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Ben Lui & Beinn a Chleibh - The wobbly "bridge"

Ben Lui & Beinn a Chleibh - The wobbly "bridge"


Postby ChrisH » Wed Jul 20, 2016 6:30 pm

Route description: Ben Lui and Beinn a'Chlèibh

Munros included on this walk: Beinn a' Chlèibh, Ben Lui

Date walked: 20/07/2016

Time taken: 7 hours

Distance: 9.5 km

Ascent: 1020m

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Ben Liu & Beinn a Chleibh - an Update:
I completed this walk as per the description in the walks section of the website and as it has not had any recent reports, I thought I would provide an update.

1) From the car park. walk on the near side of the river before wading across opposite the small concrete railway bridge on the other side.
Unless the river is very low you will need to wade as the stepping stones are poor and it is too deep for boots, even with gaiters. I recommend flip flops or crocs as it is painful in bare feet.

2) The metal grid under the bridge is easy but wading again unless it has been very dry.

3) Walking boots back on and follow the path to the left side of the Eas Daimh (probably 3/4 mile) and here keep on the path close to the burn on your right until the path leads down to "the crossing point".
Unless the water in the Eas Daimh is low this could be problematical but a kind soul has rigged up a "bridge"

Ben Lui - The bridge acroos the burn 1.JPG
"bridge" across the burn


A bit wobbly must most useful!

The bridge across the burn from the other side.JPG


After this crossing you can either follow the path as per the route description; OR you will see a swing gate in the deer fencing on the other side of the burn.
Immediately after cross ing the burn - the gate opposite or keep left.JPG


If you follow the original footpath there is currently a bit of a mess of bits of felled trees as the Forestry Commission has recently cropped this area which makes following the path tricky.
If you cross the burn and go through the swing gate, just follow a good track up to the main forestry track and turn left along the main track.

Either way you emerge onto a wide forestry track by a bridge over the burn.

The bridge over the burn where the fottpath breaks upwards.JPG


The footpath runs up to the left side of the burn which follows a a firebreak in the trees
Start of the path up the left side of Fionn Choire.JPG


This path is very boggy in places, fairly steep and mostly tough going until it emerges from the forest at the steel gate - (490m in the description).
Path emerges from forect with Ben Lui on left and the bealach straight ahead.JPG

Ben Lui is seen on the left and the bealach straight ahead,

After going through the steel gate there is a faint path left (East) towards Ben Lui (or you could go straight ahead directly up to the bealach between the two Munros.

I took the left option towards Ben Lui. The path is very faint and after a while fades into the steep grassy slopes of Ben Lui.

As the route description says this section is steep, unremitting, mostly pathless and in places boggy (very sweaty!).

Head upwards and generally leftwards and eventually you reach the more rocky North ridge of Ben Lui which is still very steep but at least better underfoot. At last you arrive at first the north summit and then along the ridge the main summit.

I felt a little cheated as the cloud covered the summit although it was very hot and humid on a day promised by the forecasters to be the best day of Summer!

The clouds lifted briefly
Summit od Benb Lui  the views start to appear.JPG


The descent path is back and down towards the South West and as I descended the clouds started to clear revealing the path to the bealach and the big, rounded shape of Beinn a Chleibh
View of Bein a Cleibh on descent path from Ben Lui.JPG


The descent from Ben Lui was straightforward and the path up to the summit of Beinn a Chleibh a doddle after the slog up to Ben Lui.
The views were now better and on a clear, haze-free day would be spectacular, especially out towards Loch Awe.
View from summit of Beinn a Cleibh.JPG


The descent from Beinn a Chleibh gives a good view of Ben Lui
Descent Path of Beinn a Cleibh with Ben Lui opposite.JPG

From here a traversing route rightwards below Ben Lui to Ben Oss would be relatively straight forward.
However, I continued back to the bealach and down the initially steep and loose footpath towards Glen Lochy.

Further down the path is once again very boggy and this is a walk where gaiters are definitely recommended!

The footpath through the forest (after the steel gate) seemed even boggier and more slippery in descent requiring concentration all the way down to the bottom.
The wade across the river Lochy near the end of the walk was very welcome as by now the sun had broken through and it was roasting.

Two good Munros but quite a slog, especially on a hot day!
ChrisH
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 13
Joined: May 27, 2013

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