The long road to and from Ben Vuirich

[Graeme D]

Well, as it's not safe to go out in Perth today without flippers and a snorkel, might as well stay indoors and write up a little report from a Sunday a few weeks ago that I've never yet got around to posting.

I'd hoped to get up to Kinlochleven and the eastern Mamores with Darren and Kev on the Friday evening for a wild camp and a Munro-grab on the Saturday morning but I had other commitments on the Saturday morning crop up at short notice. I definitely wanted to get out at some point over the weekend though, as I was due to be doing 2 days of a Gold Duke of Edinburgh assessment in the Cairngorms mid-week (unfortunately these plans fell through) and was also planning a four day long weekend expedition around Loch Lyon the following weekend, so I figured I could do with a little leg stretcher before these more strenuous exertions.

I decided to head north up the A9 and eventually settled on Ben Vuirich - I'd a few options further north in mind and had left my wife with a note of the various options under consideration, but when I got to the Blair Atholl turn off I decided I couldn't be bothered driving any further north.

So along the single track roads towards Monzie Farm and the parking area by the side of Loch Moraig. There were a few cars there but not as many as last June when I was last up here for the Beinn a'Ghlo traverse. The weather earlier in the morning in Perth had been bright and sunny but by 11.30 as I set off from the parking area, there was a distinct overcast look to much of the sky.

Start of the walk

Loch Moraig from the track

Approaching Carn Liath turn off

There were a few other walkers either ahead of or behind me on the track for the first few kilometres - no doubt heading for the Beinn a'Ghlo traverse. Right enough, when I passed the turn off for Carn Liath and the collapsed shack,it was just me and the dog.

There were a few specks of rain in the air on and off but nothing too troubling. We forked right just beyond the little lochan, heading south east towards the buildings at Shinagag, and over the bridge above the Allt Girnaig.

Bridge over the Allt Girnaig just before Shinagag

The map shows the track forking left just before Shinigag, but there is no obvious fork, just a faint grassy path heading up between the two small areas of forestry.

Dark clouds gather over Shinagag

After a couple of hundred metres, however, a gate is reached and the track once again become clear. It now snakes up and down through much wilder and more remote feeling terrain, skirting the flanks of Carn Breac, behind which I stop for a bite of lunch as the sun has now come back out and I find a large boulder in a lovely sheltered spot.

The track eventually peters out in an area of peat hags and butts, from where it is simply a case of heading due east through a wide dip and up the heathery slopes onto Creag nan Gobhar. Just as the track ends, the heavens briefly open and I just about manage to get sufficient waterproof layers on in time.

Our objective in the distance from the end of the track

From Creag nan Gobhar, an initially narrow ridge leads north, dropping slightly before widening and climbing again up onto the rounded summit of Ben Vuirich.

The main mass of Beinn a'Ghlo from the ridge

Loch Valigan with Carn Liath, Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain and Arigiod Bheinn beyond

Lucy close-up

Ahead to the Corbett summit

Closing in out west

Cloud descends over Beinn a'Ghlo

The wind is fairly whipping across the flat stony summit and there is still the odd spit of rain flying about, but it's not too bad up here and the views are reasonably good.

North east from summit to Carn an Righ and Glas Tulaichean

Carn nan Gabhar from Ben Vuirich summit

Stony domed summit

From the summit I descend off on a more or less due north bearing, with Glen Loch and the brilliantly named Loch Loch soon coming into view as I drop over the shoulder. I soon start bearing north west to cut the corner and emerge onto the track a kilometre or so west of the Glen Loch junction.

Loch Loch comes into view

Cairn on the descent

Western slopes from the track

From here it's a long old march back to the car below the peaks of the Beinn a'Ghlo range, although weather wise this does turn out to be the best part of the day, and the solitude is bliss - until I encounter the steady drip-drip of walkers emerging from the path down past Beinn Bheag as they emerge from their day on Beinn a'Ghlo.

Arigiod Bheinn with Carn nan Gabhar sticking out from behind

Crossing the Allt Coire Lagain

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[monty]

Hi Graeme,
Ben Vuirich is not an easy one to get to. It pretty much means a long walk in from anywhere. I tagged it onto Beinn a Ghlo last month for a little bit of interest but it did prove to be a tough one over pathless ground pretty much between your access and egress paths. We done similar times though

[kinley]

Interesting - still swithering as to which direction to visit this hill from.

And whether to wit til winter

Looks good though

[malky_c]

Bah! You got the view down Loch Loch that I was hoping for when I visited this hill. I approached from Strathardle though. It was actually a much less boggy and more pleasant route than I was expecting, particuarly by the Clunskea Burn (my descent route).

[malky_c]

I didn't appreciate the seriousness of the weather down in Perth. Thought it was just a bit wet like up here, then I read the news.....

[LeithySuburbs]

Nice pics Graeme. I really love this area - the sense of space and lack of human touch (as far is as possible in Scotland). I remember telling the missus that there was loch called Loch Loch and she just looked bewildered .