James Stone (Clach Liath)

Mountaineering and the Volcanic Seven Summits

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Tour de Loch Quoich – Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach

28th August 2017 by James Stone Leave a Comment

Back to Gleouraich

I woke up the morning after our epic walk from Sgurr na Ciche to Gairich surprisingly unstiff but feeling fatigued.  The morning greeted us with a spectacular sunrise.

It was cloudy but the clouds were well over the summits.  We prepared our breakfast al fresco – porridge and tea in my case.  The story of our previous day can be found here.

Tzvetie was determined to bag some more Munros.  I am sure that I would have been happy to go to the nearest tea shop (probably some distance away) or amble up a nearby bump instead.  The obvious Munros were Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach and/or Sgurr a’Mhaoraich.  I compromised with her by agreeing that we would not try to combine all three Munros!

Breakfast over we drove the short distance to just beyond the bridge over the northern arm of Loch Quoich.  Hidden amongst the rhododendron bushes is the start of one of the best stalker’s paths in the Highlands.  It lifts you easily up the southern arm of Gleouraich giving spectacular views along Loch Quoich to Sgurr na Ciche and the other hills we had been on in the previous days and along an airy highway above the arm of Loch Quoich.

It ends at a pony stance from where a rough path climbs steeply up the final 200m (660ft) of ascent to the summit.  This was my fourth ascent of this hill.

Classic view down Loch Quoich with Sgurr na Ciche in the distance

 

Stalker's path on Gleouraich
Stalker’s path on Gleouraich

 

Pony stance at the end of the stalker's path on Gleouraich
Pony stance at the end of the stalker’s path on Gleouraich

 

To Gleouraich's summit
To Gleouraich’s summit

 

View down Loch Quoich from Gleouraich's summit
View down Loch Quoich from near Gleouraich’s summit

 

The summit is a grand viewpoint.  We could also see Sgurr a’Mhaoraich, Bein Sgritheall and distant Skye to the west.

The South Glen Shiel ridge to the north and even a mist covered Ben Nevis to the south east.

Mist covered Ben Nevis
Mist covered Ben Nevis

 

From Gleouraich a ridge leads east over a subsidiary top from where this shot was taken back to the main summit of Gleouraich.

Back to Gleouraich
Back to Gleouraich

 

And on towards the rather bland slopes of Spidean Mialach after a significant drop in height.

Spidean Mialach
Spidean Mialach

 

Despite the fatigue I still made it from the start to the summit of Gleouraich in 1 hour 50 minutes and from there to the summit of Spidean Mialach in 1 hour 30 minutes.

Here are some pics from the top of Spidean Mialach.  It was noon when we got there.

Gleouraich from Spidean Mialach
Gleouraich from Spidean Mialach

 

The eye keeps on being drawn down Loch Quoich

 

Until someone gets in the way!

 

Now the sun was out and producing a little warmth.  We lounged around on this top for a while.  There is a path all the way down from the summit to the road.  As we neared the road we encountered a group of 4 guys just starting out up Spidean Mialach, perhaps a bit late in the day considering it was October.

We were back at our cars after a round of 6 hours and drove back to Fort William where we treated ourselves to a pizza.  Then I drove down to the Lake District for an appointment the following day in Ambleside!

Tour de Loch Quoich – Ben Aden and Sgurr na Ciche to Gairich

24th August 2017 by James Stone Leave a Comment

The Plan

As part of my preparations for my trip to Antarctica I wanted to do an extended trip to improve fitness and resilience, preferably an overnighter, therefore carrying some weight over a couple of days.

An opportunity arose towards the end of October to meet up with Tzvetie whom I had met on my Elbrus trip a few months earlier.  She was up for such a trip and, living in Fort William, was busy bagging Munros.

We agreed on a plan which would pick up six Munros and two Corbetts over three days.  This would involve some remote country, including one of the most remote Corbetts, Ben Aden.  Ben Aden lies at the west end of Loch Quoich in the western highlands about 25 miles north west of Fort William as the crow flies, but probably twice the distance to the start point for the approach.  It lies at the eastern edge of the Knoydart peninsula at 887m (2,910ft) in height.  It will not be visited that often.  Its isolation sees to that.  After that we would follow the long ridge between Sgurr na Ciche and Gairich, another set of relatively remote peaks.  If we then felt up to it we would then do a separate walk up Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach.

