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I met up with my mate Gary for a couple of days.
http://www.tarmachan.blogspot.co.uk/He'd climbed this hill many years ago, walking in From Dalmally station with a bivi on the way. That was in his days of Munro-bagging madness! He fancied a revisit with a walk in from the South and I hadn't been there before, so I was up for it on this day of not great weather, although at least it wasn't raining after the past couple of days of deluge. It's a long walk in up the road then track from near Cairndow.
We didn't park our bikes as instructed because we hadn't any. So we didn't use the walker's gate either, not liking being told what to do in quite that level of detail. Amazing to see somewhere to lock your bike up, or park your horse it seems. Just no cafe, ah well.
We went the standard route up the gorge just beyond Inverchorachan. What a great place this gorge is, with the path being close to the edge.
The difficult bit isn't too bad, just keep high and hold onto the rock as you edge round it.
We were soon up to the corrie head and waterfall, above this there's then a bit of a boggy plateau before the steep climb onto the ridge. Part of the way up there was a bergschrund to cross, totally unexpected.
- the bergschrund
Once on the ridge there's a wonderful path along the south edge that takes you easily to the summit cairn.
We were in the cloud now so no views today. We had some food and drink there anyway then headed back along the very top of the ridge. There's another, fainter path here so you can have a different route all the way back to the bealach before the descent. But wait, we didn't expect the encounter with a snow arete!
- a fine narrow winter ridge
For a bit of variety we didn't follow the same route from the plateau, instead we headed south then down the east ridge to join the path in the gorge about half a kilometre above the track.
Another fine hill I thought, with some great features despite some comments in the books and with good-looking winter potential.