free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Myself, Rottiewalker and Bear The Dug headed off up to Glen Coe to tackle a rather glaring and much talked about omission from both our Blue Ballon lists, Bidean Nam Bian. The famous county top of Auld Argyll.
We were up and away early, more to make sure of getting a parking space in tourist hotspot of Glen Coe than to do with the walk or weather. We knew the tour buses often stop at this layby to give the foreigners and natives alike a chance to gawp in awe at one of our magnificent wee country's finest spots. The Three Sisters make for a dramatic spectacle and peaking up between Gear Aonach and Aonach Dubh was the seemingly impossible to scale Stob Coire Lochan.... and that peak isn't even the Munro!
But there is a way, a path that actually loses height down into the valley floor, before beginning an unrelenting and steep assault of the Coire Lochan. You know it's got to be steep, the enitre walk is only 7 miles and the main peak of Bidean lies a whole vertical kilometre above you. That's a lot of ascent, in not a lot of distance..... Bidean isn't a peak to messed about with. It's battle as much with your mental state of mind as much with physical demands of hauling yourself up it's slopes.
The mountain does provide dramatic spectacles all around, whether that waterfalls, sheer cliffs above you or the glorious views back down the coire and over to Am Bodach and Aonach Eagach.
Eventually we were high enough up Coire Lochan to reach what is described by some walk guides as the waterfall in a box canyon...
Here the path splits, one branch - the one Walkhighlands route follows - goes off to the right, crossing the allt and heading up over grassier slopes towards the ridge. We chose the older route, a scrambly path that inches it's way up the side of the left handside of the waterfall, this way is steeper and more direct.
After the scrambly section, there is a brief restbite. A short flat section in the upper corrie containing some slightly boggy ground and several wee lochans. We found a comfortable rock and sat down for a breather and a quick refueling. We spoke to a couple of groups as they passed us, discussing whether or not we'd get a view at the top. The clag seemed to be just catching the very top of Stob Coire Lochan and no more... it'd be 50/50 on the summit view front.
Soon we were on up again, another steep and this time pathless section up to the left of the Coire Lochan peak. Bear and Rottiewalker powered up it... me I plodded and plodded and plodded and took some photies then plodded and huffed and puffed and plodded until eventually I was up onto the top of the ridge.
From here, it was clear Bidean Nam Bian is the King of Glen Coe, all others are pretenders to the thrown. The much vaunted Buachailles mere herdsmen beneath their lord's feet. The cloud capped views, limited as they were, simply blew my mind ... and we weren't even at the top of the out lying peak yet!
As I rejoined Rottie and Bear on top of the ridge, a walker in blue appeared from the Gear Aonach path. Mr Cameron McNeish. He bid us good day and kept on his way, pulling away from us in at an easy and seemingly slow, but never faultering pace.
Across Coire Gabhail, the second munro of the day seemed rather grand, Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
The hard part of the walk was almost done, in a few minutes more the ridge had been scaled and I was standing at the top of Stob Coire Lochan. Few times have a lingered at a top that isn't the target of the day, but Stob Coire Lochan seemed a fine peak and to me it should be a munro too. Unfortuneately the clag did rob us of most of the views from it's summit. Only a hazy glimpse of Loch Leven and Ballahuilish Bridge visible.
#NonMunroSummitSelfie
From the top of SCL it's an easy jaunt down rocky ground to the bealach between it and Bidean Nam Bian itself. Once again below the cloud, the views revealed themselves.
The ridge then rises up again, we chose just to clamber over the boulders, but there is a precarious bypass path around them to the left.
After the boulders it's a short walk to the main summit... but once again the clag was crowding in on the highest part of the mountain.... no fair!
Only a straight drop down several thousand feet over Collie's Pinnacle was visible.
After another food stop it was soon time to head off for Stob Coire Sgreamhach. The ridge down from Bidean was straight forward enough in the good conditions and provided us with hazy views of my enemy. Sgurr na hu-Ulaidh ( I HATE THAT HILL!) and Loch Creran.
As the low point on the ridge was reached we passed the point that would be our tricky descent down into The Hidden Valley at Bealach Dearg.
Passing the Bealach Dearg for now, we headed up the stoney ground an in no time were standing at the top of Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
SCS' relative lack of height compared to the two peaks previously had for once worked in it's favour, it lay just below the base of the cloud cover, unlike it's two brothers.
Back down the Bealach Dearg and the adventure still wasn't over. With some walks, after the last peak is bagged the walk out and descent can be a formality. Not here.
The Chocolate Chute is christened it is full of loose rubble and scree, there is a very rough path that follows the gully downwards, but's just as bad. Too make matter worse, it was leading right toward a rather large and unstable looking snow patch that was sweating away in the June heat. We had to dodge round the side of this on a narrow little ledge, before dropping down onto a wet, muddy grassy patch before finally regaining the path much further down into the Coire Gabhail.
Back down into the Hidden Valley, we made decent time walking alongside another group of walkers out along the undulating valley floor, before we came to the huge boulders that mask the valley from Glen Coe.
Once past these the path still has tricky sections, with awkward steps and bare rock to negotiate, it's not an easy walk out even from here. There has been some recent improvement works done including the installation of a loose cable bannister along side one of the bare rock sections and a steel staircase to take you back up to the track leading to the car park. From this track there are once again magificent views of Anoach Eagach and The Three Sisters and I could help but feel a little sense of achievement at having walked with The King of Glen Coe, Bidean Nam Bian.
