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You're not going to get any pretty pictures this week, so you might as well have a catchy tune instead...King Creosote's new album's out at the start of next month.
https://youtu.be/Qeld8P4Rd_8?si=97wzU-jxSfbz5vpMI had a range of plans for this weekend, based on whatever the weather was going to throw at us. First on the list was a trip to Rùm - well that was wiped out early on. Then I thought we might do stuff down near Glenelg and call in on the WH meet at Ratagan on Saturday night...the forecast became ever more awful so that was out too. And there was still stalking to consider. So I ended up looking at the two Corbetts on the east side of Loch Ness. Hopefully with some Simms added. When I read the advice about Carn a'Chulinn I decided it probably was best to just stick to the WH route rather than add on several Simms away over to the east. Just in case...
We set off into the rain on Thursday night, with no real idea where to camp near the route. Driving through Glencoe was really dreich with driving rain and wind…there was a couple getting their wedding photos taken with mountain backdrop, she in her wedding dress. Gotta admire the chutzpah of dissing the weather gods, but we felt really sorry for them. Ended up setting for a spot we use near Kinlochleven, which we reached as the twilight fell. The rain held off whilst we put the tent up, which was appreciated. No sea otter splashing nearby tonight - or if there was the sound of the wind and rain covered up their playful plashing. By morning the tent had dried off in the wind - the weather cloudy but at least not raining. A drive of an hour or so took us up to Fort Augustas and then across to the east shore of Loch Ness. Parking for this route is best done at the opening for the wind farm rather than the parking place suggested in the WH route - the two routes join up after a bit.
349C445F-E353-4DA1-A2B9-927AC6E7D769_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Some workers in vans, a few pheasants and partridges, the sky a beaten pewter colour with the possibility of the sun coming out later on. Up the track for a while, past the dam where there's a flat grassy bit used for parking various vehicles that would have been an ok camp spot, then more track until one reaches the hairpin bend where currently there are large piles of gravel. There's a faint ATV track leading up alongside Allt Coire an t-Seilich which leads into the coire itself - you want to head NW onto higher ground which eventually leads to the summit of Carn a'Chuillin. Some views today - down to Glen Roy and all the Carn Deargs and over to the Loch Lochy Munros. We took the advice re stalking and followed the ascent route on the way out. Probably easier than the WH return route anyway.
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Sunshine???
2E02EC23-938A-4AB3-9C17-542C2673D695_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Back at the car it was around 3pm - plenty of time to motor up the glen and arrive at Dunmaglass. We parked by the bins - the phone box marked on the map appears to have gone the way of most phone boxes and has disappeared. My route took in Carn na Saobhaidhe plus an adjacent Simm and a further half dozen Simms in the wind farm to the NE of the Corbett - some 50k, much of it on track. I thought Allison would be delighted at this prospect...
We packed our overnight sacks and set off into a darkening sky. Rain was forecast to start around 5pm and continue forever. We've been in this way three times before, so knew there were camping options on the flat grassy areas before the wind farm track starts urging you uphill. We also knew there would be about a million sheep around too. As we walked past the houses we met the stalker who drove by. He was young and friendly, asking if we were heading out to camp in the hills. He suggested we could always "camp inside one of the lunch huts" - which is what I heard, or "camp outside one of the tea houses" which is what she heard. Curious how we each heard something similar but different. Anyway we found a spot through a gate in the deer fence, which meant the sheep were all on the other side, and set up for the night, just as the rain began. Pretty quiet save for the occasional roaring stag.
BDABA76C-2853-41AC-B214-580FD05937D1_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Beinn Dubhcaraidh
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Al, on Flickr
It rained all night. Wet tent to fold away, having taken the inner out to keep dry. I'd looked at the map and reckoned it would be much quicker to just go straight up Beinn Dubhcaraidh from where we were rather than going away along the track to it. After a slightly dodgy beginning, soggy places, we got onto better ground and passed some incredible old beech trees, gnarled and lichen encrusted, but still in good health it seemed. After some time we made the summit cairn. The rain was heavier and we trudged along the track which led from the transmitter mast near the summit back to the wind farm track. It was then just a case of following the track to the top of Saobhaidhe. Or so we thought.
