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What it lacks in Munro status, Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour more than makes up for in sheer dramatic impact: if ever Nature had designed and situated a mountain for maximum wow factor, this one would surely be up there amongst much loftier and probably more favoured peaks . On a clear day, driving down the A82 towards Glencoe village, the eye cannot help but be drawn across the ever-transient tidal waters of Loch Linnhe beyond the span of Ballachulish Bridge to the great rugged crown of peaks that entirely dominates the horizon. Even when the sun sinks ever lower in the Western sky, the mountain's craggy silhouette is alluring.
- Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour as seen from Invercoe
We've done it twice before, once in either direction, but not for a good 10 years or more so the time had come to reacquaint ourselves. My hubby, Stu, and I had arrived at The Red Squirrel on the Friday night and with a big day and an "active rest" day already under our belts, Monday was definitely looking the best day of the rest of the week; the forecast beyond wasn't exactly promising so Monday it was.
Having packed up all our food and drink the night before, we awoke to the sort of glorious sun and clear blue sky that makes a hill walker's heart sing in anticipation of the day's adventure ahead but my, it was chilly for June - it had dropped to around 5°C overnight! It warmed up enough for us to enjoy a quick breakfast outside the tent, listening to a cuckoo and enchanted by a young red deer that appeared softly and silently from nowhere before bounding effortlessly across the River Coe not 10' from where we were sitting.
As we drove through Glencoe village, the tops of Bheinn a' Bheithir were clear - always a good sign - and in the distance, the faintest wisps of cloud that were nestling amidst the corries of Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour were slowly pulling apart with every passing second... As if we weren't already looking forward to this walk, this more-than whetted our appetite
Typically we'd not long missed the Corran ferry and there was already a decent queue of traffic waiting but it wasn't long before we were on board for the short but intense crossing of the Corran Narrows. The ferry is an impressive piece of kit - even on such a short crossing you're acutely aware of the power needed and skill of the pilot to navigate these waters. From there, the road that closely hugs the shores of Loch Linnhe was a sheer delight - I don't think we encountered another vehicle in either direction up to the point where we parked the car shortly after a minor fork to the left just past Inversanda and the main branch the of road heads off to Strontian and beyond.
As has been mentioned in other reports, the start of the walk wasn't on the map (OS Landranger 40)...slightly frustrating but hey ho. It's also been mentioned that unlike the Munros, on Corbetts and other less-celebrated hills, paths are often indistinct and not well-maintained, if at all and so it proved today. We'd already decided on the clockwise circuit via Sron a' Garbh Choire Mhoir and after a bit of a look around, Stu found the start of the path, pretty well obscured so off we went. Back at the car, it had been a question of "Fleece on / fleece off?" with the stiff wind that had been whipping the surface of the Loch into a bouncy chop creating a real chill despite the sun but with the effort of picking our way up through what was essentially a quagmire, we didn't get far before the fleeces were off and stuffed in our packs.
There'd obviously been a fair old amount of rain in recent weeks. We were pretty much squelching our way upwards, two steps forward, one step back rather than walking, the "path" often indistinct and at times little more than one trickling little waterfall after another. It felt like a trug through mud, puddles and bogs (in fact just like being back at home in Yorkshire
) and we both commented that felt harder than we felt it should "considering it's not a Munro..."
Was it worth the effort? Oh yes! The view behind us more than compensated: if it were this good in the lower reaches, it could only get better the more height we gained.
- A tantalising glimpse of views to look forward to
Onwards and upwards we pressed. It might've been muddy, boggy, squelchy and hard work but somehow we were both still enjoying ourselves. The higher we climbed, the better the panorama, especially looking back towards Glencoe and across to the West, the tail end of Loch Sunart slowly came into view.
- The higher we climbed, the better the view.
It was with some relief that we eventually found ourselves on firmer ground as little by little, the bogs and quagmire gave way to grey, grippy gneiss that glittered in the sun. Sunning itself on one of the rocks, I spotted a stunning-looking moth - an Oak Eggar (I have to admit to needing to google that later back at camp
). It really was beautiful and a delight to see. It actually turned out to be a "courting pair" (blush...
) so we left them to it.
- A stunning Oak Eggar moth (and lady friend...)
As we followed the ridge, down to our right, the precipitous cliffs and crags that make this massif such a magnet for climbers dropped off into the glen below, through which the silver-blue streak of the Abhainn Coire an Iubhair snaked and on the opposite side of the burn, we gazed admiringly across to Sgorr Mhic Eacharna and Druim an Iubhair that we had to look forward to on our way down. By now, we'd a strong head wind in our faces but the firm ground underfoot made for considerably better going as we ascended the long ridge up to Sron a' Garbh Choire Mhoir (at this point I have to hold up my hand and admit that I'm slightly confused as it seems to be marked as Sron a' Garbh Choire Bhig on the map... any enlightenment gratefully received).
