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Did a 5 day Scottish trip 13th March on the first of this years Munro bagging trips. Hadn't set foot in Scotland this year unless you count stepping over the fence in the Cheviots. Had been waiting for the high pressure to shift north before making a trip to make it worthwhile. Sunday 13th looked a bit iffy but the after that promised much.
Travelled up on Saturday 12th in the campervan and parked behind the Bridge of Orchy hotel and had a few beers. Slept behind the hotel over the old bridge and then in the morning drove back along the A82 to park roadside next to the private road to Auch. Walked up the glen which took just over an hour to get to the sheds. From there rather follow the usual route to the right of Beinn Mhanach I took the left fork and climbed quite high towards the col on a good 4 x 4 track. From the end of that took a slanting route across the hillside to the col up to the top. From the top I simply reversed the route.
On Beinn Mhanach Looking East
Mhanach top
I was intending to go Glen Lochay next but I had noticed the vans exhaust blowing a bit and losing a bit of power and a quick visual showed that the front pipe was holed so I decided to go to Beinn Sgulaird and from there go to a garage in Fort William. Drove around to Loch Creran and kipped overnight in a roadside lay by in a place I,ve used before. On Monday 14th walked up to the start of the footpath to Beinn Sgulaird and was expecting a plod all the way to the summit. I had viewed the mountain on the drive up Loch Creran and with the break in the snow coverage left the crampons in the van. Followed the estate track and then at the cairn followed the hill path which wound its way up the spot height. Saw a tent on the spot height and as it was early assumed it was an overnight camper, what a view it must have been in the morning. The continuing path I found a real surprise with a roller coaster ridge with enough soft snow to keep the interest going before a final angled ridge to the summit. As the hill stands alone I followed the same path down and then drove around to Fort William to find a garage
Ben Nevis from the path up
Beinn Sgulaird
The back of the Buachaille
Looking out to Mull
Having been to the garage ,it was a part that had to be ordered so I thought I would go the campsite in Glen Nevis to stay overnight only to find it didn't open until the next day so I drove around the NF car park to kip overnight there. The next morning was awoken about 6.30 by climbers/ walkers arriving ( how many times does a single occupant have to slam a door shut?) so I got up and had a leisurely walk up to the CIC hut area and hung around for a couple of hours before returning to the van and going into FW to get the van fixed
Back on the road again I drove down to Glen Lochay to do the hills that I wanted to get done ,Creag Mhor and Beinn Heasgarnich. Got halfway up the glen to find "no overnight parking" signs. I could have chanced it in the car park for these two hills but I like a beer or vino and wouldn't fancy having to move the van if requested so I drove out of the glen and went up to the Ben Lawers car park to kip there. Awoke the next morning to find a heavy mist covering the car park and on driving up glen Lochay found that it didn't lift. Got to the car park to find a fellow walker kipping in his car overnight!. Set off along the Hydro road in absolute pea souper mist. Got to where I believe the old path would have left the hydro track, where the track drops downhill and bears right before crossing a bridge but I had read that this track was blocked by a deer fence and the correct path was 800 metres along so I continued and continued unable to find a start due to the heavy mist. After walking for nearly 2 hours from the car park I thought I must have missed the start so I started to go uphill and found that the ground rose rather quickly and through some steep soft snow fields. At that point the mist started to thin and I could sense a lightening of the atmosphere. The clouds finally cleared and walked above the inversion as I approached ,after I could check the map, was the head walls of Sail Dubh and not the Sron. Working around to the left of the head wall I was able to easily attain the ridge and continued onto Stob Nan Clach. I knew after checking the map that I could get around to Creag Mhor and as I was above the inversion the route was visually clear
The ridge from Stob Nan Clach
Got to the top of Creag Mhor and then dropped down to the NNE of the summit before dropping into the corrie and into the col. The walker I had met in the car park that morning told me he had done these two yesterday and wasn't sure of the way done so had dropped down steep snow fields to the col. As I dropped I saw a set of footprints all the way down from just north of the summit.
From there it was the steep ridge to Beinn Heasgarnich and onto the summit
Top of Beinn Heasgarnich
Yours truly in sunny Scotland, sunglasses and Bandana!
Travelled back to Ben Lawers car park and slept overnight again. Next morning drove back into Glen Lochay and used a parking area in a wooded area about 20 minutes walk to the start of the signposted path to Meall Ghaordaidh. Once again a heavy mist hung in the glen and it was about 1000 ft before I walked above another inversion. Got to the top within 2 hours passing 2 Ayrshire lads who by their own admission because they couldn't see above the clouds when setting off were more equipped for the Arctic than this hill. Took some shots and headed back into the now clear glen getting back down just after midday. It was the way I had planned it as it was now time for home. The Munro count is now 242 and I'm hoping to compleat this year. Back up on the 1st April for 7 to 10 days and will bag some more, weather dependent!
Loch Lyon from Meall Ghaordaidh
