Walkhighlands

Hi all,
I know that the descent from Bealach Dearg was still holding snow just a few weeks ago.
Is this still the case or has it finally melted?
Has anyone been there very recently?

I was up on the 5th. I didn't have an ice axe, because it looked like such a tiny bit of snow to work round. Wasn't so easy when I got there so i ended up scrambling up a grassy/slimy/rocky bit to the right. Wouldn't recommend that way. Found plenty of rope to suggest folk had been lowering themselves down it.

Thanks Jac...
Would an axe have been helpful if you'd had one or not?
I'd planned to use the WH route which descends that way.
I guess I'll be able to check it out from the Bealach on the way to Sgreamhach....
If it looks dodgy I could descend S/SE off Sgreamhach and down into Lairig Eilde.
Anyone descended that way?

Don't think an ice axe would have helped me personally. The snows thick and has detached from the rock around it, so I'd have been too worried about ending up hurtling down the valley on a slab of snow, willy coyote style!

I though about Lairig Eilde but believe there a scrambly bit called 'the notch'? on that route so decided against as I was by myself.

I think there may be tricky bits near the summit if descending via Beinn Fhada? is that where the notch is?
I wasn't planning that way.....was thinking of descending south then south east to the col below point 778 on the map, then down to the Lairig Eilde

jac - paradoxicaly I would likely be a bit bolder on my own, as I know my own limits, but I'm with a group of varied experience and I don't want to lead people down something that might freak someone else out...

Your right I think the bit I read about was on the Beinn Fhada route, looking at descriptions. There are some descriptions of the route you mention that sound better. I did the wh route in reverse, looking for alternatives as I went up. It might stand out more from the top, heading down.
Like you I wouldn't be comfortable leading folk on a tricky bit. Happy to watch an experienced guinea pig do it first though By my self I'm pretty confident, but tend to stay more within my comfort zone. I have a fear of being 'that person' in the news paper, having done something stupid

ha ha Jac....we sound quite similar in our thinking!

I've bee down the Beinn Fadha route. There's a small scrambly bit coming down off the top of Stob Coire Sgreamhach. Whether it's a problem or not depends on how much you like scrambling. It didn't bother me at all. It's possible to find your way down from Beinn Fadha into the lost valley *if* you can find the "path", which is really just a scree chute and not all that nice.

Just to confirm that the descent SE off Sgreamhach to the 741m col and then NE into the Lairig Eilde is straightforward.
The route off Beinn Fhada into the Lost Valley starts from the col before the 823m top. It is quite steep and there are a couple of little rock bands to scramble down. This route is better done in ascent - it starts a couple of hundred metres beyond the point where the main path descends to the floor of the Lost Valley.
In ascent, it's easy to miss the best line on the "notch" section - traverse L from the col a short way then cut back hard right up a cleft.

Thanks Jmarkb and Bob - the SE route is probably the way to go as we are a mixed group

has anyone been up in the last week or so and can update on the snow situation??

Thanks!

Hi folks,

I'm after a bit of advise on this route please. The Mrs and me are plannin on doing this at the end of July, we'd hoped to incorporate a wild camp in the Hidden Valley on the way down/up depending on what you knowledgeable folks of WH say.

My question is... is the descent route into Coire Gabhail a bit treacherous with large backpacks? We've done a fair bit of backpacking in the lakes so are no strangers to big loads and steep slopes but wouldn't want to much of a scramble. We did Tryfan in March with day bags and both agreed this would be too tough with larger packs on. Reading other peoples thoughts on the descent, some say it's fine, others say it can proove a bit tricky.

Would it be wiser to reverse the WH route? Ascend via the Hidden Valley and descend back into Coire Nan Lochan?

Thanks in advance for any response, love the website by the way, long time lurker but haven't posted much.

Josh

I was on Bidean on 29th May & there was still snow backed up for about 500 feet at the path to the Lost Valley. This made it pretty tricky to descend. It was manageable by scrambling down to the right of the snow as you look from the top, but the earth & moss were steep & pretty slippy.

I stuck on my microspikes & get down no bother at all. I carried a 22l day pack & it did hamper me on a couple of occasions getting down. I'm pretty sure I'd have struggled carrying anything much larger.

Obviously that was a month ago so it should be clearer. When I was there, the snow was worse that in the pictures above & reached right up to the plateau. At that time, reversing the route would've had the same issues I fear.

Good luck.

Bruce