For whatever reason, I'd forgotten that we'd this top to conquer before Garbh Bheinn itself and when we arrived and saw Garbh Bheinn still some way off, I felt ever-so-slightly defeated. I'd not really been feeling 100% and had mentally prepared myself for this being "it," only to discover that "it" was a false summit of sorts.
- Oh...it's that one all the way over there...
I really should have known better - after all, what gives this massif its impressive profile / silhouette from Glencoe? Not just one peak...got it in one
.
Time to dig deep, "put the big girl pants on" and have a word with myself: - after all, I could have been stuck at work wishing I was here!
It actually looked worse than it was and on the grippy gneiss, our progress was good. Even the slight loss of altitude before the re-ascent to Garbh Bheinn didn't feel too much of a hardship and in every direction, the views were cracking - what a day for it! It made it all the sweeter when we did arrive.
- We finally made it!
- ...and my goodness, it was worth it.
- A grand rocky summit - a perfect lunch spot
On a day like today, the summit is such a fantastic place - with the cloud base well above the summits, the panorama was truly breathtaking, especially across to the Glencoe peaks and the Mamores and with that in mind, we found a relatively sheltered spot to enjoy our first proper refreshment stop of the day. We were both ready for it by now and I think there's an unwritten rule that even the most mundane of sandwiches (cheese and pickle) taste ten times better outdoors with a view.
High as the cloud base was, we began to feel a slight but definite shift: those clouds were gathering, becoming more prevalent and more grey-bottomed. We were aware too that time was cracking on.
Even on such a clear day, finding a route off the summit was a bit of a navigational challenge with sheer cliffs and drop-offs to be be avoided at all costs. Again, there was no real distinct path and it was a case of making our way down as safely as possible, often not feeling to be losing much height. Both of us remembered the really steep chute up / down to Lochan Coire an Iubhair but finding it was another matter. Eventually, we came upon it, a shadowy cleft between two sheer rock faces but if we'd thought a grassy descent would be an easy one, we were mistaken. With it being so slippery underfoot, it felt really precarious and both of us took a couple of scoots. It wasn't particularly pleasant or enjoyable to be honest and slowed us down as we took it really gingerly. Even when we spotted the Lochan, it never seemed to getting any closer.
- Lochan Coire an Iubhair eventually appeared - but never seemed to get any nearer.
By the time we reached the Lochan, the clouds had passed over and emerging from the shade of the gully, the sun's heat hit us. We had another drink and decided that realistically, our best bet was following the Abhainn Coire an Iubhair down rather than tackling Beinn Bheag and the Druim an Iubhair ridge - we'd not set off early enough and our progress had been slowed by the conditions on the ascent as well as the descent of the gully, which had taken far longer than we'd anticipated. We were also both flagging a bit and not really feeling up to more climbing. It was disappointing but definitely the right decision.
What began as a narrow trickle from the Lochan was joined by more and more tributaries to become the Abhainn Coirean Iubhair whose bubbling and rushing was a constant accompaniment as we made our way down. Initially the path was good but as we lost altitude, so we found ourselves once more on increasingly boggy ground. At one point, the burn sliced its way through boulders and slabs at the foot of a solitary tree.
- One of the many tributaries of the Abhainn Coire an Iubhair
- A watershoot as we followed the course of the Abhainn Coire an Iubhair
- A solitary tree stands watch as the Abhainn Coire an Iubhair cuts through boulders
High above, the summits of Garbh Bheinn and Sron a' Garbh Choire Mhoir watched over us; it's impossible not to be awe-struck at the complex structure and features of these mountains.
- A deceptively long way down
- Looking back up to where we'd been
- One last admiring look at the magnificence of Garbh Bheinn's crown
Even though we'd taken the lower option, it was still a considerable way down and certainly not to be underestimated. We were glad of the breeze that drew up and made the tall grasses dance and sway but also glad that we'd saved enough fluids. It was on one of our short drink stops that from out of the undergrowth scuttled a beautiful little common lizard - yet another thrill after the moths on our way up.
- We were lucky to spot a common lizard on our way down
The descent took us over two hours and tired as we were, towards the end was beginning to feel a bit of a never-ending slog. We kept looking out for Loch Linnhe ahead but as the route curves round somewhat, it wasn't till we were almost back at the car that it finally came into view. I always like to keep extra fluids back in the car for the end of our walks; even if we don't need them, they're always there and today they were much-appreciated - together with handfuls of wine gums and jelly babies.
I'd been looking forward to the journey back along the Loch to Corran and it didn't disappoint - well it couldn't really on such a glorious day. The ferry was still at on the other side of the Loch but we didn't have long to wait. We couldn't fail to notice just how stunningly clear the rippling water was whilst we were waiting.
- Waiting for the Corran Ferry to take us "home."
- Stunningly clear sea at Corran Narrows as we await the ferry
Heading back to Glencoe, I cast a look across to Garbh Bheinn of Ardgour as we crossed Ballachulish Bridge and for one last moment as we turned into Glencoe village itself. It'd been a brilliant day, hard work at times but more than worth it. Munro it isn't but it's definitely not to be written off or underestimated in terms of effort required or views.