I travelled north on a Wednesday afternoon arriving in Fort William for an overnight stay a bit later than I had hoped.  We discussed whether or not to take two cars (which we would) and what time we would leave… early!

Day 1 – to Ben Aden

The following morning was foggy and so we made our way carefully to the minor road that leads 22 miles further on to a dead end at Kinloch Hourn.  A little over half way along this road you reach the Quoich dam.  Here we left Tzvetie’s car and then we drove a further 20 minutes past the northern arm of the Loch to the point where the road leaves the Loch before it plunges down to Kinloch Hourn.

Here there is plenty of space to park and, indeed, there was a campervan there when we arrived.  It was 7.45am when we set off on our adventure, about 1½ hours after leaving Fort William.  The fog had cleared and the sun was lighting up the south eastern horizon with yellow, orange and red strips though the cloud above was grey black.

It is about a 16km (10 mile) walk to the summit of Ben Aden from the start.  The first section is across what sometimes forms the bed of the Loch.  The alternative, if winter rains or snow melt has filled this section, is a diversion further west over higher ground.  We decided to make bee-line towards the promontory directly opposite.  It was not as wet and glutinous as I had feared.  There were a few streams to cross and the black soil was occasionally a bit sticky, but it was only about 800m until we were on firmer ground.  Here we found the traces of tracks over rough ground.  Now the going under foot varied between firm and soggy with plenty of ups and downs.  It is quite hard going.  Across the Loch Sgurr na Ciche glowed in the morning sun.

This was to be one of our targets for the following day.  Indeed you can see where we were to camp that evening on the levelling of the ridge just above the cloud.

After another 3½km (2 miles or so) we were faced with what can be a major obstacle.  This is the Abhainn Chosaidh, a river that can be impossible to cross if in spate.  Some careful balancing on rocks enabled a dry shod crossing to be made.

Beyond, although we struggled to find it at first because we stayed too close to the lochside, there is an old vehicle track.  This might sound strange but it is a relic of the time when Loch Quoich was being dammed.

The Loch is dammed at both its east and its west ends.  The dam at the east end is by far the largest one.  But there are two smaller ones at the west end that take the Loch over the natural watershed.  The dams were constructed in the mid 1950’s.  The Loch surface was raised about 33m (100ft) in height and the surface area increased from 7.7 to 18 sq kilometres (3 to 7 sq miles).  In the process Glen Quoich Lodge was destroyed.  There is now a network of stalker’s paths that plunge down into the Loch, though many are being taken over by nature as they are no longer used.

Edwin Landseer was among many fashionable sportsmen who came here in the 19th century, and his best known paintings were inspired by the red deer of Glen Quoich.

The track that we were now on was created to transport materials to create the western dams and then was largely submerged when the Loch was filled.  As can be seen from the photo above, the track is deteriorating and was quite wet in places.

Once past the Abhainn Chosaidh there was a further 5 kilometres (3 miles) to the western dams.  It had taken us almost 3 hours to reach this point.  We stopped for 20 minutes for some refreshment and to decide which way to tackle Ben Aden which now stood just beyond but still 630m (or over 2,000ft) above us.

Guidebooks suggest that one should follow a path towards Lochan nam Breac and then make one’s way into the rough corrie of Coire na Cruaiche.  I had spotted an alternative stalker’s path marked on the map which led up the eastern slope of Meall a’Choire Dubh.  So we decided to go for that alternative.  Whether that was the fight decision I do not know – possibly not.  At first we missed the start of this path because through lack of use it is indistinct.  Once found, it was obviously a beautifully constructed path but now unused and unmaintained.  Parts were still supported by little embankments with dressed stonework.  Views opened up back over Loch Quoich.

