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this was a walk we did in the Royal Wedding weekend and although it's a few months ago now it is still memorable for lots of reasons. I was inspired to write this after reading Mountainlove's report as it seems the conditions were very different for her!! We'd climbed Ben Lomond on the Friday of the royal wedding - strange how many men and how few girls there were up there! Having then dropped off our daughter at the Islay ferry to spend the rest of the weekend with Granny, we wanted to make the most of our weekend off. the visibility was fantastic but with a strong wind. We seemed to join the rest of Scotland wild camping in Glen Etive - we counted at least 50 tents - so we could get an early start in the morning. our original plan was to climb 4 hills and camp near the lochans at 174446 - but more of that later. It was before I'd discovered WH and I'd got a lot of information from Steve Fallon's website. Excellent info but for normal mortals half the length of his routes and then some, and that's about right for a day!!
Well as I said we got a nice early start, early for us that is, about a quarter past nine.
this is from the starting point at the roadside, looking up to where we are going
It was very dry underfoot everywhere and as we walked along round the back of Coiletir and along the fence towards the burn crossing we could see evidence of bog but walked across everything completely dry shod. no trouble at all getting over the burn.
you can see how dry it was from this picture looking up Glen Etive from the shoulder of ben Starav.
It was a long trog up the shoulder with plenty of false summits, and we kept catching up a solitary walker dressed all in black, whenever he stopped for a fag break! We followed him most of the day, but he eventually got away from us, he was younger than us, that's our excuse.
this is me on the top.
that was about half past twelve and time for lunch which we took on the edge of the ridge in perfect sunshine and well out of the wind.
next stop Beinn nan Aighenan.
we missed out the ridgey bit after the top of Starav, and Beinn nan Aighenan only looked a wee way further really, but it wasn't. once we got going the wind was buffeting quite strongly and kept catching on my rucksack so that I stumbled about a bit. it was really tiring and we decided that we didn't like Aighenan all that much (as mountains go!) but the view from the top was superb. Here am I at the top with the cone of Ben Lui visible behind
then we had the long trog back to the main ridge again, filling our bottles as we went at the little burn at 142419. the wind was so strong here whistling up the hill from the east that the burn was blowing uphill.
On the way back up onto the ridge I had to stop several times to get my breath back and avoid being blown over (note, this was before purchase of walking poles). but once back up it's not a difficult walk across Meall nan Tri Tighearnan and on to Glas Bheinn Mhor. From there the views up to Ben Nevis and so on were stunning
the time was now about a quarter to six and still plenty of daylight, but as we looked down the steep slope to the next bealach and up again, I happened to mention that I thought three Munros might be quite a good number for one day. Blessed Husband replied "thank goodness for that!" So the decision was made to find a wee cosy corner at the head of the allt mheuran for a camp.
Good move that was too, and what a lovely sunset, but by this time I was very shivery with tiredness and took the photie leaning out of the door of the tent wrapped in my sleeping bag, hence it's a bit squint
Had a lovely night sleep and here's me at the top of Stob Coir an Albannaich at just after 9am wow!!
that was a lovely hill to walk up, it was quite rounded and smooth and then suddenly we came upon the edge, much more dramatic on the other side.
we had a bit of excitement picking our way down to the bealach between Albannaich and Meall nan Eun, where the path we wanted was in a wee gully full of hard packed snow. we could see all the way to the bottom, so I decided it would be fun to slide down. Much faster than I had anticipated, and I was just a wee bit frightened!!
got to the top of Meall nan Eun at a quarter past eleven very pleased. we came down the ridge and off the end picking our way down a fairly cliffy bit to the bealach at the top of Glenceitlin.
then started the long walk back down through Glenceitlin which we had read would be very boggy and wet. not a bit of it, it was as dry as a bone. I was quite worried as I was thinking we would be suffering from drought soon, and it was just a couple of days after this that Liathach and other hills went up in flames. With hindsight of course there was plenty rain to make up for it later!! Just shows that "what ifs" often never come to pass.
Here's a nice picture looking back up to Ben starav from the track back from Glenceitlin Farm to the road.
Next project, the Big Bookle, for tomorrow and we got a good start by walking a good way up the Lairig Gartain and camping there. But that's another story.
