Walkhighlands

I see you have a really high opinion of me!

now,now boys calm it down

Having been asked about the correct way to walk to Essan, I've now produced a wee map:



For most of the way there is no path. However the Creagan an t-Sagairt / Creag Dearg ridge is dry and fairly easy going with good views all around. Note that the drop down to Essan is quite steep!

Hi Essan. What about going in from the east utilising part of the WH route to the Corbett Beinn Mhic Cedidh?
something like this (see below). Any idea what these burns are like to cross generally? I've been looking at a few routes in there taking in the bothy but avoiding the railway. Cheers

How about a train to Glenfinnan, then climb Beinn Odhar Mhor, follow the ridge SW then NW to Beinn Mhic Cedidh (there might be a way up from the shore of loch Shiel). From that summit, descend along the north ridge and turn NW at a col and drop down to the loch will put you a couple of hundred meters from the bothy. I won't claim this is the easiest or best route but you do get to knock off a couple of Corbets en-route.

If the route turns out to be awful, just tell yourself it is character building.

Here is the route I took on 11/11/19 it took about 2 hours from bothy to the road without going on the railway line.


Trip report below.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=93889

Both the high level routes you indicate are torturous. That is really rough hill ground and plagued with tussock grass below 1000ft.

The easiest route would be from the west end of Loch Eil crossing at Arienskill and walking low level adjacent, but not on, the railway track. Bracken, which plagues this route in the summer, is dead so progress is easier. Not that you would use the railway because that’s illegal but it’s worth noting that there is plenty untimetabled railway traffic using the line to catch out the unwary.

As for rats, the only rodents you will encounter at Essan is the odd mouse and their numbers are relatively low compared what they used to be in recent years due to ongoing work to the fabric of the bothy, and the regular removal of rubbish.

Be advised that there is little fuel to be found in the vicinity of the bothy so best take something for the fire, and it is quite popular, especially at weekends.

Please complete a bothy report after your stay to keep the MBA informed as to it’s condition.

Bourach

Hi Bourach. I've already been. The high level route in from the east was fine (see above map). From the road all the way up to the col there is a rough argo track which passes under the railway and has a bridge not marked on the map across the Allt a' choire Bhuidhe. From the col down to the bothy if you take the right line on the right bank of the burn the ground is fine if a little bit rough in places - normal corbett territory. I had a look at the route you suggest in part and it looks horrendous, I reckon anyone who has tried it would have ended up on the railway line at some point.
How do you get across the water at Arieniskill at the start?

On the MBA website it suggests coming in over the high ground from Lochailort - this is fairly new advice, as it wasnt there when I checked earlier this year. I dont know what that route is like but it's a lot longer than the eastern approach.

We carried in around 8 kilos of coal and a couple of fire logs. There was quite a bit of driftwood (if that's the right word) from the river lying about and we used some of that also.
As you say not many mice, we did hear one but only once.

If you want to walk in avoiding the railway completely, the eastern approach over the top is the quickest and easiest option I would say. Some fantastic views also and very enjoyable if you take the right line down to the bothy.
All the best.

This no longer works

I once got dropped off by a train. Quite a leap of faith in the dark as the line is raised.

Sunset tripper wrote:How do you get across the water at Arieniskill at the start?

The only way is to cross the railway bridge (not advised) - there's actually an old gate in the fence that would have once provided estate access to the hill, just over the bridge.

On the MBA website it suggests coming in over the high ground from Lochailort - this is fairly new advice, as it wasnt there when I checked earlier this year. I don't know what that route is like but it's a lot longer than the eastern approach.

That's cos I only recently added it Partly in response to requests on how to get there. It's the same as the map I produced a while ago, a few posts back.

If you want to walk in avoiding the railway completely, the eastern approach over the top is the quickest and easiest option I would say. Some fantastic views also and very enjoyable if you take the right line down to the bothy.
All the best.

The eastern approach is certainly possible and of course the argocat track and bridge under the railway does help - but you do need a bit of luck in finding the best line down from the col and I personally think the Creagan an t-Sagairt route to easier. Also, easier to find a safe place to park in LA. Coming by train obviously also makes more sense from that direction too, especially as these days the the train drivers are less likely to make an unscheduled stop

Thanks for the info Essan. Your route looks a good option though a lot longer than the route from the east. How long does it take you walking in from Lochailort over the hills?

Its also possible to cross the railway legally using one of the tunnels at the east end near the hill access point.


I think if I revisit I will try the canoe option

There is a rough parking area directly across the loch from the bothy which looks like a popular launching area for the short crossing.


cheers

Thanks Sunset Tripper - that is exactly the picture I was wanting to see. If I can book out a cooncil minibus and get my hands on one of the school canoes, that crossing looks very doable.

No problem Graeme. I would risk going across on a boat myself on a good day. It would be great for taking in coal and crates of beer with minimal effort . I take my hat off to the couple whose entry in the log book told of how they swam across to stay at the bothy.

Hope this works. I have tried to link the google street view travelling west showing the parking space next to where the canoe in the photo was sitting.
A830
https://maps.app.goo.gl/dRd5xAkRAWdigbNZ7

All the best when you go for it.

Sunset tripper wrote: I take my hat off to the couple whose entry in the log book told of how they swam across to stay at the bothy.

I wonder if that was Mountainlove and her fella!!!???

Your line of thought regarding the coal and the crates of beer is very much like my own!

Sunset tripper wrote:Thanks for the info Essan. Your route looks a good option though a lot longer than the route from the east. How long does it take you walking in from Lochailort over the hills?

About a couple of hours. To be honest, I don't think many people actually do walk in that way though.

But it's quite common for people to pull up off the road just before Ranochan and launch a canoe or kayak from there. And only takes a few minutes to paddle over as long as the weather is good.