Unfortunately the path stopped where it was shown to on the map, at a small cairn.  From there to the top of Meall a’Choire Dubh there ground was very broken and this continued all the way along the broad ridge to the final climb to Ben Aden.  The guidebook route would have avoided much of this.  We had another break part way along the ridge and contemplated our location and that final climb.  It was stunning.  To the south was Sgurr na Ciche; to the north was the long ridge of Sgurr a’Choire-bheithe.  Ben Aden largely hid the view west but there were glimpses into Knoydart.  It was sunny and, for October, warm with little wind.

We toyed with the idea of leaving our packs on the ridge but it was so broad with ups and downs we feared we would not find them again.  We made short work of the final 200m (660ft) of ascent.  There were a couple of steeper and narrower sections.  But it was 7 hours since we had set out by the time we arrived, an indicator of the rough nature of the ground.

The views were stunning.  This is what we saw.  First Luinne Bheinn and Mell Bhuidhe, remote Munros on the Knoydart peninsula.

Then a zoomed shot of Beinn Sgritheall above Arnisdale on Loch Hourn.

A view to The Saddle.

Gleouraich and Spidean Mialach above Loch Quoich.

Even a distant Ben Nevis seen in this zoomed shot.

And finally Sgurr na Ciche.

This last shot also shows Garbh Chioch Mor, Ben Nevis on the distant horizon and where we were to camp on the north east ridge of Sgurr na Ciche (where the shadow cuts across the ridge just to the right of the bump).

We spent a good half hour on the summit.  Having taken so long to get there (and we were a little weary) it merited a sit down and appreciation of the location.

But time marched on.  It was approaching 3pm and daylight hours are not long at this time of the year.  We did not then know precisely where we would set up camp and there was still much rough ground to cover.

We found a better way down and along the ridge back towards Meall a’Choire Dubh (eventually keeping to the right (south) as much as possible) and worked our way to the foot of the north east ridge of Sgurr na Ciche where we found a welcome stream burbling down from above.  Water might not be available at any camping spot we found so we filled up our water bottles and I drank about ½ litre of water to attempt some re-hydration.  Even in October you lose a lot of fluid.

It was then a question of climbing the ridge until we found a suitable place to pitch the tents.  210m (690ft) higher we found somewhere suitable.  It was 4.30pm, 9½ hard hours after we had started out.

Tents soon up, dinner was cooked, tea made and I (for one) was glad to lie down and recover.

Day 2 – to Sgurr na Ciche and beyond

If day 1 had been hard, then day 2 was to be epic!

It was helped by the fact that our first summit was only 150m (500ft) above us, but it would involve over 24km (15 miles) of walking and 2,150m (7,000ft) of ascent.  Our spell of settled weather continued but we were to finish in the dark.

We packed quickly and were off by 6.30am.  We followed a wall up most of the ridge.  This was a wall that we would follow for some 5km (3 miles).  We left it when it dipped down to the Feadan na Ciche (the col between Sgurr na Ciche and Garbh Chioch Mhor).  Soon after we met the main path along the east ridge.  We were able to leave our rucksacks here and enjoyed a lightweight final clamber to the top.

To be on such a remote summit at 7am is a privilege.  It was my third time up Sgurr na Ciche and the first one where I had a view!  This is the classic view down the south west ridge to Loch Nevis.

Garbh Chioch Mhor was just across the way with mist filling Glen Dessary and a distant Ben Nevis on the skyline.

Here is Loch Quoich.

And a view over Knoydart and to Beinn Sgritheall.

We could not hang around for long though.  So we returned to our packs and continued down to the Feadan na Ciche which is quite a narrow notch.  There followed a 170m (560ft) steep ascent up Garbh Chioch Mhor.  As became common during the course of the day Tzvetie slowly but surely pulled away from me on the extended climbs.  I was on the top by 8.15am with a view down to the mist filled Glen Dessary and the wall.

Back to Sgurr na Ciche, the pyramid shape of which would ever so slowly recede from us during the day.

And down to the ever present Loch Quoich.

This last picture also captures much of the rest of the route that day and indicated how much further we had to go as Tzvetie’s car was parked out of sight at the far end of the Loch.

