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My first walk report (be gentle with me). No fancy stuff, like maps or GPS data. With a bit of luck, maybe a photo one or two (brief pause while I go off to read the guidelines about how to include them).
Right, off we go. The WH Inchnadamph meet was imminent, and I’d approached the weekend with more than a little trepidation. I knew everyone would be friendly and welcoming, but inserting myself, by myself, into a large group of people I didn’t know (many of whom already knew each other) is right up there with airy ridge scrambling on my fear scale. But it had to be done. To ease into the situation, I’d gotten in touch with PeteR a few weeks earlier to ask if I could accompany him and londonwalker up Am Faochagach on the Friday. We’d arranged to meet at the Loch Glascarnoch dam (to avoid the alleged scary crossing of Abhainn a’ Gharbhrain), for a departure time between 7:30 and 8:00am (FYI, it’s approximately a 4-hour drive from the Glasgow area). We set off at 7:45, bang on schedule. We trudged along the east side of the loch until the track ended, then headed up the hill just after crossing over Allt Coire nan Laogh. We were, at this point, walking under blue sky in the sunshine, and the views across the loch to the Fannichs, and down the loch to An Teallach, were stunning.
![down loch glascarnoch.jpg]()
- Down the loch toward An Teallach. Sunshine! Blue sky!
After clambering over the deer fence (n.b. there is actually a gate, much closer to the dam, we discovered on the way down), we continued up to the top of Meall Coire nan Laogh, which has a large quartz-topped cairn. It was on this section that I stepped (deep) into the bog, after looking for an easier way than LW had chosen to cross a small burn. That’s a bootful of water, and soaked trousers for me—a proper Scottish walk, then!
We carried on up, with the weather closing in, and some form of precipitation creeping up behind us. In the clag, we met another WH group (Evie et al), on their way down, having already reached the summit (have I mentioned yet that it’s much further from the dam than as described in the WH route description?). They informed us a) that we were still some distance (30-45 minutes) from the summit, b) that there were zero views from the top, and c) that today, the river crossing hadn’t been difficult at all (ah well, you makes your choices and takes your chances). When we finally reached the summit, we didn’t hang around—as we’d been told, there was little visibility, and it was bitterly cold and windy, as evidenced by the hoar forming on our clothing and walking poles.
![Not much to see at the summit.jpg]()
- Summit pose. Not much to see other than Pete and Andy.
We made haste back to the aforementioned cairn, which was the first sheltered spot we reached. After a brief stop for refuelling (I think we were all running near to empty at that point), we carried on down through the peat hags. Pete did an admirable job of bypassing us around the worst of them (although I did manage to catch yet another bootful of water, prompting LW to call out a warning to me with every squelchy step he made—and there were a lot of them). The home stretch: down and across to the deer fence (using the gate this time), arriving back at the dam and the cars at about 4:15pm. On up the road to Inchnadamph! (Oh, and btw, the meet was good fun—for all of you who are thinking about going to the next one, yet hesitant because you don’t really know what to expect: kmai says, ala Nike: “Just do it.” You’ll be glad you did.)
Thanks, PeteR and londonwalker for letting me tag along, and for letting me be a sheep (baaa-aa); it was a great day, bog-paddling, cold, wind, and all.
