge...good job I'm no light-weight!!!
We took a few pics...silly poses that we think look cool and macho for a hill top...then finished the last of our lunch before heading to what we thought would be an escape from the worst of the wind...how wrong could we possibly be!!!

As we started down the narrow slopes the wind appeared to build in ferocity...all bluster and plenty of substance it felt!! The remainder of the descent to the bealach felt like it was walking in a wind tunnel...especially when you turned to face directly into it...which we did as we really are just school boys at heart (trying to talk was a nightmare as even standing next to each other we struggled to hear what the other was saying). Hopefully it would ease as we got lower...it's the laws of physics don't you know??? Unfortunately physics don't really enter into Kintail walking and the wind never really abated at all...this meant there was no place worth stopping on the way down to admire the views back...nor to pee safely without fearing splash back!!!

We located the return path via the bealach, heading to our right and down towards the east side of An Caorainn Beag, and followed the path as it wound it's soggy way down through the mountain pass and back to the A87 below, coming out just short of the forestry area where we had left the car some five and a quarter hours earlier. All that remained now was a swift shandy at the Cluanie Inn before saying our goodbyes and heading in opposite directions (possibly until Friday if Chris can manage to come back down for the Forcan ridge)...him off to Inverness and me to the desolation that is Shiel Bridge (though at least with a semblance of an internet signal this time)...to meet Louise and plan our ascent of the Sisters ridge tomorrow...

  

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PS

Baino's new hat...deserves at least a passing mention I thought...that is all.

Creag Mhor & Beinn Heasgarnich & lots & lots of bogs!!!

After the group high of Saturday, it was back to a solo trudge today. I had previously driven down to Glen Lochay to bag these two Munro's last year...unfortunately on that occasion I never even made it out of the car park!! The rain started just as I arrived that time and whilst I was pulling on waterproofs I realised that the windscreen wipers were failing to keep up with the deluge!! Suffice to say I erred on the staying dry option and left it for another time...that time was now.

I had initially toyed with the idea of heading north, even posted it on CMB site on Facebook, but it meant a very wet river crossing for a pretty short Munro trip. That would have been fine if I had plans to rush back for tonight, but they had already been changed, leaving me with a longer window of opportunity. So I changed plans..north could wait...these two were getting done instead!!

The road from bridge of lochay hotel to the start point of this walk is a complete nightmare!!! Thankfully, now that I have finished the three from here, I will never have to drive it again!!

I arrived at the car park at the end of the road, just before Kenknock, at ten o'clock...and was immediately set upon by a swarm of angry midgies!! Thankfully I had Frank's cheap and nasty midgie killing repellent to hand and soon saw them off the premises. I followed the road around the trees and out into open land, following it past Kenknock and out to the Hydro road further on. From here the road splits and a variety of routes are available, for a number of Munro access paths. I turned right and started to follow the higher track, through the gates, then zig zag around till I found an obvious path heading left into the hills.

This path then wound it's way around the lower slopes of Creagan Fhearchair for almost 5k, crossing bridges over the Allt Badour and Allt Batavaim. The most pleasing aspect of this long boring slog in was the splendid view I was getting of Ben Challum from this side. I had climbed it earlier this year (see; A faulty gear box is not enough to stop me) when there was still plenty of snow to navigate through, I could make out the slope that I slid down practising ice axe arrests.
From the bridge over the Allt Batavaim I left the track, as it started to wind it's way down the hillside towards the Glen floor, and began a climb up grassy slopes towards Sron nan Eun.

There was no discernible path to follow through the grass, nor to negotiate the craggy jumble ahead of me. Thankfully the weather was clear so I could easily pick my way up through the crags, up a tight little gully (the grip on the soles of the Salomons is tremendous in wet rocks thankfully) then continued climbing the grassy slopes higher up on Sron nan Eun before finding the path at the top.

Once on this path it is easy to follow the route onto Creag Mhor, which looks quite rocky and steep from here, following the ridge for most of the way, crossing two other rises and dips in the contours, before climbing steeply up a zig zag path all the way to the summit cairn at 1048m. I caught and passed the only two other people I saw out here today, just before reaching the summit top. They didn't really speak and seemed keen to get down almost as soon as they had arrived. I did manage to persuade them to take my pic at the top, and they even asked about Jelly McBaby when they saw him.