The ridge between Garbh Chioch Mhor and its subsidiary top, Garbh Chioch Bheag, gives some of the roughest walking you will encounter on the Scottish mainland.  It takes us 30 minutes to walk the 1km between the two.

Tzvetie had waited for me here and then we descended to the col between Garbh Chioch Bheag and Sgurr nan Coireachan together.  Here the terrain becomes softer.  We were still following the wall but the ground became less rocky.  It was 10am by the time we reached the top of Sgurr nan Coireachan.  Here is the view back the way we had come.

And the way on, showing An Eag, Sgurr Beag, Sgurr Mor and Sgurr an Fhuarain respectively.  Our final peak of the day is hidden behind Sgurr an Fhuarain.

I had last been along this section of the ridge (between Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr Mor) in June 2000.  I had been with Sue as she was mopping up some final Munros before her “compleation” a week later on the Isle of Mull.

On that occasion we had left Yorkshire early one Saturday morning and arrived at the end of Loch Arkaig to the south at 1pm.  We had then set off and walked the ridge between Garbh Chioch Mhor and Sgurr Mor arriving at Sgurr Mor after midnight having no views from any of the summits.  But beneath the cloud caps the weather was beautiful and we were accompanied by Brocken Spectres on the ridge between An Eag and Sgurr Beag.  We returned to the car at 3am as the sun was rising, crashing there to grab 3 hours sleep before being woken up by sheep rubbing against the car.  Sue then bagged another Munro on the Sunday before I drove back home the same evening.

Here is the ridge between An Eag and Sgurr Beag.

We had now lost the wall.  The ridge was now grassy.  At the col before the rise to Sgurr Beag a stalker’s path joins from both sides of the ridge and it continues up and over Sgurr Beag and on to Sgurr Mor.  It deteriorates a little in places between the two Sgurrs, but it certainly assisted legs that were now becoming weary.

Here is a panorama back along our route from the top of Sgurr Beag.  The pyramid of Sgurr na Ciche attracts the gaze.

Unfortunately some cloud was coming in.  Sgurr Mor was lightly covered.

On the ascent of Sgurr Mor Tzvetie stormed on ahead.  She was sitting at the summit cairn as I arrived.  We stopped for a bit in the cloud for food and drink before moving on.  It was now 1pm.

We soon dropped out of the cloud.  We still could not see the end point of our walk which was still 11km (almost 7 miles) away as that crow flew and probably half as much again for us to walk.  In fact looking at the map as I write this, we had only covered 1/3rd of the day 2 distance by the time we reached Sgurr Mor.

The next top was the Corbett, Sgurr an Fhuarain.  This we reached fairly speedily at 1.50pm.  It is rare that I make a second visit to a Corbett, but I had previously been here, alone, in February 2013 on (weather-wise) the most perfect of winter days.  But here I am looking remarkably cheerful with the ever present Sgurr na Ciche behind me.

Remarkably cheerful considering that we still had this hill to do – Gairich.  This would involve a 340m (1,100ft) loss of height and slightly more on the re-ascent.

It was here where we saw our one and only other person of the day.  A single chap who, as he approached, looked as though he was walking a sheep.  It was, of course, just a very large fluffy dog.  He had come up over Gairich from the dam and was planning to return back down Glen Kingie and around the far end of Gairich.  His car was not at the dam when we finally ended the day.

Again we had had a stop here for further refreshment though both water and food were now running low.

Descent is via the north ridge where there is a stalker’s path.  Of course we should have been going east, but that way is blocked by steep broken slopes.  We had to leave the path before it skirted around Meall a’Choire Bhuidhe.  The next kilometre was tortuous as we navigated our way across rough boggy ground.  We did find a suitable stream for re-filling depleted water bottles.  We were aiming for the stalker’s path that leads up the western slopes of Gairich Beag.

I had seriously considered whether or not it would be possible to miss out Gairich, but the alternative routes looked as bad as going over the top of it!

