walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Bla Bheinn

Bla Bheinn


Postby chieftain41 » Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:26 am

Route description: Blà Bheinn (Blaven)

Munros included on this walk: Blà Bheinn

Date walked: 29/07/2010

Time taken: 4.5 hours

Distance: 10.5 km

Ascent: 1000m

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

I grew up on Skye but never once set foot in the Cuillins. I decided that now was the time to change this. Reading about the Cuillins it all sounded pretty scary but as a novice Bla Bheinn seemed managable. My walking companion Brian and myself were on a two day trip with a stay over in Portree. After doing A' Chralaig and Mullach Fraoch Choire day one and having a wee pub crawl in Portree that night. We set off for Bla Bheinn the next day, but not before visiting MacKenzie's Bakery in Portree for some magnificent bacon and black pudding rolls :) . After turning off at Broadford onto the Elgol road, we found ourselves on a single track road. After about 4 miles our car rounded a corner and there in front of us was the magnificent but imposing sight of Bla Bheinn. Myself and Brian looked at each other wondering what we had let ourlelves in for and for a brief moment considered turning back. My experience so far of Munros were hills that had grass and heathery slopes, this looked like a scary MOUNTAIN!
Photo0826.jpg
View from Torrin across Loch Slapin to Bla Bheinn
We arrived at the car park just before 11am and set off back along the road and over the bridge. The path headed along the right bank of the river towards the hill. The path is very good and easy to follow.
Photo0829.jpg
Soon the path neared a waterfall.
Photo0834.jpg
Blaven Panoramic.jpg
Brian wondering how on earth we are going to get to the summit!
The path crosses the crystal clear river over some stepping stones and headed into Coire Uaigneich.
Photo0840.jpg
Here you have to cross the river again and the path starts to become more scree like and starts to gain height.
Photo0845.jpg
From reading other reports, this path goes into a gulley but if you stay on it you will miss the path striking up to the right. On the way back down, Brian and myself decided to mark, for other walkers, a small cairn, so they don't waste time like we did looking for the way up.
Photo0942.jpg
As you look up, the way is not evident but there is a rocky outcrop and the path goes to the left of it.
Photo0944.jpg
The path now zig zags up the hill.
Photo0860.jpg
After a while you reach a stone chute which requires a little bit of scrambling.
Photo0865.jpg
Photo0866.jpg
Taking a breather after scrambling up the chute.
The path now started to level off.
Photo0875.jpg
Photo0874.jpg
Brian with the Islands of Soay and Rum in the background.
There were great views of the Red Cullins.
Photo0882.jpg
As we neared the summit, I was worried that we might need to do some serious scrambling, luckily this was not the case.
Photo0883.jpg
Near the summit there were some great views but higher up the top was covered in mist.
Photo0886.jpg
As we approached the summit, the mist was down to about 50 ft.
Photo0889.jpg
Munro number 5 completed after 2 hours. We were disappointed with the view as there was none. I had seen photos of the view online but was disappointed that we could not see the main Cuillin Ridge.
Photo0893.jpg
We stopped and had lunch and after 20 minutes we were packing up and resigning ourselves to the fact that we would miss out on a spectactular view and were just about to head back down, when as if by magic, the clouds started to part, like someone was opening a curtain,to reveal the main ridge. WOW what a sight! :D
Photo0913.jpg
Photo0917.jpg
Photo0927.jpg
Photo0929.jpg
Soon the clound curtain closed again but we were happy that we had got a glimpse on the Cuillin Ridge. We decided to have a look at the route to the south summit but decided against taking that route down, instead we headed back down the way we came.
Photo0933.jpg
On the way down, we avoided the scrambling chute and veered right to go down a scree gully.
Photo0940.jpg
4 and a half hours later we were back at the car park having completed what we thought was going to be a scary climb but turned out to be an enjoyable walk with some spectacular views.
Attachments
Photo0945.jpg
chieftain41
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 41
Munros:45   Corbetts:4
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Jul 22, 2010

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby dooterbang » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:08 am

Enjoyed reading this.

I thought i was bad that i have been to Skye 4 times and not bagged a Munro or Corbett - feel better that you grew up there and never once ventured to the Cuillins.

Good idea to build a little cairn marking the path upwards.

