free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Sadly at my age, the Auch 5 in a day is only a pipe dream, but I thought three might be possible, leaving two for another time
On a dry cloudy day when the hill tops were all in mist (it was supposed to lift but never did) I parked at the space by the Lomond National Park monument on the A82. The creep under the railway was 300m in the wrong direction, but the fences guarding the line were very dilapidated, and trains were sparse, so I risked the £1000 fine and nipped across to a gate on the WH way. I set off straight up the steep hillside trending right above the gullies and reached the S ridge of Beinn Odhar just below the first slaty outcrop. I followed the ridge to the top mostly in mist, descended via the small Lochan SE of the summit and then steeply down and back up again following the fence posts to Benn Chaorach. I took the trig point to be the top (though there appeared to be others in the mist), and descended easily towards the broad col leading to Cam Creagh - at least that was clear. On the way I met a walker going the other way. Beinn Chaorach would be his fourth, but he was undecided whether to continue. I suspect that when I told him the reascent to Beinn Odhar was 500m his mind was made up.
What a relief the easy angled slopes to Cam Chreag were. I meandered round in the mist but eventually found the summit cairn. I started to return but my compass told me I was going in quite the wrong direction - worrying! However I passed a snow patch that I recognised from the ascent, then another and then as I came below the mist I was relieved to see I was headed straight back to the col as planned.
I really wasn't looking forward to the walk back, but I noticed a new track - not on the map - on the West side of the Allt Coralan and what looked like a bridge where the E and W side tracks met. I headed down steeply almost due W from the col, crossed the burn where the banks were low, just before the junction with the Allt Cumhang, and sat down to rest, the soles of my feet aching. However this was soon cured by 200mg of Iboprufen and a very big drink of water*
I stayed on the E bank, til I reached the bridge which - alas - turned out to be just a hydro dam. Fortunately a few metres below I was able to cross just above the waterfall - don't try this in spate! - and the excellent track took me painlessly down and under the railway. Just where it was about to veer R, I took a "scruffy" track on the left which led to a fiercely defended deer fence beside the WH way. However, there was a gate in the LH corner and I was soon back at the car
* I have found that aching soles are a sure sign of dehydration. It's only a theory but I think water gets squeezed out of the flesh of the feet, and their cushioning effect on the bones is reduced. Whatever the reason, drinking water certainly alleviates the condition.
