Wrapping up Kintail in the Sunshine

[andrewdoggett]

I'm running out of hills... No the hills will always be there, but I'm looking forward to finishing this great journey now; it feels within touching distance... The forecast was good so it was off to Kintail to finish off Beinn Fhada and A' Ghlas-Bheinn... The drive from Bridge of Allan was brisk and beautiful in the moonlight and later the rising sun... And in no time I was in Glenshiel...

The South Glenshiel Ridge from near Cluanie Inn...

The walk in is straightforward... Nothing steep and the scenry eventually opens out...

Views on the Ascent of Beinn Fhada...

There's nothing steep on the ascent - where it is steep the stalkers path zig zags and makes life comfortable... It's looking like a great day to be out, with blue skies and crisp snow...

The Corrie of Beinn Fhada...

Memories of Mullardoch come flashing back with the views and our circuit of the twelve munros in a day last May... That was something... Monty you'll know this as Affric...

I think Mullardoch is in the somewhere... Shiver...

The views get better with hieght all the way to the summit ridge of Bheinn Fhada... The snow is firm and over ice in places so I need to be cautious but I don't bother with crampons; it's not steep...

Views from summit plateau of Beinn Fhada...

And in a whisper over two hours I'm at the summit; I've not stopped on the ascent save for a couple of quick snaps...

The Summit of Bheinn Fhada...

A' Ghlas Bheinn had been in cloud on the way up but it's on show now basking in the sunshine... And from here, it looks small and not intimidating...

Looking towards the Summit of A' Ghlas-Bheinn from Beinn Fhada...

The Sisters of Kintail are looking gorgeous to the West...

The Sisters of Kintail from Beinn Fhada...

The Summit of Beinn Fhada and the Sisters of Kintail...

I opt to descend via the same path to the Glen that separates Beinn Fhada from A' Ghlas-Bheinn - I'm not fancying the steep descent off Meall a' Bhealaich in these conditions...

Scenery...

I stop fror lunch at the Bealach an Sgairne... A spot of ham and a quick drink and then it's time to tackle the steep slops of A' Ghlas-Bheinn...

Lunchtime View from the Beallach...

The Mountains of Kintail...

The views behind open up with height and the view back to Beinn Fhada is looking good... Time to test the panoramic feature on the iPhone...

Panoramic looking back toward Beinn Fhada from the slopes of A' Ghlas-Bheinn

It's a 400 metre pull up to the summit; the first 250 metres steep but then it eases and undulates a little... Nothing uncomfortable though and the views are gorgeous... I can see the whole Cuilling Ridge on Skye

Me on the Summit of A' Ghlas-Bheinn

The Summit of A' Ghlas-Bheinn

The Summit of A' Ghlas-Bheinn

The descent is straightforward... All in all, a magic day finishing off Kintail... I'm back in the Bridge of Allan by 16:30... And now there's just four left...

The stats - a whisper under the six hours...

The Stats...

And the route... Opted for a westerly descent from A' Ghlas-Bheinn via A' Mhuic - there's nothing too steep.

2013 - 03 -30 - Beinn Fhada.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

[Lenore]

What a day!!! Which hill are you saving for last? Not long now...

[wilkiemurray]

Nice report and great pictures - good choice on route choice to second Munro - we went up " the other way" -would not recommend as a descent in good conditions - never mind in snow:)

Good luck on final four

[monty]

Nice one Mr D. Your nearly at the finish line.......That's the finish line I crossed 6 months ago

Joking apart what date are you hoping to finish??

[mrssanta]

wow what brilliant views. Which one are you finishing on?

[jonny616]

Looking forward to these two. great photos.

[BlackPanther]

Hi, we did A'Ghlass Bhein on Good Friday - it was very windy, but these views...
Maybe I'm more cautious about routes, but to my taste, the western face was a bit tricky in snow. We tried descending along the ridge, using rocks sticking out of the snow, but got fed up with it, put crampons on and shuffled down snow-filled gully
I guess in summer conditions it would be much easier.

May the weather gods be with you on your final Munros