Eventually we reached the bottom of the path.  For me it was a case of gritting teeth and getting on with it.  Again Tzvetie pulled ahead.  Eventually I lost sight of her.  Unfortunately the path ends where it is shown as doing so on the map, shortly beyond a cairn two thirds of the way up.  From there the ground continued to rise over a mix of small rocks and grass, albeit on less steep ground.

Slowly making my way over the dome of Gairich Beag, I could see that there was still 180m (almost 600ft) of climb to do.  I made out Tzvetie waiting for me in the shallow col a couple of hundred metres ahead.  Only part jokingly I suggested we set up camp here and finish in the morning.  I knew by now that we would be finishing in the dark.

Another 15 minute rest, drinking plenty of water and eating the last of my food and we were off.  The northern corrie of Gairich provides a pleasing shape to the way ahead.  I made my way over to the corrie rim.  That provided a handrail for further progress and once on the rim the gradient eased.  It was 4.55pm when the Gairich summit cairn was finally reached – 3 hours from Sgurr an Fhuarain.

Light was fading.  But the views were still nice if a bit gloomy.  Here are Gleouraich and the distant Glen Shiel hills.

And The (distant) Saddle and surrounding hills.

And we could see now actually where our walk would end.

The way off Gairich to the east involves an initial steep section with a little bit of minor scrambling.  I was keen to get through this section before the light finally went.  So we did not stay long on the top, just time for photos and a drink.  And we were safely down to the western end of the long, long (3km/2m) east ridge before the light finally went.  It was then navigation by GPS and head torch.  We managed to lose the path in the bogs and went slightly awry drifting too far towards Bac nam Foid, but were soon back on track.

At the end of the ridge we dropped down to some woodland.  The GPS was useful here to check that we followed the right path north.  Again we stopped for 10 minutes in the dark for more water.  I had warned Tzvetie that the next section was notoriously boggy.  But in the end it was not too bad.  Only once did we each manage to lose a foot in the bog.  It was a relief to see the dam!  There is a locked gate at the end of the dam by the road so we climbed it and flopped over and walked the final 30 metres to the car.

Tzvetie then drove back to my car.  Neither of us felt like cooking.  We were past it.  But I had in the car some Pringles and dips.  So we shared these and they tasted like a gourmet meal!

That day was certainly one of the hardest I have done in the UK.  I think the experience can be classified as Type 2 on the Fun Scale (Google it if you do not know what this scale is).

Ben Lomond

27th December 2016 by James Stone Leave a Comment

The previous day Jet and I had climbed Sgurr Dhomnhuill in Ardgour.  I had originally hoped to climb another P600 hill near Loch Lomond but time and a lack of a place to park had put me off.  So I returned to a mountain that I had first climbed 30 years before, Ben Lomond.

I had forgotten how far off the A82 it was, but eventually we made it to the Forestry Car Park at Rowardennan for a relatively late start at around 9am.

Although it was a Monday in October the day was busy, testament to the mountain’s popularity.  One day I will do the Ptarmigan Ridge approach.  But there is some scrambling near the end and I did not want to have to think about how I might get the dog up this, so I went up the standard route.

Whichever way you go there are some nice views over the Loch and its islands.  I had a brief rest and snack to admire the view.

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Here is the view towards the summit block.

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The path is clear all the way.  In just under 2½ hours we were at the top.

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There is a hidden rocky coire on Ben Lomond, the top of which we followed on the way down.

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The views to the Arrochar Alps are nice.

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Plenty of people were having lunch and looking at the views.

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I took a video from the summit as the clouds began to roll in, as predicted by the forecast.

And it took us just under 90 minutes to get back down.  A nice straightforward and quick day before our return to Yorkshire.

Ben Nevis – a day to remember

6th May 2016 by James Stone Leave a Comment

I first climbed Ben Nevis in 1981. It was on my honeymoon. We were not well equipped. Although we had great views from the top, we were soaked through on the way down – the cagoules we had at the time being totally inadequate for the job, and we had no over trousers.  And as reported elsewhere on this site, we left a damp trail of footprints through the hotel reception as we skulked back to our room to sort ourselves out.

