Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Ben Lomond

Ben Lomond is the most Southerly Munro, and a convenient stop-off on the way home from Glencoe.


I walked up the Ptarmigan ridge, and round to the summit. This seemed preferable to doing an out-and-back up the main path. The initial route finding was a bit tricky (I went a tad too far along the West Highland Way) but once on the right path it was fine.


All the way up, there was cloud covering the summit. I arrived at the top and stopped for a drink. As I sat there, the cloud cleared briefly, allowing me a chance to look at the view.


The path down was a bit busier than the path up, and those arriving shortly after me at least got to see something!

And then the long drive home, and work tomorrow!

(Technical Data: distance = 11.5km, ascent = 1000m)

Monday, August 27, 2007

Glencoe Lochan etc.

A bit of pain in the knee, and dull weather meant that I decided to have an easy day today. I plan to drive down to Loch Lomond tonight and do Ben Lomond tomorrow, so made do with some short walks.


I started off by going up to Glencoe Lochan. Despite it's proximity to a car park, I'd never been. A short walk and a beautiful location. Surprisingly it was deserted...I guess everyone else was up high.


I then went to Inchree Waterfall, and then drove round to Corpach. Ben Nevis was playing hide-and-seek with the clouds.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

Buachaille Etive Mor

Having had such a good time earlier on this month, and with my knee feeling better, I decided on another quick trip up north.


Stob Dearg is one of the most recognisable mountains in Scotland.....except few people know it's name. It's commonly known as Buachaille Etive Mor, which is actually the name of the ridge which connects Stob Dearg with Stob na Broige. Anyway, however you look at it, it's a classic that has to be done.


When you park at Altnafeadh, there appears to be no way up. The path, tha starts off comparatively gently, soon gets lost among the rock. It isn't until you get up close, that it becomes apparent that there is a way without having to climb.

Once up onto the ridge, the view is extensive, across to Blackwater, Rannoch Moor, and then when you are further along, down Glen Etive and Loch Etive.



After the hard work up onto the ridge, the walk becomes pleasant. The sun was out, and reaching the three main summits on the ridge (Stob na Doire being the central one) was straight forward. The descent into Laraig Gartain was steep and once down, the path was boggy.

(Technical Data: distance = 12.5km, ascent = 1200m)

Friday, August 17, 2007

Ben Nevis

After watching the weather for the past two weeks, I finally got a day that I thought was worth the effort of climbing the Ben.


It wouldn't have been my 1st choice of route, but as I knew the cloud level wasn't that high, I decided to do the Mountain Track. It was heaving. Not my idea of walking, I like the isolation. After the previous 2 days, where I saw no-one, it came as a bit of a shock!


The top was in cloud, so no nice views. Based on today, I won't be rushing back. It may be the highest, but it seems wrong that this one is crowded, when the others on the area are deserted.

I thought going up was bad, but the descent was even worse. The path is consistently steep, so there is no respite. Unfortunately I seem to have aggrivated a knee problem that I had while skiing, so I think that may be the end of this trip :(

(Technical Data: distance = 16.5km, ascent = 1343m)

Thursday, August 16, 2007

.....and back!

This morning was bliss. After camping for a week, to wake up to a cooked breakfast was a treat. Especially the venison sausages from the Corrour estate. As a result, I set off a little later than planned!


I decided to go back to Kinlochleven via Luibeilt and Loch Eilde Mor. This meant that the walking I'd do later in the day would be on a track, therefore hopefully easier going. The decision that I had to make was which side of the Abhainn Rath to walk. I favoured the path on the North side, but knowing that the weather hasn't been great, I decided not to risk having to do a river crossing at Luibeilt. This proved to be a good decision!


When I got to the bothy at Staoineag, the stepping stones were completely submerged. The path fades out here and with the riverside boggy, I took my time trying to find the best route. I'd already given up on the idea of trying to keep my feet dry, but at times the challenge was trying to cross water without it reaching the top of my gaitors.


