Beinn Ghlas - Ben Lawers - Meall Corranaich extended circuit

[findhornloon]

A braw and raw day out with son Leo on Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas, followed by a pleasant and less windy return route via Meall Corranaich and down the ridge to Sron Dha Mhurchaidh and so completing an extended circuit taking in 3 Munros on the last Saturday before the clocks go back and the days become too short for long hikes up the hills. See Route Map at the end of this report.

Looking back at Meall Corranaich, Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas from Sron Dha Mhurchaidh.

Starting from the Car Park we took the normal ascent route to Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers summits. It was a fine morning with some blue sky after a hard frost, forecast was rain or snow to come in from the west in late afternoon. The climb up to Beinn Ghlas was fairly straightforward on a good path, on the summit the wind as expected was much stronger and biting, so time for the hat and heavyweight gloves.

First Munro was to be Beinn Ghlas on the right

The small cairn marking the summit of Beinn Ghlas looking to the west

Leo taking a break out of the wind before we head up the exposed ridge up Ben Lawers.

The summit of Ben Lawers (1214m) from Beinn Ghlas.

The last few steps up to the cairn and trig pillar on Ben Lawers

The view NE from Ben Lawers summit to An Stuc, Meall Garbh and Lochan nan Cat.

Bitterly cold with a high wind chill on the summit, time for a quick cup of tea in the lee of the summit and a photo of the view NE before heading down. Decide to head down from the bealach between Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas to make a circuit and maybe take in Meall Corranaich. It's a good path and easy going down the lee of Beinn Ghlas depite several thick ice flows crossing it here and there before we reached the watershed where we quickly decided we felt fit enough to tackle the rugged ridge up Meall Corranaich. A steep and interesting climb to an indistict summit but rewarded with great views of the Lawers range and The Tarmachan Ridge. The ridge walk down Sron Dha Mhurchaidh has a reasonable number of well defined grass paths, sheep and deer tracks and mostty dry with easy going except for a short section threading through some crags where care is required. A great day out despite the cold wind on top, the rain that was forecast followed us down the ridge and came on just as we left the car park !!

Looking back to Ben Lawers from the path to the lee of Beinn Ghlas

Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas from the summit of Meall Corranaich

The route down the west ridge of Beinn Ghlas as viewed from the summit of Meall Corranaich

Looking back at Beinn Ghlas over an icy lochan on Sron Dha Mhurchaidh

Our final destination, the car park as seen beyond Sron Dha Mhurchaidh

Our Extended Circuit Route (anticlockwise)

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