CEDF80A3-ABAE-46EC-A5B0-EA5B576F9E59_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
Large squirrel with small squirrels in a knapsack...
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Al, on Flickr
There are several places marked "ford" on the track. On previous excursions here there has been no difficulty getting across, but today it was white water everywhere and we had several lengthy detours upstream to find a place to cross these normally docile waters. We passed a spot we'd used to camp once, in a quarried out area. We continued on until we could see the chimney of a "tea house/lunch hut" up ahead. As it was now lunch time this was quite fortuitous. But would it be open? Allison tried the handle and - yes! open and nice dry seating inside. We shook off our wet clothes and had a much more enjoyable lunch than we'd have had outside in the heavy rain.
Lunch hut/Tea house
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Al, on Flickr
Trust me this is the top...
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Al, on Flickr
From the hut it was only a short distance to the summit. There's no cairn marking the actual top, so we wandered to the highest looking area inside the top ring contour and decided we were it. Then back down. The question of doing the other half dozen Simms had been playing on my mind since the morning. Rain was forecast to continue all night, it was quite windy up high and we'd have to find a camp spot in the wind farm area at around 700m elevation. With wet clothes and a wet tent. Maybe not such a smart idea. Why don't we just head down, camp somewhere nearish to the car and do something else tomorrow? Deal!
On the way down I slipped on a slick peat bed and took a tumble, ending up head first in the peat and having hit my left knee on a wicked lump of tree root lodged in the peat. It was very painful and I struggled to walk at first, but it seemed to help to keep walking. That was the final nail in the idea of the wind farm Simms. We descended back to the sheep area and found a spot beside the river, under some trees for "shelter" and set up the tent. It was just coming up to 5pm by this time - we had our tea then an early night, lying listening to the rain thrumming off the tent and the river flowing by.
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Al, on Flickr
Still raining when we got up, though not as heavily as it had been. I had thought we might head over to Dorback Lodge for Geal Charn, the nearest remaining Corbett I had to where we were. However, the amber Met Office warning for rain had moved to the north east and was lying over Nether Bridge. Looking at the map for the Geal Charn route, there were several river/stream crossings involved so that was a big No! What else could we do that was near/on the way home and didn't have river crossings to worry about? I ended up with Meall Mor down at Glencoe, which was on forestry track for some of the way up and shouldn't be too demanding in the conditions. We packed up the sopping wet tent and walked back along the road to the car, noting the amount the river beside us had risen during the night and the speed with which it was flowing.
River rise
5B757688-26F1-4659-9F24-0DEBC620079A_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
A very wet drive down the road, lots of surface water. We arrived at Glencoe Visitor Centre (shut) at around 11am and got kitted up for more wet weather walking. Actually it wasn't that rainy when we set off. My knee was feeling not too bad after yesterday's knock - a little bit burny at times but not the deep ache I'd feared. Onto the looping forestry track which zigs and zags its way up through the trees, crossing gushing streams. We stopped at one of those for lunch. I find it difficult to think when I'm sitting by a noisy stream - it's as if all my thoughts get washed away by the water flow. Empty headed I continued up hill, forgetting that the track only goes halfway to the summit and the there's a steep grassy pull of about 200m to be done after going through the soggy residue of felled trees. But it was merely drizzling and there was some visibility, so what care did we have? Last time we'd come up here it had been blowing a gale and progress to the summit had been challenging - today it was fine.
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Al, on Flickr
Lunch spot - my thoughts washed away
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
We kissed the cairn and set off back the way we'd come up. The rain, which had taken pity on us for a while, started up again - soon the heavens were opening once more and we were getting pretty drookit. A reason to march quickly back to the car. The adventure had taken us 4 hours, meaning that we'd be home in time for tea...if the roads were passable. There was indeed a lot of water on the way down - Loch Lomond was as high up the bonnie banks as we'd seen and the waterfall coming down by Inversnaid Hotel was something else. But the roads were actually alright and we made reasonable time
2C7B99DD-0FF5-453E-926C-CD66449460C1_1_201_a by
Al, on Flickr
