Something a little different ... Glen and Loch Etive

[mountain coward]

Some beautiful pics from your inflatable there! Also love the painting. Richard and I should get to try out our inflatable sometime this year - think it will be a shock to me as I'm used to rowing those beautiful skiffs you get on the Lake District Lakes - they just fly through the water - I've a feeling this won't! Richard is also getting cold feet about getting in the boat on a large Scottish loch - I did sound him out on it beforehand and he reckoned he was okay, now he's not so sure! What with that and him not enjoying things like the Steall rope-bridge he's definitely a 'water coward'

[Milesy]

Absolutely brilliant photos! I got a few very similar but nowhere as near as good of some of the same scenery down the same way yesterday

[gaffr]

Thanks for the extra couple of images Donny....I first became aware of the classic view of Stob Duhb BEB and Stob na Broige BEM from the finish of one of the classic slab routes in the nineteen sixties...had an image somewhere but can't locate.
I can also recall listening to bagpipe music, while perched up on the slabs, coming from a piper on a tourist boat, probably in from Maillaig or more likely Oban? At that time I hadn't been on any of the Munros or Corbetts, however, a few more visits to Glen Etive for slabs and tops since then. Another recall.....I can remember the converstion with two folks from Glasgow of a first visit, prior to ours, of a day spent on the etive slabs having walked from a camp in Glencoe through the Lairig Gartain to reach them and return the same day!

[gammy leg walker]

Brilliant pics donnie Glen Etive will de visited soon after looking at your pics amazing

[DonnyW]

Thanks everyone for your interest in my journey.

Glen Etive is a very beautiful place if you take the time to explore it properly.

Next month is the best time to photograph it as the rhododendrons are in full bloom around the end of May. Here are a few more of my favourite photos of the glen taken in the past.


Rhododendron Island in Lochan Urr Glen Etive


The “Classic Calendar” shot of Lochan Urr


A slow camera shutter speed turns the waterfalls into milk


It’s the lighting that makes a good landscape photo


Sadly you cant photography the old pier anymore … its now gone


In Victorian times, people who wanted to visit Glencoe sailed on the steamer from Oban, up Loch Etive, and landed at the old pier where they were then met by stagecoach and taken through Glen Etive and into Glencoe.

One person who made that same journey was the poet William Wordsworth.
He was inspired to write a poem about his journey ..here is a verse ..


"THIS Land of Rainbows spanning glens whose walls,
Rock-built, are hung with rainbow-coloured mists--
Of far-stretched Meres whose salt flood never rests--
Of tuneful Caves and playful Waterfalls--
Of Mountains varying momently their crests—


Hope you enjoyed my tour of the glen and thanks for looking

[mellowmark]

Fantastic photos! Have been thinking of doing a Glen Etive / Loch Etive walk (unfortunately I don't have a boat!) with a wild camp or two along the way. Maybe a munro or two if the weather holds (Ben Starav perhaps?). Hopefully quite soon before the midges get too bad. Would be nice to see it a bit greener though, hills are still looking very brown at the moment.

Not sure wether to go from Taiynult and do a circuit of the loch (back to Bonawe) or a through walk to Glencoe...

Found this great open canoe trip report: http://www.songofthepaddle.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?10676-Hot-Gunwales-on-Loch-Etive-Avich-Glashan - the wild camp site from night 2 looks like a stunning spot although I haven't worked out exactly where it is yet.

Think I will camp away from the top of the loch though even if that's an obvious halfway point if doing the round trip - "At the end of the loch there had obviously been a bit of a party, as tents were pitched all over the shop, a garden marquee had been erected with sound gear inside, and bonfires were everywhere with groups of young professionals (judging from the cars they drove) standing about waiting for their sausages to cook. We moved on to an abandoned fire still burning - with live wood from trees in the fire, beer boxes, plastic bottles, bags; all just left for someone else to sort out.

Presumably they came here for the magnificent beauty of the place, and they were doing their very best to destroy what they had come to see." from http://alansloman.blogspot.com/2007/05/day-73-cadderlie-to-forest-lodge.html
Have heard from a few other people about irresponsible people wild camping in Glen Etive

[JTweedie]

Some amazing photos in this thread, I particularly liked seeing the contrast of the yellows and browns of winter with the lush green of summer.

[kevsbald]

Hye Donny, just looked at this - really excellent stuff. I also knew a guy who slipped on the Etive slabs a few years ago and died - just wondered if we know folk who know folk if you know what I mean...

[DonnyW]

Thanks again to everyone for your kind comments on my photies

Hi mellowmark the second camp in your link is at Rubha Bharr. Its marked on the OS maps and is on the north shore of Loch Etive. Here is another photo of the beach and camp place.

You can hire boats like the red one in the photo from a place in Taynuilt..about 50-60 squids for a days fishing..not to expensive if there are three or four of you



I could recommend a far better walk than the one through Glen Etive and along the loch to Taynult, and you wont see a single person. Glen Etive is getting ruined by too many wild campers whose real interest is wild parties. Fortunately they don’t like walking so they wont go here.

Start at Loch Tulla, near the Inveroran hotel and follow the path / old landy track past Loch Dochard through Glen Kinglas to Loch Etive then onto Taynuilt. Its one of my favourite cycle runs across the moors and I hope to get a report on it done shortly. Its great fun cycling through rivers and across huge granite slabs. There are plenty munros on the way too







You will recognise the two across Loch Dochard Kevsbald as you just crossed then in your walk report. I did a walk last year to see if I could get to the summit of Albannaich by going up the ridge of Sron na h lolaire onto Meall Dudb then onto the top from the south east ..I went half way and it looks very possible. I had wondered about the approach from Sron nan Caber too..but it was like hitting a brick wall and sapped my energy

The guy who slipped on the Etive slabs was a member of the GUM club (Glasgow Uni Mountaineering Club) My brother was also a member ..but I was too stupid to go to Uni so just tagged along and pretended to listen then tried to sneak into the Thresher Ball at weekends .. man.. I missed Uni life and was working at 17