free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
After staying at home to attend a wedding, I was off early on Sunday morning, as soon as I was sober enough
Drove to Glen Etive where Dougie was camped through rainbow weather, but it got more and more dreichit, so it turned out we just did a glen walk followed by some banter in the Clachaig..
Monday morning came and it was perfect weather, breeze, sunshine - brilliant!
We thumbed the usual book, deciding that Trilleachan was worth a look for some interesting slabs. Not
the slabs - I have heard too many horror stories about them from a young age - but some round the back set at a more forgiving angle.
We drove up to the end of the road, and I realised I had only ever been as far as the Starav car park, and the loch was really bonny, and busy with all sorts of folks out to enjoy the sun.
We set off along the fence beside the forest - seemed to have cleared a lot of the forest, with very regular shipments of logs being sailed away down to Oban from the pier.
There is no real path, as it is just too boggy.. My scrambling shoes were no match for it, so I resigned myself pretty quickly to having a wet feet day.. I had a feeling their sticky rubber would be welcome later on
Up at the first corner of the fence, we found a path, which was really just a channel of mud, so not very useful.. the bog hopping continued upward..
A few undulations had us over the shoulder of the hill, and we saw the corner of the forest, where the book told us to go leftward, a good way below. Apparently if you were to follow the boggy trench further, it would take you through to Glen Ure, and down to Glen Creran. We disobeyed the instructions, and contoured round the hill a lot higher up, which saved distance and re-ascent, although if you were to follow the stream, it would be far drier underfoot. It was too late for us to care about that
Only a short distance round, we saw the object of our bog trot, with Coire Criche coming into full view. The slabs looked rather unimpressive from here, and really quite wet, so I was a little disappointed at that point. The shoulder to the left of the corrie looked like a fun, easier angled alternative should it prove to be too difficult anyway.
There were a few slabby runs up he burn that eased progress, and we made nae bad time up to the bottom of the slab. If you are doing this yourself, its the slab with the finger pointing down.
As per our usual habits, we stopped for a refuel at the bottom of the slabs. I don't think I have ever attempted anything this sustainedly steep. As usual, the photo's don't do the angle justice.
We eventually set off, the first slab relatively easy to break us in gently. Even the wet bits seemed grippy - it was just the algae bits you had to watch out for. By the top my calves were burning already, and that was just the first wee section
It started to get a bit steeper, so you had to seek out little dents in the rock to help out with the friction. Bonny views were opening up nicely.
We headed right like instructed, but I dont think quite far enough, so we ended up on some steeper stuff where we struggled a bit, but we found a rowan tree in a crack that was in the book and got ourselves back on track. It was a really steep, wet section which was quite precarious but we managed a rising traverse left and up onto supposedly easier ground. Unfortunately all the vegitated bits were so wet, and so poorly rooted to the slabs, that we slipped a lot, and were glad to get back on the slabs. Up ahead there was a perched boulder that we were supposed to go to the right of. It was steep, but I managed using tiny little cracks - just enough for some extra friction. It was good to get to the rock so that there was something to hold on to. dougie had taken a route over to the other side, but we could see we were almost at the top of the steep bit. Some slabs at a reasonable angle took us there.
A little further up, there was a couple of ledges with blocks fallen which made for easy, but very satisfying wee challenges, before just as I thought the slabs were petering out, we hit the main ridge.
classic shot
More slabs came to greet us as we made our way easily up to the top of a granitey lump on the ridge with a cairn on top. We paused briefly before heading off, not wanting to stop going in this slabby wonderland.
We descended by a series of pleasing granite steps, to-ing and fro-ing quite steeply in parts down to the coll. We looked down the gully - that was supposed to be our descent route
A wee path reassuringly showed that we wouldn't be the firstto go that way at least.
We carried on along the ridge, the slabs getting patchier until we were back on squelchier ground again for a while.
Surprisingly quick ascent to the summit, on easy inclines. The sun shone and views were clear. We took our photos, then retreated to a sheltered spot out of the breeze for a wee lie down to enjoy the views.
There were lots of bees and moths ambling about - one of which stopped for a jelly baby
Eventually, we reluctantly started our return journey. Seemed to get back down to the Col in seconds.
From there we headed down the wee path, which petered out after just a few metres really. It is very, very steep, but gradually we made progress.. Well it seemed very slow, so I reminded myself that dropping from 700m down to sea level, was bound to take a while, even if the distance is short on the map. The setting was spellbinding, such massive cliffs either side it was truly amazing
The ground was surprisingly firm, and further down where it became rocky, we escaped out to the left. The ground wasn't any easier that way - maximum steepness all the way
We continued dropping down until it was possible to go left, above the trees, but below the impressive and notorious slabs.
We had to do some reascent to keep above the trees, and soon we passed the coffin stone and got ourselves onto the path. It was good to be on a path, but the fun wasn't over as we squeezed between young trees, eased down scrambles, edged along ledges, and down slabs.
Eventually, we got onto flatter ground, a final quagmire making sure that my feet were squelching again before we made it back to the track.
What a brilliant hill it had been from start to finish, every part was just amazing - even the boggy bits. Surprised there aren't more reports on it because its a gem
