South Glenshiel Ridge 4 Eastern munros
Posted: Wed Apr 28, 2021 8:38 pm
Sitting having breakfast at home, I was still trying to decide where to go mid morning. Weather conditions were excellent everywhere, the only potential challenges would be snow remaining on very high ground, and river/burn crossings anywhere where snow melt was in full flow. It was very much a last minute decision to head for the Glenshiel area, and I was later kicking myself for not being more organised about it and getting the whole ridge done in the near-perfect conditions. But regrets aside, it was still a cracking day, and nice to find a good route to get up/down the ridge mid way and do a circular walk.
Anyway, parking in the almost-empty small parking area just east of the Cluanie Inn I still wasn't entirely sure if I'd get a munro done, maybe 2 or 3, or just do the adjacent corbett Beinn Loinne instead. I decided to make my way up and make the choice further up. I took the longer route round the east side of Creag a'Mhaim to take the zig zagging path up as the shorter, steeper route branching off the track earlier had looked from a distance like it headed up into the underside of a cornice. The path made for a straightforward ascent to the first munro summit and I could see that the route along the ridge to the next summit was clear so I continued on.
Druim Shionnach, munro number 2, was duly summited and I was really enjoying the walk. With no inclination to head down, I continued on to number 3, Aonach Air Chrith. By now I was regretting not looking up the bus times along the A87 for either the start or end of the walk and setting off earlier in order to do the full ridge. I also wasn't rationing the 2 litres of water I'd taken with me so that was also far too depleted by now to last another 4 munros. Still, it would last to the next one I decided. I took the steep rocky down bit very carefully; I'd only seen one other person on the ridge all day (he'd been going west to east) so didn't fancy my chances of help if I slipped!
At munro number 4, Maol Chinn-Dearg, I reluctantly had to accept this would be the end of the ridge for me today. I sat and had my sandwich, loathe to descend, and studied the map, checking that I was at a good place for getting back down to the A87. The map looked like Druim Coire nan Eirecheanach was as good a route as any to leave the ridge around here, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a worn path leading down, confirming it as a suitable up/down option (my map just showed the dotted line of a path at the bottom, not heading all the way up to the main ridge).
It was a tough descent on the knees, then the zig zag path towards the bottom half helped ease the gradient. Somehow though, I failed to take a zig after a zag, or a zag after a zig and lost the perfectly good, clear path. It's a skill I have. I was low enough down by now not to really care, I could easily head to the road still, but I did end up briefly in a steep sided gully before deciding the sound of fast running water in an adjoining gully was a much more appealing option for refilling a water bottle. After downing half a litre of Glenshiel Snow Melt 2021 vintage far too fast and getting an ice cream headache, I was off again, joining the path marked on the map and up onto the grass verge of the A87.
A walk alongside a main road is never a great option, but it was surprisingly benign on this occasion - the last week of little traffic on the road, an easy grass verge to walk on all the way from this point, and resurfacing work being done overnight meant that 30mph restrictions were still in place during the day so anything that did pass passed me slowly.
So back at the car in under 7 hours for 4 munros, a brilliant day, and actually a good, easily manageable route if you want to be self sufficient with transport and not use a second car, bus or bike as would probably be needed if doing the whole length of the ridge.
Shame I was working the next day otherwise I'd have been back to do the remaining three munros immediately!
Anyway, parking in the almost-empty small parking area just east of the Cluanie Inn I still wasn't entirely sure if I'd get a munro done, maybe 2 or 3, or just do the adjacent corbett Beinn Loinne instead. I decided to make my way up and make the choice further up. I took the longer route round the east side of Creag a'Mhaim to take the zig zagging path up as the shorter, steeper route branching off the track earlier had looked from a distance like it headed up into the underside of a cornice. The path made for a straightforward ascent to the first munro summit and I could see that the route along the ridge to the next summit was clear so I continued on.
Druim Shionnach, munro number 2, was duly summited and I was really enjoying the walk. With no inclination to head down, I continued on to number 3, Aonach Air Chrith. By now I was regretting not looking up the bus times along the A87 for either the start or end of the walk and setting off earlier in order to do the full ridge. I also wasn't rationing the 2 litres of water I'd taken with me so that was also far too depleted by now to last another 4 munros. Still, it would last to the next one I decided. I took the steep rocky down bit very carefully; I'd only seen one other person on the ridge all day (he'd been going west to east) so didn't fancy my chances of help if I slipped!
At munro number 4, Maol Chinn-Dearg, I reluctantly had to accept this would be the end of the ridge for me today. I sat and had my sandwich, loathe to descend, and studied the map, checking that I was at a good place for getting back down to the A87. The map looked like Druim Coire nan Eirecheanach was as good a route as any to leave the ridge around here, and I was pleasantly surprised to find a worn path leading down, confirming it as a suitable up/down option (my map just showed the dotted line of a path at the bottom, not heading all the way up to the main ridge).
It was a tough descent on the knees, then the zig zag path towards the bottom half helped ease the gradient. Somehow though, I failed to take a zig after a zag, or a zag after a zig and lost the perfectly good, clear path. It's a skill I have. I was low enough down by now not to really care, I could easily head to the road still, but I did end up briefly in a steep sided gully before deciding the sound of fast running water in an adjoining gully was a much more appealing option for refilling a water bottle. After downing half a litre of Glenshiel Snow Melt 2021 vintage far too fast and getting an ice cream headache, I was off again, joining the path marked on the map and up onto the grass verge of the A87.
A walk alongside a main road is never a great option, but it was surprisingly benign on this occasion - the last week of little traffic on the road, an easy grass verge to walk on all the way from this point, and resurfacing work being done overnight meant that 30mph restrictions were still in place during the day so anything that did pass passed me slowly.
So back at the car in under 7 hours for 4 munros, a brilliant day, and actually a good, easily manageable route if you want to be self sufficient with transport and not use a second car, bus or bike as would probably be needed if doing the whole length of the ridge.
Shame I was working the next day otherwise I'd have been back to do the remaining three munros immediately!