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As we pass, some are anonymous, amorphous humps on the skyline. Innocuous shapes have become familiar on a head-long dash for matters more majestic further up the road. Others present a short, steep but reticent face to the carriageway, their tops close, but reluctant to claim the stature of those standing proud on a distant horizon. We know the names of some, underestimate the quality or challenge of many and, on occasion, discover that one offers more than had been previously assumed.
And so it was with Beinn Liath Mhor a Ghublais Li (forthwith known as BLMaGL).
Slumped alongside the A835, and briefly hiding behind its outlier, Meall Daimh, these slopes are easily dismissed as mere foreground interest leading to the Fannaich chain beyond. Alternatively, attention is understandably distracted by the Beinn Dearg group to the right or the prospect of An Teallach ahead, to say nothing of the persistent nutter seen in the rear-view mirror who has been desperate to overtake since before The Altguish.
- The Beinn Dearg group rises across the A835 and Glascarnoch - leaving from the car park south east of Torran Dubh
But, legs were stiffening after over four hours in the car. There was no pressing deadline. It was time to explore. Let’s see if the views live up to their promise.
While we’re at liberty to strike out on a bee-line of our own, to zig and zag at will, and plough our own furrows through hillsides clad with heather and bracken, it’s strange how we gravitate to the apparent security of tracks and paths. Yet, during this escapade on BLMaGL, there appeared to be no such constraints, apart from a vague suggestion on either side of the deer fence gate.
- BLMaGL from Meall Daimh
A simple route, aiming for a succession of skylines, cairns and then, the promise of a track through woodland below, all the time soaking in the horizons - if weather permits.
- The Fannaichs drift in and out of cloud from BLMaGL
- The descent over Cnap a Ghiubhais Li towards Torran Dubh, with Loch Droma in the background
- Beinn Dearg framed amidst the woodland on the way back to Torran Dubh
A bagger’s peak? Most probably.
Possessed of its own intrinsic value? Not without its surroundings and the views it offers.
Worthwhile? Yes, if only to stretch the legs and escape the beaten track.