Glad you got some views of the ridge.
User avatar
dooterbang
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 1828
Munros:262   Corbetts:58
Fionas:18   Donalds:10
Sub 2000:10   Hewitts:18
Wainwrights:21   Islands:19
Joined: Oct 27, 2009
Location: Isle of Skye from Feb 2019 (Originally Glasgow)

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby chieftain41 » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:23 pm

Thanks dooterbang, Next time you are on Skye do Bla Bheinn, its a great walk with some fantastic views. At the summit we met a couple who were heading down along with their 9 year old. If she can do it anyone can.
Words cannot describe the feeling we got, when the clouds parted and allowed us to see the magnificent main ridge. :D
chieftain41
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 41
Munros:45   Corbetts:4
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Jul 22, 2010

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby Gable Gable End » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:44 pm

im planning on this next month on my visit :)
User avatar
Gable Gable End
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 568
Munros:64   Corbetts:6
Fionas:4   
Sub 2000:7   
Joined: Apr 28, 2009
Location: Houston, TX

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby monty » Tue Mar 15, 2011 7:19 pm

Nice report. Brought back some memories. We had blazing sunshine when we don it though :D
monty
 

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby chieftain41 » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:11 pm

Gable Gable End wrote:im planning on this next month on my visit :)

Hope you get the weather for it as the views at the summit is stunning.
chieftain41
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 41
Munros:45   Corbetts:4
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Jul 22, 2010

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby chieftain41 » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:12 pm

monty wrote:Nice report. Brought back some memories. We had blazing sunshine when we don it though :D

I enjoyed it and it is one I wouldn't mind doing again.
chieftain41
Mountain Walker
 
Posts: 41
Munros:45   Corbetts:4
Sub 2000:1   
Joined: Jul 22, 2010

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby walk aboot » Tue Mar 15, 2011 10:17 pm

That's a great report and photos, chieftain41 :)
User avatar
walk aboot
 
Posts: 2465
Munros:36   Corbetts:4
Donalds:1
Hewitts:2
Wainwrights:2   Islands:27
Joined: Feb 12, 2009
Location: Glasgow

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby Caberfeidh » Wed Mar 16, 2011 5:46 pm

Excellent report and description, also impressive photos! Can I be pedantic and point out that the islands in that photo are not Soay and Rum but Eigg and Rum ~ Soay is much smaller and tucked in near the coast of Skye between Camasunary and Loch Brittle. You never know, some ship-based Walkhighlands person might use this as a navigational aid and end up severely off-course!
User avatar
Caberfeidh
Stravaiging
 
Posts: 8367
Joined: Feb 5, 2009

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby Crawler » Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:34 pm

those are fantastic photos!
Crawler
Bird-watcher
 
Posts: 39
Joined: Mar 14, 2011

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby audreywaugh » Fri Mar 18, 2011 10:42 am

Excellent report and photos, been wanting to do this since we went up Marsco last year, thought it looked like a really hard walk, exposed scramble, ropes etc, then I read a few reports and saw it isn't anything like that! Can't wait to get up and get those views (please lets have a view??) for myself now! 8)
User avatar
audreywaugh
Wanderer
 
Posts: 193
Munros:196   Corbetts:46
Fionas:14   Donalds:13
Sub 2000:25   Hewitts:48
Wainwrights:47   Islands:20
Joined: May 10, 2009
Location: Glasgow

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby MisSheryl » Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:16 pm

chieftain41 wrote:Thanks dooterbang, Next time you are on Skye do Bla Bheinn, its a great walk with some fantastic views. At the summit we met a couple who were heading down along with their 9 year old. If she can do it anyone can.
Words cannot describe the feeling we got, when the clouds parted and allowed us to see the magnificent main ridge. :D


I hadn't planned on trying this one on my trip in August, but you make it seem like anyone can do it...:-) Did you see any swimming holes to jump into?
MisSheryl
Ambler
 
Posts: 10
Joined: Jan 8, 2012

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby Redrock » Sun Jan 22, 2012 10:27 pm

Bla Bheinn is a great mountain and you've caught it really well on your pictures! :D Amazing that you got that cloud break at just the right time! Great! 8)
User avatar
Redrock
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 245
Munros:164   Corbetts:11
Fionas:3   Donalds:5
Sub 2000:8   
Joined: Nov 30, 2010
Location: Cowdenbeath

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby johnkaysleftleg » Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:30 pm

Me my wife and daughter are on them pics :D I'm sure we had a bit of a chat on the way down.

Edit: Just read an earlier post and that 9 year old was my daughter. Not only did she make it to the top but it's her favourite mountain, she loved it.
User avatar
johnkaysleftleg
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 3340
Munros:25   Corbetts:11
Fionas:11   Donalds:3
Sub 2000:7   Hewitts:172
Wainwrights:214   Islands:8
Joined: Jan 28, 2009
Location: County Durham

Re: Bla Bheinn

Postby L-Hiking » Mon Jan 23, 2012 12:44 pm

Thanks for the report Cheiftain

My wife Carol and I ventured this way in September, but no views at the top

Wonderful idea the small cairn, wish it had been there in September :lol: :lol:

I think it should be known as the Cheifton Cairn!!! :clap: :clap:
User avatar
L-Hiking
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 545
Munros:78   Corbetts:8
Fionas:2   
Sub 2000:2   Hewitts:141
Wainwrights:214   
Joined: Aug 30, 2010
Location: York, North Yorkshire

3 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

Next



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: Christine Maclean, Mogwai82 and 74 guests