As I sat on the cairn, eating my sandwich and Kendal mint cake (yum yum) the mist started to swirl in around me. I thought for a minute that I would be walking the rest of the day in gloom...but as quickly as it arrived it disappeared again. It had taken me three hrs to reach this point and I had factored in seven in total for the day.

Looking across at Beinn Heasgarnich, across the peat bogs in the bealach below, with it's steep re-ascent of over 400m at the other side, then almost 2k walk along the ridge to it's summit, I reckoned on another 90 minutes to reach there...leaving me another 90 minutes to descend and get back to the car.
From the summit cairn I set off west to avoid the crags all around me and pick an easier route down to the bealach, almost 400m below me. The views back up to the summit from here are craggy and impressive, as is the thought of the climb ahead of me. If my legs weren't feeling the pace by now then they soon would be!! Thankfully I don't think there has been a lot of rain here recently, judging by the dryness of the surface tufts anyway, though beneath them there was the potential for wet pools just waiting for a wrong step to take you to your knees. I managed to negotiate the down climb without any mishaps and bottomed out at the bealach and into the peat bogs that scarred the surroundings. Again, through navigational naivety and luck probably, I negotiated this obstacle without getting so much as my soles dirty.

The next obstacle was surmountable, but not without much sweat and swearing and aching limbs!!! I read a recent account of this climb and it used the word easy to describe the fact that there was (eventually) a path on the higher slopes...well Cameron McNeish (not for the first time in my Munro travels) you can f*ck right off!!! I'm a pretty fit (if slightly overweight) guy and I can tell you now my thighs and calves were screaming at me to stop all the way up that slope (in hindsight perhaps three days on the treadmill prior to this wasn't that great an idea!!). Eventually, with much huffing and puffing, I pulled onto the top of Sron Tairbh...only to see that I still had to go higher to reach Stob an Fhir Bhogha beyond!! I don't know if it was the climb, or the sun, or just a general tiredness affecting me today, but I seemed to be slowing down just when I would normally be speeding up with a summit in sight...or perhaps I was actually missing the company of the CMB boys??

With the weather being so clear there were extensive views all around, including Loch Lyon below, picking out hills I had done and realising that there were now none in the area that I haven't already done. This leaves a sadness of it's own...I like coming to this area and have enjoyed (mainly) the mountains and the overnight stops at the local hotels.

I followed the broad grassy ridge to it's conclusion on the summit plateau and cairn at 1078m where Jelly McBaby rested his own weary legs, ready for a pic. With both summits now bagged, and in the time frame I had imagined, there left the small matter of getting back down to the hydro road below. This in itself would be no easy task (arduous is the word I would use...or contrition is another good one) as the ground between here and there is riddled with peat bogs and patches of flooded grass...perhaps I would be slightly over the six hour window!!

I managed to get down to the boggy ground below without any slip or splash on my part...then set about negotiating the various hazards that lay before me. The road was getting increasingly closer, almost tantalisingly close enough to reach out and touch it seemed, but care still had to be taken in crossing the bogs...full on concentration was required at all times if I wanted to avoid...SPLASH!! I couldn't believe it...100m from the safety of the tarmac road and my one and only accident of the day. I was taking care, honest, and truly thought I could make the gap between bogs when suddenly the solid looking grass that I leaped onto turned instead into a watery quagmire...right up to my knee!! 4k from the car and now I had to walk the remainder of it with a soaking leg...goddammit!!

The 4k along the tarmac road felt as long as any part of the day, I had to keep resisting the urge to jog down it for fear that in my tired state I would stumble and fall flat on my face...not good.
Eventually I made it back to the car, after what felt like forever, in a respectable 6hrs 30mins. My pace may have quickened slightly when I heard the sound of gunfire close by...until I realised they were shooting at deer, not me!! All I had now was to drive a final time along the worst access road I have ever had the misfortune to be on...then Killin and the journey home. I now have a relaxing weekend planned and no Munro's until next Wednesday in Kintail with Louise and possibly Baino...how does one relax again??? lol  

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Even depleted CMB trips are worth the wait...