Eventually I spied the buildings at Luibeilt and found my way onto the track. Knowing that the next hour or so was along the track, I began to relax. At this point the rain decided to soak me from the top down! The path alongside Loch Eilde Beag and Loch Eilde Mor was a welcome relief, and on another day I'd have enjoyed the walk, however by this time, I just wanted to get back.


The view along Loch Leven gave me a bit more impetus to finish the walk. Unfortunately I then made a bad route choice. What I should have done was followed the track round to Mamore Lodge and then down, but I chose the more direct route...down a very steep path. It was nice to get back to the car and then the tent!

(Technical Data: distance = 21.5km, ascent = 300m)

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Corrour, take 2

While there last week, I'd booked myself into the Corrour Station B&B for tonight. The plan being to walk in from Kinlochleven one way and out the next day by a different route.

I decided to go via Blackwater reservoir. The first section of the route follows the West Highland Way, before branching off towards the dam. The path is a track, but the easiest walking is along the water conduit. The water enters the conduit (below) from the dam and is piped down the hill into Kinlochleven. The reservoir was built in the early 1900s to serve the aluminium smelter in Kinlochleven. It is the last major British project to have been built by navvies, at a cost of many lives. The smelter closed down in 1996, and the pipes now feed a hydro-electric plant.


Once across the dam (you're not allowed across the dam wall, but I ran fast enough that they couldn't catch me!) the path follows the side of the reservoir. Due to the recent weather, this was boggy in places. I managed not to get too wet, despite the occasional downpour. After about 1km, the path leaves the reservoir and heads North East towards Loch Chiarain. The bothy (below) was a welcome stop off for lunch, and the only time during the whole day when I met another person.


Once past Loch Chiarain, the path seemed to go on forever. With mountains on both sides, the scenery didn't change much, so the sight of Loch Treig (below) was very welcome. It also helped me chart my exact position.


From Loch Treig, the track headed uphill. A passing train gave me the excuse to stop and wave at people and spurred me onwards to my dinner. The track passes under the railway, but following this takes you down to Loch Ossian, and was out of my way. The alternative path seemed to go through bog. Having spent last week memorising the train timetable, I took my chances and walked a short section alongside the railway lines. The track is on a raised bed and went directly to my destination.



(Technical Data: distance = 27.5km, ascent = 850m)

Sunset


This was taken last night, looking down Loch Leven.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Rannoch Moor

Had a logistical nightmare today. I decided that I wanted to walk from Kings House to Rannoch Moor Station. The only problem was how to get back! I eventually decided to park at Fort William and get the bus to Kings House, then I could get the train back. Ended up in a bit of a rush and forgot my camera :(

There were 2 other people who got off the bus at the same place, but they headed in a different direction, so I had the path to myself. The first section is the driveway up to Black Corries Lodge, and then it becomes a footpath. This was clear and surprisingly dry. The final section was a pleasant track through the woods.It was at this point that I started to see a few people, presumably doing a short walk from the station.

I'd walked quicker than I expected, so had a bit of time to kill in the station cafe waiting for the train. I got chatting to a couple in there, lost track of time, and had to dash out to catch my train! It's a long wait for the next one.

It's a few years since I've done the train journey from Rannoch Moor to Fort William, so I sat back and enjoyed the scenery.

(Technical Data: distance = 20km, ascent = 330m)

Monday, August 13, 2007

The Robbers' Waterfall


The road down Glen Etive is a dead end, so it doesn't get too much traffic. It is a beautiful glen, leading to Loch Etive. The road passes along the foot of Buachaille Etive Mor before entering a forest. The path up to the Robbers' Waterfall crosses the River Etive and then starts to climb. Unfortunately, with the rain of the past few days, the burns higher up were in spate, so I couldn't get right up to the waterfall.


I retraced my route and drove to the end of the road. The broken jetty is a sign that not much sea traffic comes this way these days!


On the way back up the glen, I encountered this fella and his better half. She wasn't keen to have her photo taken, but he was pleased to oblige.