The second time was a solo ascent in October 1993. It was a day of leaden clouds and no view from the top. I was on a top bagging mission that day and visited both Carn Deargs (each over 1,000m) from which I recall some watery views before making way to the summit.

The third time was in May 2007. I dragged Julie, the kids and Laura (the daughter of friends of ours) up – to be fair Julie and Laura were quite willing!  We were accompanied by Caroline and her (also less than willing) son, Ruaridh. We were also supposed to be with my brother, Peter, and his family but they decided to set off before us and so we passed each other on a big snowfield 20 minutes or so short of the summit. It was a nice day, though the top 30m or so were covered in cloud until just as we were leaving. But the views were great nonetheless.

Each of these ascents were by the Tourist route from Glen Nevis – the one that 95% (if not more) of ascensionists use.  And the one that a car (a Model T Ford) was driven up in 1911 (and again in 1928 and, sort of, again in 2011).  If you don’t believe me then look here.

It had long been a wish of mine to approach Ben Nevis by the less frequented and far more interesting Carn Mor Dearg arête. Fortunately this was a route that Ciaran also wished to take. Finally, we had a forecast of good weather after our decidedly mixed week. As I did not want Ciaran and I to feel rushed, I determined that we should start the day at a reasonably early time and so it was that we left the North Face car park at Torlundy shortly after 6am. There was one other car there before us.

If you could have chosen the weather, then this day’s would have been it. At that early hour there was a lot of low cloud drifting around but you could tell that it was quite thin and would most likely burn off. As there was still a fair amount of snow around for the time of year we went equipped with ice axes and crampons, just in case.

We followed the signed trail up through the trees. A steep section warmed us up and got the heart rate going with slightly heavier packs.  Eventually we reached the edge of the forest, passed a bench and went around a bend where we had our first view of the north face of The Ben.  Nice!

Ben Nevis

We were soon at a gate and stile which marked the end of the forest. We followed the path onwards with the Allt a’Mhuillinn splashing to our right. Here the path rises at a gentle rate. Our route today would take us up Carn Mor Dearg before we tackled the arête.

In the photo below the arête is the snowy dipped ridge directly ahead and the broad open slopes of Carn Mor Dearg are to the left.

Ben Nevis

A small cairn marks the start of the path up towards Carn Mor Dearg.  Here we had a brief rest for a drink.  At least to start with, the route of the path up is obvious if a little wet in places.  There was nothing to it but to grind one’s way up. There was around 2,000 feet (600m) of ascent to tackle. In fact we found that we gained height relatively quickly.

Soon we had good views back to the narrows between Lochs Linnhe and Eil at Caol.

Lochs Linnhe and Eil

And the clouds provided atmospheric views across to Ben Nevis.

Ben Nevis - North Face

On we continued with the slopes continuing to be steep, but the way now a lot drier.  And it was now becoming warmer, the early morning chill disappearing notwithstanding the increase in altitude.

Ben Nevis - North Face

The North Face continued to open up.  We could hear a lot of helicopter activity that seemed to be coming from near Half Way Lochan on Ben Nevis.  Then we heard a loud crack and a bang as an avalanche came off the North Face and crashed down near the lower part of the Ledge Route.  This was probably triggered by a cornice collapse but possibly by the helicopter activity.  I hoped that there was no-one in the vicinity of the avalanche.  Snow continued to funnel through a gulley for a fair few minutes even once the main event had come to an end.

Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis – not an Ultra

The other excitement on the climb was that I dropped my GPS.  I thought I would not see it again but fortunately I had only just done so and Ciaran spotted it.

The path passes below Carn Beag Dearg and then loses itself amongst bouldery terrain.  I took a direct route towards the ridge between Carn Beag Dearg and Carn Dearg Meadhonach whilst Ciaran continued to contour a bit to reduce the gradient for himself.

I arrived at the cairn on Carn Dearg Meadhonach and took a second rest whilst waiting for Ciaran.  This was the view back to the narrows.