From a site that boasts almost 400 members (Caberfeidh Munro Baggers) you can count on one hand the active participants that attend any of these given events. One of the theories we have for this low turn out is that most of the members read the accounts of myself and Mike (mostly) on here and think they would not keep up with us or that we take on too much in a day...hopefully this story will go some way to dispelling those fears and perhaps see a rise in numbers for the next arranged meet up...fingers crossed anyway as I would certainly like to meet some of the members that regularly read this blog, or press 'like' to all the pictures we post on Facebook...anyway...on with the story;

The car felt like it was on auto-pilot as I followed the A82 snaking through Glencoe, on the way to Kinlochleven for the latest CMB meet up. I had just bagged Stob Coir'an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun in Glen Etive, the last two I had left to do from that particular area. My mind started drifting to what awaited me in Kinlochleven...I already knew we would be without Mike (text on Thursday Morning) and was now aware that Angus had also bitten the dust (a text from Paddy awaited my return to the car this afternoon). From an initial ten members booking accommodation at the Tailrace and Forest View B&B we were now down to a possible four attendees...it also left myself and Paddy as the only two with any Munro experience...Frank and Paul were the proverbial virgins!!!

I arrived at the Tailrace just after six, as arranged, and text Paddy to come down and meet me at the bar. When he arrived he informed me that Frank and Paul would be here within half an hour...and also that Angus was coming along tomorrow afternoon to meet us after our walk to enjoy the evenings festivities and also hopefully walk on the Sunday...things were now looking up again. I disappeared upstairs to get showered and changed, before returning to the bar and finding Frank and Paul had arrived on schedule. It was good to see Frank again (not seen him since the last event here in February) and meet Paul for the first time. Within minutes I knew that Paul would fit right in with the group dynamics, he was up for a laugh, liked a drink and didn't mind being the butt of Franks usual humour.

As was the case on our last trip to Kinlochleven (see 6 strangers and the hangovers from hell...up a Corbett) the evening was spent in the Tailrace, eating good hearty food, drinking copious amounts of alcohol and sharing funny stories from our pasts. There were fond reminiscences of previous attendees and laments for those missing tonight...but mostly it was about slagging off Frank and his teddy bear fetish!!!

It would be remiss of me to mention any of the shenanigans that occurred whilst under the influence of alcohol, suffice to say that what happens on tour stays on tour (if you want to know more then feel free to come along next February for the next one here), but I will allay any fears that animals or children were hurt in the making of this epic.

As we meandered our way home through the streets of Kinlochleven at half twelve in the morning, we realised how warm it still was...a good sign for the weather tomorrow???

A bright and early-ish start to the day was in order...mostly because I had ordered breakfast at eight instead of nine...get over it guys!!!

Once fed and watered we were out in the car park sorting out what we needed for the day, basically sun cream and lots of it by the looks of things! Paddy suggested driving up to the old Mamore lodge hotel site, to avoid any west highland way walkers on the way up the old slopes. He was happy to drive and we were happy to let him...and so our day began;

We set off from the car, leaving it at the old hotel site, and headed east along the track, passing through the stalkers cottages (we had seen the lights high on the hill last night from the pub) and then following it left as it curves around the valley of the Allt Coire na Ba and heads out in a series of twists and turns towards Loch Eilde.

The pace was judged to suit everyone's needs, no one pushed on ahead, in this heat there was no choice. We enjoyed the scenery all along the route and stopped for plenty of photo breaks, fag breaks and juice breaks...although most of these were spent re-applying sun cream (no takers to rub it on yer back tho Frank!!). There was a stone bench at one point in the track, giving perfect views down the length of Loch Leven. The inscription read "a wasted day is one without laughter" quite apt for this particular group I thought.

After stopping here for a few pics we headed on along the track for quite some distance, until a faint path headed off to the left and started to take us uphill away from the Loch. 

The views increase in beauty as you start to rise up the slopes, across Loch Eilde to Blackwater reservoir, beyond to the towering peaks of Glencoe, enhanced fully by being bathed in sunshine for a pleasant change.

We reached the 500m mark and were caught and passed by a young lady who was fairly motoring on...much as I probably do without realising it on my own. Hopefully she wasn't too overawed at the sight of myself and Frank in our semi-nakedness...or perhaps that's why she appeared to speed up?? We continued to climb the steepening path as it wound it's way towards the lower slopes of Sgor Eilde Beag, then traversed our way around the lower slopes (rather than up and over) so that we passed close to the shores of Coire an Lochain.

Sgurr Eilde Mor rises up sharply from the opposite bank of the lochain and a visible path is etched into her flanks...but she will keep for another day. As the path continues around the lochain I forged slightly ahead of the pack and ran into our second single female walker of the day, a young German woman who had been camping out last night and had the world in her rucksack prepared for another night out on the Mamore range. I advised her of the weather forecast for later in the day and also tomorrow (as I had it at the time of departure) and suggested at least one evening in Kinlochleven so she could visit the Tailrace Inn. She thanked me for my kindness and set off towards Coire an Lochain. The others caught me up and we took a moment to review our progress. The views now included Binnein Beag directly in front of us...however she is completely dwarfed by the massive cone that is Binnein Mor.

