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After an aborted multi-day camp the day before, due to atrocious conditions underfoot, plus rain and low cloud
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=120480, I found myself on the A86 near Loch Laggan needing something to redeem the trip. With the weather clearly improving, I decided on a long walk-in and out along the Ardverikie Estate tracks to attempt the four Munros of the Geal-Charn ridge, though I had the option planned of a descent off of Geal-Charn (the 3rd), if an earlier escape was needed. It turned out to be a stunner of a day, with ever-changing landscapes and terrain, and endless skies. Definitely retrieved the trip!
- Crossing the Spean River at 7am - looking really promising!
- On the estate track looking towards the Bealach Leamhain. The sky looking a bit different to my earlier visit 2 days ago
- Big spaces on the moorland and the sky was opening up as I gained height across the estate, beautiful light in the early morning and a perfect temperature with little wind (but enough to keep the midges down)
- The ruins of Lubvan. My OS map shows the track ending about here, but it has been extended about 2 km or so
- The first objective Beinn Eibhinn coming into view with the waterfalls on the Allt Cam in the foreground
- The extended track up towards the stepping stones on the Allt Cam (though not quite reaching them). Definitely an option on a mountain bike
- Once over the Allt Cam at the stepping stones (most of which were underwater when I crossed, needing some theatrics), the path is hard to discern and peters out altogether shortly after a post marker, just visible in the photo centre here, that is a good marker to aim for.
- The going here is rough moorland. I opted to go up Coire Gorm (centre photo), with the idea of maybe heading up the ridge on the left (E) of the coire
- Looking back down the route from the Coire Gorm, with the Creag Meagaidh massive behind. Do we call that 'partly cloudy'?!
- On closer inspection, the ridge on the east side of the coire looked a bit too serious without any other information on it, so I decided against that option
- ...and instead headed up into the back of the coire and the low point onto the broad ridgeline
- On the ridge, the views opened up to Rannoch moor, Loch Treig, and (here) Loch Ossian. In fact, endless mountain views all round
- And to the other side, Coire a' Charra Mhoir, with the next objectives, Aonach Beag and Geal-Charn in the background
- The SE summit of Beinn Eibhinn, looking back towards the designated summit to the NW (though they are both at 1102m on the OS map)
- Looking SE towards Loch Ericht and the Bealach Cumhann
- and along the ridge to Aonach Beag and Geal-Charn
- The wandering upper pathway of the Uisge Labhair to the SE
- The huge expanse of the Coire a' Charra Mhoir
- The summit cairn of Aonach Beag, looking towards the An Lairig and Beinn Chlachair to the NE. It's a straightforward walk along the ridgeline to reach this point, with a few places needing care on the descent, but no hands-on scrambling.
- Coire na Coichille
- Approaching the summit cairn of Geal-Charn
- The slightly disorientating summit plateau of Geal-Charn, with the summit of Carn Dearg just peeking out to point the way. It had been a breathtaking day up till now and I had no intention of taking the early exit route I had planned from here
- The ridge of Aisre Ghobhainn, with the Loch Coire Cheap to the left and Loch an Sgoir to the right, and Carn Dearg in the background
- Loch an Sgoir, with the impressive crags od Sgorr Lutharn behind
- Summit cairn of Carn Dearg, with the way back along the An Lairig in the background
- The descent across the NW flank of Carn Dearg, with the other Geal Charn in the background
- Down in the An Lairig, which feels a bit like the Lost World. Here near the bealach the path was fairly distinct, but petered out towards the west
- And even where the path was obvious it wasn't always easy going in these conditions after a long wet summer
- The boulder-strewn Dubh Lochan
- There were a lot of remnants of ancient forest in the western end of the An Lairig
- In places, whole graveyards of trees
- I was able to choose an easier crossing of the Allt Cam higher up, but it was still a long and hard trek along the western end of the An Lairig, an I was relieved to eventually reach the abrupt transition onto the gravelled track for the still long and arduous journey back along the estate tracks to the A86
- Binnein Shuas looking impressive compared to Creag Meagaidh in the background on the way back down the Allt Cam.
Overall, this was an exceptional day out on the hills, with the weather gods being highly benevolent. Lets hope it stays that way for a while and we get a good Autumn. Definitely one to remember!