Lochs Linnhe and Eil from Carn Dearg Meadhonach

Looking the other way, this was the view to Carn Mor Dearg.  It has a pleasant pointy shape from here.  It is just that it is dominated by The Ben’s North Face.  Carn Mor Dearg was the Munro where I finished the Munros first time around in 1991.  That was a hot day with a hot dehydrating wind that sucked us dry.  Peter, Derek and Cathy had come over Ben Nevis from the campsite in Glen Nevis and met Julie, Sue and me on the summit.  We ended the day fried and celebrated after the event in the same hotel where we had left the footprints 10 years earlier.

It was a contrast to my second ascent in the winter of 2003 with Caroline and John.  On that occasion we had come over Aonach Mor and up Carn Mor Dearg’s shapely east ridge, then a fluted snowy feature that arrowed straight from the col below to the summit.  On that occasion we descended the slopes that Ciaran and I had just ascended.

Carn Mor Dearg

Ciaran arrived and we had a bit to eat and drink.  I suggested to Ciaran that he go ahead and I would take some pictures of him ascending the final slopes of Carn Mor Dearg.

Carn Mor Dearg

I then followed on.

We were soon together on the summit.  to the west were Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag.

Aonach Mor and Aonach Beag from Carn Mor Dearg

In the foreground of this picture is the top part of east ridge.

But one’s gaze was always drawn to the imposing face of Ben Nevis opposite.  The clouds were still providing atmospheric vistas.

Ben Nevis - North Face

And from here the arête could be seen.  The initial drop off is quite steep and then it narrows considerably.  As can be seen from the photos it was still in fairly wintry conditions.  We debated whether or not to put on crampons.  I decided not to do so.  Ciaran followed suit, but part way down the initial steep slope he had a change of heart.  These were not conditions he was used to.  So safety was paramount.  I probably should have put mine on too but I gingerly made my way down.

Soon it became a bit rockier.  I was able to use the rocks but there was enough snow for Ciaran to step on for his crampons.  Eventually the crampons became a bit of a nuisance and Ciaran took them off.

Here is the first part of the descent.

CMD arete and distant Mamores

with a look back

Looking back to Carn Mor Dearg

The traverse required a lot of concentration to ensure that any snow was stable and to avoid ice that was still there hidden in shady parts.  Slowly we made progress with Ciaran gaining confidence as we progressed.  And the views slowly changed.

On the arete looking at Ben Nevis

On the arete looking at Ben Nevis

Coire Leis

And a further look back

Carn Mor Dearg

Part way along we could see another couple of people following.  We stopped for some more sustenance.  The air was practically still.  How often is that the case on this airy perch?  What a day.

We then had a further 15 minutes or so before the narrowness stopped at a level section just before the final 650 feet (200m) of ascent up on to Ben Nevis’ summit plateau.  I think Ciaran greeted this point with a mixture of achievement and relief.  I guess that going over the arête is not an experience he will soon forget.  So here he is reaching his haven.

Distant Carn Mor Dearg

At this point a cairn has been constructed.  And here it is with a foreshortened look up the final slopes.

Cairn with Ben Nevis in the background

The other pair had caught us up by now.  We had a further guzzle of liquid and a change of clothes.  It was now hot.  We followed the others using their footprints to help find footholds in the slush that the snow had become having by now had hours of sunshine falling on it.  We did not like the length of the paces they were setting so I took over breaking trail.  In no time we were emerging on to the plateau.  Here is Ciaran with Aonach Beag behind.

Emerging on to Ben Nevis plateau with Carn Mor Dearg behind

As he caught up I was approached by a German couple who had ascended by the tourist route and who enquired about the route we had taken.  They were well equipped and I gave them some idea of the conditions and timings.  Off they went but we were to see them later on the descent because they had been put off the initial steepness down to the arête.

Having seen only two other people up to now, the character of the climb now changed with the expected throngs in the summit area.  That I was able to take this selfie without someone in the immediate background was remarkable!

Someone got in the way of the summit trig!

As remarkable was the fact that there was still hardly any wind. Wow!!  It was a stunning contrast to the previous occasions that I had been up there.  After a good look around at the views it was time to depart.