The path would soon start to head down slope again, taking us to the low bealach between Mor and Beag, allowing us to climb Binnein Mor by the opposite flank.

But today we had other plans for ascent...heading instead off on a stalkers path to our left which traversed the lower slopes (at the opposite side this time) of Sgor Eilde Beag, until it started to climb in zig zags through grassy slopes to the ridge connecting Sgor Eilde Beag to Binnein Mor.

Once we had traversed this we stood on the flat broad plateau connecting the two mountains and could see the rest of our day stretch before us. There is a spot height at 1062m, marked by a small cairn, that leads to the narrowing of the ridge leading to Binnein Mor. We were joined at this point by an elderly gentleman who was clearly a fell runner, then passed by him as we stopped for another short break. We headed off along the ridge as it started to rise towards the summit dome, path narrowing in places just enough to give Frank and Paul a sense of exposure when they looked down. Then we reached the summit cairn at 1130m (although there is no real cairn to speak of) and Frank practised his 'king of the world' pose again.

We stopped at the narrow top for lunch and chatted to the fell runner for a while, listening to his plans to head off to the Ring of Steall after this and do a couple of them before dropping back down to Kinlochleven...all very bold indeed. As we finished our lunch on the summit the clouds started to gather above us, rain wasn't far away now. The forecast had been for thundery showers in the afternoon and it looked very much like we would get caught in them.

Jelly McBaby still had time for one last sunshine pose on the summit though, then we were off. A return along the ridge to the unnamed spot height was done in far quicker time than Frank or Paul had imagined, boosting their spirits at just the right time.

Now that they had popped their Munro cherries (figuratively speaking) I suggested to frank that he lead us along the tightening ridge and then the short bouldery climb to the summit cairn on Na Gruagaichean at 1055m...I think he was well chuffed at that, certainly in the pub later I heard him refer to himself as a summiteer...excellent stuff. Just after we started along the ridge the heavens opened and a change of clothing was required...by the time we reached the summit cairn we were wet but happy walkers...not only had Frank and Paul popped their cherries today, now they had two summits each to their name...well done guys.

All that was left was to get a pic with Jelly McBaby and head off via the safest route possible in this rain. We could have (and in dry weather would have) headed down the south ridge and dropped back down the rough pathless slopes to return to the vehicle track from our outward journey. However, in this rain and Paddy complaining about his leg, I decided that the longer route following the path was the better bet. So off we headed to the north-west top of Na Gruagaichean...and what a path it was for the two new Munroists to practise a little scrambling down and up...hahaha

Following that it was a long boring trudge through a variety of underfoot conditions to get back to the access track at Allt Coire na Ba...around an hour and a half long I believe!! To say that the return trek was as bad as the one I had yesterday would be pushing it...but some of the looks Paddy kept shooting me certainly had my guilt complex quite high. Once back down the slopes, typically, the sun came back out and made us wonder if the other slope would have been a better option...too late now. Spirits were high again by the time we made the track and knew it wasn't far to the car...a beer was almost within our grasp.

We were all pretty sweaty and grotty by the time we alighted from the car, but forgot all about it when we spotted Angus's car outside. Beers were purchased, laughs and slaggings aplenty, showers, then out for more beers and food...and plenty more ammunition that stays between the team...if you want to know the rest...come along to the next one, perhaps you will enjoy it as much as our latest two recruits???

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PS; Sunday got binned when we decided to get really drunk instead...and it poured of rain all night anyway. The video is from the spot height at 1062m and takes in a panorama of all the Mountains in the area.  

 

 

Glen Etive completion takes me to 180...great warm up for CMB meet tomorrow!!

The plans had been set in motion a few months back, leave had been arranged to suit, weather forecast looked promising, nothing could surely go wrong??? Oh wait though, this is a CMB weekend...anything and/or everything could go wrong!!!

