Beinn Teallach

[seamus0]

This hill is a great introductory Winter hill. We chose it because it was my first hill after having sprained my ankle before xmas, so I wanted to test the ankle out on relatively easy slopes. The avalanche risk in the area was also quite high on Saturday, so also didn't want to go up anything too dodgy. This fitted the bill well, and also gave us the option to do its neighbouring peak Beinn a Chaorainn. The walk itself would be regarded as a relatively boring route. What made it great was the conditions and the views we got.
The route started at grid ref 374813 just east of Laggan Dam.
There was space for about 4 cars so didn't need to park at the dam car park. We passed through the wooden stile and followed the forest track until it reached a Y-junction.

Start of walk on road

Track through woods

We took the left track which led out of the forest to the Allt a Chaorainn. Don't cross the river directly in front (which was what we were trying to do at first). Eventually we got our bearings and walked through the gate to our right, and towards the other branch of the river to our right which was easily crossed.

Gate at end of track beside river

The track followed the side of the wood and after just over 1hr of walking we were on the main route up to Beinn Teallach.

The slope was easy, and the ankle was holding up. The snow underfoot however was soft, which meant it was pretty hard going until we got to about 700m when it started to harden up.

climbing up Beinn Teallach ridge

Knee deep in snow

Although walking underfoot was easier, the wind had picked up considerably which meant we essentially had to close down the hatches to avoid the spin drift hitting our face.

Snow hardens up

After another hour of steady climbing we made it to the top of a rather blowey peak.

Easy Slopes

It wasn't a place for hanging around. The views however were stunning. After a quick cup of hot chocolate and refuelling, we 'shouted' at each other to head back down again to get rid of the freezing wind. Coming down, the weather was starting to turn and we could see a dark looming front coming towards us. We decided not to attempt the other peak.

The Top

Attempting to have a wee break

The top plateau

Luckily, the front only had some small snow flakes. By the time we reached the car, it had turned into a pelting of rain and hail but by that time we were past caring

Clouds looming

One of those great days out, where we got better weather than expected, my ankle survived, got some decent photos, and finished off with a nice pint in Fort William. Very enjoyable!.

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