A weekend in Strathfarrar

[Benaden887]

A weekend in Strathfarrar day one 30/04/1994
Carn nan Gobhar, Sgurr na Lapaich, An Riabhachan, An Socash. 24.5k 1880m 11hrs
The club has permission for a flexible timetable in the glen.
I drive Andy Alan and Sarah up Glen Cannich to a rented static caravan for a Munro bashing w/e. We debunk the gear food and sleeping bags, trigger the electrics, water an fridge then head for Cannich hotel to meet Davy and Joe. They've been staying at the village campsite since Tuesday and are keen to join our party. An early night and start finds us crossing the Morar and narrow Loichel dam to park at the Glen Loichel power station. Breaking daylight shows heavy snowfall on this side of the glen, not a good sign for our return leg. We gear up, cross river trees and a large wet area for the twin tops of Creag Dubh, a Munro top and Carn nan Gobhar @ 992m. The goat hill. The cairn is somewhat below the height of the actual top, a problem for the purists on a claggy day. Unusually, another Gobhar lies 14km NE of here in the Strathfarrar four, with the same name and same height. Back to the game. The day is cold but dry with a brisk E wind that should be behind us all the way as yet no heat in the sun. The snow lies around the 600m mark but lesser on the south facing side being it catches the most rays. The shapely white cone of Lapaich is the highest point on our route. Its two large cories cannot fail but catch your eye, a lochan in each guarded by Sgurr nan Clachan Geala, a Munro top; to combine this with Carn a Gobhar would from Loch Mullardoch give a decent round. Down NW to a col, Alan and Sarah break trail on a broad E ridge that narrows into a scramble as we climb. Meet the clag at 950m then find the cairn and OS trig of Sgurr na Lapaich @ 1093m. The clag has a damp feel to it so a quick break, to follow the trailbreakers down to a col above Loch Mor and gawp at the crags around it. A 300m climb gains the NE cairn of An Riabhachan wi an easy half k walk to its cairn @1129m. It`s a longer haul out for the SW top @ 1086m the route being a downhill 2km. There`s great views on either side but also an urgency to get this done with. Dogleg N and at the 1040m top we can see the greenery around a Pait lodge pinned onto a painted Loch Morar. A wee pause here to determine our route back. Descend into Bealach a Bolla then climb the other side for an OS trig point and final cairn of An Socash @1069m. Congrats all round now only a 10km trek to get back to our transport. Return to the bealach then plough thro deep snows on the side of Coire Gorm Mor skidding and sliding towards Clach an Damh and the Alt Fheadain. Some 5Km later we have a track beside the river and follow this past several waterfalls back to the cars. The return to our howf was quiet not til later in a noisy bar were we able to boast of our exploits. So heres to tomorrow.