My final shift of the week ended at 1245 on Wednesday...two days to fill until kick off in Kinlochleven...what is a boy to do? Wednesday night passed without incident but Thursday morning brought bad news...a text from Mike saying he had personal issues and wouldn't make it after all (the poor bloke had also missed Skye with a broken toe)...he must have been well gutted to miss out again. Thursday was spent in the gym on a light session just to fill time (my rucksack was surprisingly pre packed and all ready to go in the boot of the car, which is most unlike me). Thursday evening saw me catch up with Kim over a curry and beer...not seen her in weeks and we had lots to discuss (wink). Of course when I went home that night I unpacked my car boot and started from scratch...AGAIN!!! 

Then Friday arrived...up bright and early (though I had hardly slept if truth be told) and head off on a pre CMB jaunt...Glen Etive the destination and the chance (at the third attempt) to complete the Etive round. I had previously climbed Ben Starav twice, once with Asima and once with Baino (when we had also tagged Beinn nan Aighenan onto it) and Glas Bheinn Mhor once with Baino and Barnett and a rather hungover Jock (which is why we never managed to finish the round the last trip). So here I was, on attempt number three, to bag Stob Coir'an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun.

I arrived at the start point at Coiletir, at the end of a rather long and narrow winding track/road through Glen Etive, at eleven o'clock in glorious sunshine. The local midgies were pleased to see me return and set about me like a long lost meal...B*st*rds!!! Having been here before I knew the track that took me over the bridge and along to the Allt Meirleach...unfortunately I decided to cross the stile hoping that it would be easier going than the present bog I was squelching through...it wasn't!! I soon crossed back over the fence and returned to squelching (which is NOT a euphemism!!) along the "track" until it gained a little height and became a little drier. I could tell you that I smiled at this slight adversity and kept a spring in my step as I did...but that would be a downright lie!!! I cursed and fumed all the way through this quagmire, shouting at my own stupidity for choosing this route on the day before a CMB meet.

Thankfully the views and the overhead conditions were far outweighing the poor access path and the falling on my face three times...

Ben Starav is a magnificent mountain and the path cutting up its steep shoulder is the stuff of thigh bursting legend.

After a good hour and a half of trudging I eventually arrived at the bealach between Glas Bheinn Mhor and Stob Coir'an Albannaich. There is a path that zig zags up through the steep grass and stone slope to reach a flatter shoulder. From here the summit cone of Stob Coir'an Albannaich can be seen ahead and the views of the Glencoe and Crianlarich mountains improve steadily. I followed the shoulder around to the left and picked up (then lost) a path heading through the grass to the rockier summit. Suddenly I found myself standing below the summit and above a dramatic sweep of corries...awesome. A turn to the right and a short walk up to the summit brought some incredible views. Stob Coir'an Albannaich was the taller of today's Munro's at 1044m and had a decent view point of every Munro for miles.

The conditions were perfect and i must admit I stayed there rather longer than I would normally on my own, just soaking it all up while I could. Jelly McBaby loved it too...he deffo prefers the sunshine to rain.

I could see the next target ahead and to the right, following a long path down the shoulder to the east until it levels off. There is a steep descent through the cliffs to reach the bealach below, marked by a small cairn on a slight path. Although it is initially rocky on the descent it does turn to grass slopes lower down, then levels out at the bealach between Stob Coir'an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun. Once at the bealach the climb starts again, following  a very faint path through grass and rocks, getting steeper as you go. The way becomes more strewn with rocky slabs until you reach the top of Beinn Tarsuinn...then have to descend again so you can climb back up to Meall nan Eun. At least the final descent and then ascent to take you to Meall nan Eun is on easier grassy slopes, compared to the previous undulating route, and in clear conditions the summit cairn is easily located to the right of the summit dome at 928m.

Although not as high as Albannaich, it still provides some cracking views to savour, although I could only imagine how hard it must be to enjoy that on a windier day than today as it provides absolutely no shelter, even with a sizable cairn!!

Jelly McBaby finished off the last of the sandwich at the cairn then declared he was ready to head for home...only the steep grassy craggy slopes to descend into Glen Ceitlin to negotiate before a long trudge along the Glen path (which was bad enough today but would be a boggy nightmare in wetter conditions) and back to the car at Coiletir some two hours away...followed by that winding route back along Glen Etive to the main road and Kinlochleven. 

We made it back to the car in six hours, and thirty minutes later were back on the A82 as it snakes it's way through Glencoe. Still time for one more piece of bad news...a text arrived informing me that Angus had pulled out and would not be joining us tomorrow...we had now gone from ten confirmed and booked beds to four...should I just turn the car around now and be the latest casualty??? What do you think!!! 

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