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After a couple of days near Loch Rannoch and in the Drumochter Pass, I headed to Ben Alder for the main event of the trip, a camp-hike to try to complete the western and southern Munros of the range. The first stage was to eBike in along the forestry tracks from near Moy on the A86 and set up camp on the Uisge Labhair, just above the hydro works above the Corrour Lodge:
- Beautiful views from the campsite, with Loch Ossian below
- And the bike stashed in the garage
After setting up the camp I headed up the glen for the first round of Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil:
- It was quite boggy and fairly hard going, but a pleasant walk up the Uisge Labhair, with the weather looking promising (as forecasted)
- The going got a lot harder on the pathless heather and bog up the steep western flank of Ben Alder
- After reaching the shoulder and above the heather, the going got a lot easier and the views spectacular - here Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn across the glen
- It was still a surprisingly long way across the Ben Alder plateau to reach the summit
- The poor old trig point has seen a few hard days
- Fabulous views in all directions from the substantial summit cairns
- Looking down the precipitous eastern face of Ben Alder onto Loch a' Bhealach Beithe and Beinn Bheoil
- On the steep descent from Sron Bealach Beithe - with a well-camouflaged ptarmigan
- The eastern face of Ben Alder and the Loch a' Bhealach Beithe from the ridge up to Beinn Bheoil
- Looking north toward Beinn Bheoil and Loch Ericht
- Looking back down to the Sron Coire na H'Iolaire
- Beautiful views again from the Beinn Bheoil summit
- I dropped down to the south to Alder Bay, with Ben Alder Cottage in what must be one of the most picturesque settings for a bothy. Unfortunately I didn't have time to pay a visit, needing to get up the long (about 5 km), but fairly gentle slope to the Bealach Cummhan
- The path has been well maintained and it was a very pleasant afternoon walk up along the Alder Burn
- After reaching the bealach, I had to re-cross the pathless moorland and get back over the Uisge Labhair to regain the path back down to camp along the burn. Much easier in descent and I managed to avoid most of the water features
- Unfortunately the next day I forgot my phone so don't have any photos of the ascent of Sgor Gaibhre and Carn Dearg until I got back down to break camp, although the clag was in for the whole day so there wasn't much to see.
- I then moved camp up to the Allt Feith Thuill, just above Strathossian House and gave my poor feet a good airing and some running blister repairs
- The next day the cloud was still low when I set off on the long trod up the pathless and boggy northern ridge of Beinn na Lap
- This was one of the least enjoyable legs of the trip, with the clag down most of the way and the ascent and descent looking about the same (this was on the descent but you couldn't really tell, except it hurt less)
- It's an impressive beehive of a summit cairn
- After retracing my route back down, I crossed the boggy moorland across the Allt Feith Thuill and a rising traverse across more pathless terrain towards Meall Dhearcaig
- I met the cloud base again as I reached the broad ridgeline, but with some signs of breaks in the cloud
- Plenty of these around, enjoying the weather a lot more than I was
- Suddenly (but briefly)the cloud parted and the next destination, Chno Dearg, emerged from the mist
- But the clag was down again by the time I arrived at the summit
- Shortly after leaving the summit the cloud genuinely started to lift with the final summit Stob Coire Sgriodain coming in and out of view for the traverse
- With dramatic views opening up as I reached the very nordic-feeling summit ridgeline, with Loch Treig below
- Stob Coire Sgriodain
- Dramatic scenery for the lunch stop. Unfortunately the midgies were enjoying the views too so I had to make it a quick stop
- I came down the Ghlas Coire southeast of Chno Dearg, back to the campsite
- Time to pack up the camp and make the very quick descent down the forest tracks back to Moy
It was a wonderful day on Ben Alder on the Sunday, then two iffy days for the southeastern Munros in the group. It was getting pretty hard work in the clag on Monday and most of Tuesday, so I was really glad to see the sky again for the last summit, which gave a dramatic finale to the trip. Overall, it was a lot of climbing long, pathless, boggy terrain that would be better done in drier weather, but a great adventure 'off the beaten path'.