Ben Nevis summit area

Here is a look across to the Mamores.

Mamore panorama from Ben Nevis

The snow remained soft so there was a fair bit of slithering and sliding on the descent.  People were still on their way up.  Of course, many did not seem appropriately attired.  But the risk of them getting anything more than wet feet did not seem too great on a day like this one.  There is a line of cairns to help with navigation.

Line of cairns on Ben Nevis

Here is a view to one of Ben Nevis subsidiary tops.

Carn Dearg

and finally a panorama again to Lochs Linnhe and Eil.

Loch panorama

From then on it was a question of following the tourist path down to Half Way Lochan and then cutting across to its northern end and making one’s way down the open hillside to the Allt a’Mhuillinn.  We found a crossing point near the stile to the forest and it was then a question of making our weary way along the forest tracks back to the car. It had been 10 hours including all the stops.

We rewarded ourselves later with dinner at Russell’s Restaurant in Spean Bridge – recommended!

A day to live long in the memory.

Beinn na Lap

5th May 2016 by James Stone Leave a Comment

Beinn na Lap is quite a fun Munro to tackle.  It is very straightforward and is often left as a “final” Munro by those who complete them all.  I first climbed it in February 1987 when, as part of a quite challenging winter walk, Julie and I started at Corrour station and walked out to Tulloch over Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain finishing in the dark.  The second time was with Kirsty when she was 11.  The conditions (in May) were quite different with a stiff breeze but dry and bright.  And, indeed, we came across a completion party on the summit.

Most ascents are made from Corrour station.  This adds to the fun as the start of the day is by train (from north or south) through some grand scenery.  The station is the highest in the UK and there is no public road to it.  The station house has been used variously as a “restaurant with rooms”, a youth hostel and various types of café.  In 2016 the property had been brought back in hand by the Corrour Estate and was being run by them as a café.

And very welcome it was too as Ciaran and I alighted from the first train south that day.

Corrour Station

We had started from Spean Bridge station

Spean Bridge station

and received a cheery goodbye from the train guard as we left the train.

At Corrour station

The weather was still showing little sign of improvement.  The forecast was for showers and a strong wind.  We had both.  Another thing about organising a climb of Beinn na Lap or indeed any of the hills accessible from the station is knowing which train you are going to catch back to “civilisation”.  For us there was a choice of tearing up and down Beinn na Lap to catch a return train less than three hours after we had reached Corrour.  Or we could have a somewhat more leisurely seven hours between trains.

We opted for the latter and went into the café for a cup of tea!

Suitably refreshed we set out along the rough road leading towards Loch Ossian.  Beinn na Lap does not look too exciting from here.

Beinn na Lap

Once the road is left a worn peaty and sometimes wet trail leads straight up the side of the slope ahead.  The view soon starts to open up over Loch Ossian.

Loch Ossian

And the station merges into the vastness of Rannoch Moor.

Corrour station and Leum Uilleim

Here is a zoom from the same spot.

Corrour station and Leum Uilleim

It took less than two hours to reach the top.

Beinn na Lap

The wide ranging views were partly obscured by cloud.  Here are shots to Ben Alder

Beinn Alder and Beinn Eibheinn from Beinn na Lap

Chno Dearg

Chno Dearg from Beinn na Lap

Distant Schiehallion in the gloom

Schiehallion from Beinn na Lap

And Glen Nevis

Glen Nevis from Beinn na Lap

Finally a shot of the cairn.  No completion party today!

Beinn na Lap

The wind was very strong.  Whereas it had pushed us up the hill, it was in our faces on the way down.  It was strong and cold enough to hurt the face.  But once we had left the ridge line it calmed down.  We were soon down to the road.  It was the week of the Fort William motorbike trials and whilst we had been up high a staging post had been set up.  We stopped briefly to chat with the guy manning it.

Soon we were back at the station – with plenty of time for a leisurely lunch (we both had venison burgers of generous proportions) before our train back to Spean Bridge.  That’s the way to do it!

A nice leisurely day before our big day in the morning.

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