Rainbows, Brocken & Inversion. No just clag!
Posted: Thu Nov 17, 2011 4:17 pmAfter taking my son to see Tinie Tempah on Monday night I rose decidedly sleepily at 5am, but with great excitement. Before going to the gig I had looked at MWIS & yahoo 90% cloud free, low cloud with higher peaks above the cloud. Inversion time & all that. Text the good news to my friend Harry with whom I was walking. 
WE were headed for the mamores. The drive up was dark, but with clouds evident quite high up?
After a bit of back & forth to find the road up to the old mamores lodge, it is no longer sign posted but is a small track on the right about 2 mins after leaving the village, we were suited & booted & on our way by 8:15.
As we looked around pretty clear views except in the direction we were going.
Followed the route on this great site. The track was good all the way gently rising. Found the stalkers path no problem which skirts around Sgurr Eilde beag. On the way good views down Loch Leven & across to the buachaille. Once we had rounded SEB the lochan comes into sight as does Binnein Beag & Sgurr Eilde Mor. Beautiful & very remote feeling.
Again the junction of the paths was found easily & off we went towards the 1060 point. Some deer spotted Millie (golden retriever) before she saw them & legged it. At about 800 meters it was clag time.
Followed the zigzags until we toped out on the ridge were a cairn. From here to the 1060 point the path comes & goes so its worth having a bearing to walk just in case, when you can not see! From the 1060 point it’s only 15 mins to the summit of Binnein Mor along a fine ridge. We could only imagine the stunning views from the mamores highest point.
Back to 1060 point & another fine ridge to the summit of Na Gruagaichean.
As we could still see nothing & having read that the route back to the track was pathless in places I had calculated that we needed to walk on the bearing for 30 mins before hooking right on a new bearing. In reality this was about 10 mins to much,(which I know from matching up my gps track log with the WH route) & we found are selves on very steep ground. After dropping down about 100 meters we were out of the clag & the track was practically at our feet as we looked down, but with a 700 meter gap. We traversed down gradually aiming for the gate on the track, occasionally with the aide of a bum slide.
Once back on the track we strolled happily along watching the sun go down over Loch Leven.
I’ll bet good money that this is a fantastic walk when you can see!
WE were headed for the mamores. The drive up was dark, but with clouds evident quite high up?
After a bit of back & forth to find the road up to the old mamores lodge, it is no longer sign posted but is a small track on the right about 2 mins after leaving the village, we were suited & booted & on our way by 8:15.
As we looked around pretty clear views except in the direction we were going.
Followed the route on this great site. The track was good all the way gently rising. Found the stalkers path no problem which skirts around Sgurr Eilde beag. On the way good views down Loch Leven & across to the buachaille. Once we had rounded SEB the lochan comes into sight as does Binnein Beag & Sgurr Eilde Mor. Beautiful & very remote feeling.
Again the junction of the paths was found easily & off we went towards the 1060 point. Some deer spotted Millie (golden retriever) before she saw them & legged it. At about 800 meters it was clag time.
Followed the zigzags until we toped out on the ridge were a cairn. From here to the 1060 point the path comes & goes so its worth having a bearing to walk just in case, when you can not see! From the 1060 point it’s only 15 mins to the summit of Binnein Mor along a fine ridge. We could only imagine the stunning views from the mamores highest point.
Back to 1060 point & another fine ridge to the summit of Na Gruagaichean.
As we could still see nothing & having read that the route back to the track was pathless in places I had calculated that we needed to walk on the bearing for 30 mins before hooking right on a new bearing. In reality this was about 10 mins to much,(which I know from matching up my gps track log with the WH route) & we found are selves on very steep ground. After dropping down about 100 meters we were out of the clag & the track was practically at our feet as we looked down, but with a 700 meter gap. We traversed down gradually aiming for the gate on the track, occasionally with the aide of a bum slide.
Once back on the track we strolled happily along watching the sun go down over Loch Leven.
I’ll bet good money that this is a fantastic walk when you can see!
- Run down mamores lodge
- Target practice!
- Not looking great up there
- Looking good over there though
- Binnein Beag
- Sgurr Eilde Mor
- Binnein Mor
- Ridge to Na Gruagaichean
- Summit Na Gruagaichean
- Veiw from the steep descent
- The sun goes down
Hoping to get up here next year sometime.