Autumn colours, inversion and flat battery at Fersit
Posted: Mon Oct 29, 2012 6:17 pmIt being the "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness" (as Keats immortally put it) we drove down the Great Glen in thick fog. We parked at Fersit, got booted up and set off up the track past the cottages and over the river and railway heading for Stob Coire Sgriodain.
Stob Coire Sgriodain from other side of Loch Treig a couple of months earlier
Being in a friend's car I hadn't brought the dogs with me. But after hearing (maybe on here) how someone got an ear-bending from the local farmer about folk with dogs I felt just a bit relieved I didn't have them on this occasion.
We took the right fork, passed the metal barn and sheep pens and dodged through a boggy section to pick up a path by the burn on the way up Sron na Garbh-bheinne. It wasn't long before we were in bright sunshine looking down on a carpet of cotton wool.
Mist over Loch Treig
View west towards Easains
Creag Meagaidh above inversion
Towards Glencoe
View west and towards Great Glen
View east to Loch Laggan and Beinn a'Chlachair
We followed the course of the burn (which wasn't too boggy) before striking off west towards Sron na Gharbh-bheinne. After a short stiff climb we were on the ridge and from there it was an easy amble to the summit cairn of Stob Coire Sgriodain with its stunning view down into the fiord-like trough of Loch Treig.
Summit cairn of Stob Coire Sgriodain looking north
Loch Treig from summit
From the summit we descended south to a dip then south east up to Sgriodain's south top.
Cairn of quartz on south top
South end of Loch Treig and Glencoe beyond
From the south top we continued over bumps and knolls in an east south east direction, over a double top and down to a wide bealach, then east to the south of Lochan Coire an Lochan.
Lochan Coire an Lochan
After a detour south for views and photos we headed north east on easy slopes towards Chno Dearg.
Approaching rounded hump of Chno Dearg
Stob Coire Easain and Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin from slopes of Chno Dearg
Sron Coire Sgriodain
Loch Ossian, Sgor Gaibhre, Carn Dearg and Schiehallion on horizon
Chno Dearg summit
From the summit it was a pathless descent over north west slopes back to Fersit.
Looking back to where we'd been from near Fersit
We were congratulating ourselves on being back at the car in time to be home for tea with our respective other halves. That is until he tried to start his car and discovered the battery was flat.
Driving down the Great Glen in fog he'd had the lights on and had forgotten to switch them off. In my car an alarm would have let me know and he said this should have happened but somehow they were left on and now the car wouldn't start with no one around to jump start us. I thought of the nearby cottages but after the story of the ranting farmer didn't feel too inclined to go bothering folk.
He phoned the AA and got a chap who was out on a call and was about to head home so we only had to wait an hour and a quarter before we were sorted - which could have been a lot worse. And we'd had a great day walking in bright autumn sunshine with a morning inversion - so no complaints from me!
Stob Coire Sgriodain from other side of Loch Treig a couple of months earlier
Being in a friend's car I hadn't brought the dogs with me. But after hearing (maybe on here) how someone got an ear-bending from the local farmer about folk with dogs I felt just a bit relieved I didn't have them on this occasion.
We took the right fork, passed the metal barn and sheep pens and dodged through a boggy section to pick up a path by the burn on the way up Sron na Garbh-bheinne. It wasn't long before we were in bright sunshine looking down on a carpet of cotton wool.
Mist over Loch Treig
View west towards Easains
Creag Meagaidh above inversion
Towards Glencoe
View west and towards Great Glen
View east to Loch Laggan and Beinn a'Chlachair
We followed the course of the burn (which wasn't too boggy) before striking off west towards Sron na Gharbh-bheinne. After a short stiff climb we were on the ridge and from there it was an easy amble to the summit cairn of Stob Coire Sgriodain with its stunning view down into the fiord-like trough of Loch Treig.
Summit cairn of Stob Coire Sgriodain looking north
Loch Treig from summit
From the summit we descended south to a dip then south east up to Sgriodain's south top.
Cairn of quartz on south top
South end of Loch Treig and Glencoe beyond
From the south top we continued over bumps and knolls in an east south east direction, over a double top and down to a wide bealach, then east to the south of Lochan Coire an Lochan.
Lochan Coire an Lochan
After a detour south for views and photos we headed north east on easy slopes towards Chno Dearg.
Approaching rounded hump of Chno Dearg
Stob Coire Easain and Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin from slopes of Chno Dearg
Sron Coire Sgriodain
Loch Ossian, Sgor Gaibhre, Carn Dearg and Schiehallion on horizon
Chno Dearg summit
From the summit it was a pathless descent over north west slopes back to Fersit.
Looking back to where we'd been from near Fersit
We were congratulating ourselves on being back at the car in time to be home for tea with our respective other halves. That is until he tried to start his car and discovered the battery was flat.
Driving down the Great Glen in fog he'd had the lights on and had forgotten to switch them off. In my car an alarm would have let me know and he said this should have happened but somehow they were left on and now the car wouldn't start with no one around to jump start us. I thought of the nearby cottages but after the story of the ranting farmer didn't feel too inclined to go bothering folk. He phoned the AA and got a chap who was out on a call and was about to head home so we only had to wait an hour and a quarter before we were sorted - which could have been a lot worse. And we'd had a great day walking in bright autumn sunshine with a morning inversion - so no complaints from me!
and in summer- 
and enjoyed them on both occasions. You seemed to have enjoyed them as well 
Great hills for views though, sponging it all in