(Technical Data: distance = 7.5km, ascent = 280m)

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Oban



Okay, so not technically a walk, or a ski, but a great day out! I decided that it was time to have a rest day, so went for a drive to Oban. The weather in Fort William wasn't great, but by the time I got to the coast the sun was out.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Monessie Gorge and the Puggy Line


The Puggy Line was the railway that was built to aid construction of the tunnel from Loch Treig to Fort William. It was closed in 1977 and most of the track pulled up. It is possible to walk most of this route.

I thought twice about doing a walk today, as the weather has been a bit grizzly. But, donning the waterproofs, I set off from Coire Choille and joined the Puggy Line just South of Inch. The path was boggy in places, and there were a few scrambles down steep banks to cross burns. Despite how they may appear in the photo (above, the bridges are not safe to cross.

I left the Puggy Line by the disused adit, and joined the track to Monessie. The gorge is best viewed from the railway, but the swing bridge across was an experience! Every step I took, I was convinced it was going to give way.



I retraced the route to the adit, then continued along the track back to my car.

(Technical Data: distance = 12.5km, ascent = 300m)

Friday, August 10, 2007

Steall Falls

Having waved goodbye to my dad, and been reunited with my car at Bridge of Orchy, I drove to Fort William in search of somewhere to pitch my tent. Having settled on a "car camp" rather than a backpack, I went for a short walk.



Glen Nevis is a picturesque valley at the foot of Ben Nevis. The road eventually hits a dead end, and then there is a path through a gorge out to Steall. The waterfall is one of the biggest in Scotland, and is spectacular when in spate. The steep slopes to the North lead to Ben Nevis and Aonach Beag, and to the South is the "Ring of Steall".

(Technical Data: distance = 5.5km, ascent = 350m)

Thursday, August 09, 2007

Beinn na Lap


Beinn na Lap is a nice rounded Munro to the North of Loch Ossian. Despite being 935m, the starting height of 400m makes it a reasonably pleasant climb. Certainly the view from the top was stunning.


Rather than come back down the short route, I continued NE and descended via Loch na Lap and Strathossian. As with many such hills, there was no path, and picking my way down to the lochan was steep and boggy!

(Technical Data: distance = 22.5km, ascent = 695m)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Loch Ossian



After a good night's sleep I wandered up to the Corrour Station House Restaurant for breakfast and to meet up with my dad who was staying there. The presence of flush toilets was an added bonus! My dad had seen a walk in Country Walking magazine that he was keen to do, so we walked a full circuit of Loch Ossian. The path (track) on the North side of the loch is the estate road that runs the 16 miles from the station to the A86, while the path on the South side is more like a walking path.


The Corrour Estate was owned and developed by Sir John Maxwell, to whom there is a memorial plaque near the New Lodge. The guests to the estate used to get the train to the station, and then were transported by horse and carriage to the boat landing stage (now the Youth Hostel). They were then taken by boat, the full length of the loch, to the Lodge.

(Technical Data: distance = 14km, ascent = 150m)

Tuesday, August 07, 2007

Rannoch Moor


Had booked to stay at the Loch Ossian Youth Hostel for a few nights, so decided to walk in from Rannoch Moor station. This route starts at a remote train station and finishes at an even more remote hostel. I only saw one other person once I left the station.

The path was clear all the way, skirting round the base of Carn Dearg, and passing by the ruins of Corrour Old Lodge. This was once an isolation hospital...and I can't think of a more appropriate location! On the way, there are great views across the expanse of Rannoch Moor, with the railway in the foreground and Blackwater Reservoir in the distance.

Eventually Loch Ossian came into view....just as the weather turned, and the rain started.

The Youth Hostel (above) hidden in the trees, was a welcome site. It is an eco-hostel, where they utilise wind and solar power and have compostable toilets. As for showers - well, you've got a loch outside!

(Technical Data: distance = 16.5km, ascent = 365m)