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The forecast for the weekend wasn't looking good so I decided that I needed a day off work
Having rather cleverly (?) decided to leave the most inaccessible Corbetts to last my options for a new tick are limited. However, the forecast for the west highlands offered some hope of a dry (if not sunny) day's walking so it was that I set off from Dundee just after 7.30 am heading west. However as I drove through Perth, Crieff and Crainlarich, the cloud was well down and it was not looking promising. Even worse, as I drove north from Tyndrum the rain came on - was this going to be another wet one ? Needless to say Glencoe was full of cloud and mist with no views.
My mood brightened though as I drove down the side of Loch Leven to Kinlochleven and parked up at the Car Park for the waterfall, by the white church. The top of Garbh Bheinn was almost visible and a fair bit higher than my intended hill - Glas Bheinn. Maybe I'd be lucky after all.
I set off on the Waterfall track looking out for the red marker posts with "Loch Eilde"
I was soon making my way through the woods, over the stream, up the hillside, under the powerlines, through a gate, keeping on the path straight ahead and then heading higher and skirting round the north of Meall an Doire Dharaich.
A bit of a plod on the track but the views looking behind me back down Loch Leven just kept getting better and better.
Soon the Mamore Lodge landrover track was reached and then Loch Eilde Mor and my intended hill for the day, Glas Bheinn, came into view. There is a cairn just before the loch at which point I turned off the landrovertrack and onto the stalkers track leading round to the dam at the west end of the Loch.
The track was boggy - not surprising after all snow that we had two weeks ago - but which has now melted away. At one point I did manage to slip and fall face first into the wet grass putting my hand into a drainage ditch as well - ouch. Still, no bones broken and I continued to plod along as the path rose up and around. The sun had been threatening to come out earlier but never did - but the cloud had lifted and exposed the wonderful ridges on Na Gruagaichean and Binnein Mor, reminding me I must revist the Mamores soon.
As the track rose onto Meall na Cruaidhe I cut off the stalkers path and plodded up the ridge north east to the summit of Glas Bheinn. No path that I could find but no problems either.
The summit took a while to reach but once on top the views were worth the effort. It's not a very exciting hill but what a viewpoint , sitting as it does between the hills of Glencoe, Mamores, Grey corries and (once I had checked the map) those west of Loch Treig. Another Corbett "ticked" off - only 11 more to go (until the next re-measurement)
The return journey was a simple case of retracing my steps. On the way down I noticed a number of what I initially thought were hill walkers but the lack of any colourful waterproofs - just a uniform green - tipped me off that these were probably soldiers on an exercise so I decided to give them a wide berth and stuck to the track. I was soon back on the stalkers path and even passed a mountain biker who had cycled up to about 500m , but given the state of the track I doubt it was much fun coming up ....
I got back to the car about half three which wasn't too bad. It was only when I looked in the mirror that I saw the large lump of mud on my forehead, a result of my earlier attempt to head-butt the path. No wonder I was getting some strange looks from the dog walkers in the car park !
Heading back to Dundee was most enjoyable as the cloud had lifted and I could now enjoy the views - the traffic was also not too bad. A whole bunch of Audi Quattros passed going the other way - heading towards Glencoe of Fort William I guess. Still a classic looking car. Didn't notice if Gene Hunt was driving any of them !
Got back to Dundee just after six. A round trip of 240 miles and a ten and a half hour day - just to climb a grassy lump in the middle of nowhere . Wouldn't change it for anything ....
