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I’d never thought of Corbetts as being like buses until this point, but after having done my first new Corbett in 11 months just a mere 16 days ago, here I was powering my way up the north east ridge of my next one, Beinn an Lochain. A wait of almost a year and then two come along in quick succession.
The former Munro rising above the Rest and be Thankful on the Loch Lomond to Loch Fyne road had long been on my radar but I had never quite managed to secure the tick. I had intended to put that right on the Friday evening, what with it being that time of year where Friday evening ventures after work are easily achievable, but my wife had said at short notice that she had a work thing on. She did at least suggest that I could go on Sunday.
I decided to make it an early start with options for either a multiple hill day or a quick tick and back with much of the day still to play with at home. I set the alarm for 5.15 and after I had downed two quick cups of coffee and a couple of pancakes and scribbled “Ben Donich and The Brack or Beinn an Lochain” on a scrap of paper on the kitchen worktop, I was off by 5.50. The roads were pretty deserted and even the couple of slow Sunday morning motorists I did encounter on the Loch Earn stretch were easily brushed off.
It had been a perfectly pleasant and serene spring morning when I had left Perth but the further west I ventured, the more ominous looking the outlook became. It had been a fairly hectic couple of weeks at work since the Easter break, what with trying to finalise various issues relating to our imminent S3 trip to Belgium and France, not least responding to parental concerns about security and terror threats. Even without these unfortunate but undeniable risks, this trip is still a hugely rewarding but also very stressful experience for the staff. I could do with another quick hill fix before leaving next Saturday.
By the time I was flying down Glen Falloch towards the tortuous stretch from Ardlui to Tarbet, the wipers were on to deal with the persistent heavy drops that kept falling. They were falling even more heavily as I climbed through Glen Croe and turned off at the Rest and be Thankful before pulling in to the forestry car park a short distance along the Lochgoilhead road. I sat and cursed in the car for 15 minutes or so as I glanced up at the clag bound north east ridge of Ben Donich, before pulling back onto the main road and heading the short distance further north to the layby between the north end of Loch Restil and the Butterbridge bend. By the time I got there, the rain had slackened off and it looked more promising over the north east ridge of Beinn an Lochain than it did further south over Ben Donich. Decision made, I changed my footwear, slung the small day pack on, checked my watch (07.55) and made my way past a selection of roadside litter down to the little concrete dam across the stream and through the bog towards the foot of the ridge above the Butterbridge forestry.
Half an hour or so later and I was practically on my hands and knees as the howling wind threatened to lift me clean off the ridge and blow me all the way to Loch Fyne. I battled on despite wondering whether this was really a clever way to spend the Sunday morning of a long Bank Holiday weekend. The wind had relented by the time I ventured out of one particularly sheltered bolt hole beneath a large overhanging rock just below the final steep incline beyond the flat shoulder and sauntered up to the summit cairn with rusty ice axe adornment.
It was only 10 o’clock. I took a quick wander over to the south top before returning to the ice axe to ponder my descent route. Retracing my steps would probably be more scenic but in the interests of not retracing my steps, I decided to drop down on a direct line towards the southern end of Loch Restil and then walk along the western shore of the loch to the car.
The crags were all easily avoidable or negotiable and I was soon down by the side of the loch and having my ears assaulted by a seemingly constant procession of motorbikes on the road a short distance across the water.
The walk along the side of the loch was no less marred by litter than the layby where I was parked, presumably left by fishermen or possibly just folks wandering over form the parking area at the Rest and be Thankful who are uneducated in appropriate and responsible waste disposal methods.
Still, a fine short outing and I still managed to recoup some brownie points by getting a few hours in later on in the garden. Always a good idea to keep a close eye on the balance in the emotional bank account!
Beinn an Lochain from the start of the walk by the little concrete damBinnein an FhidhleirBack over the northern slopes of Beinn Luibhean to a murky looking Beinn ImeThe southern flank of Luibhean and beyond to Loch Restil and Ben DonichFirst real views of the long ridge aheadLoch Restil with The Brack now visible beyond the eastern arm of Ben DonichIme and Luibhean with The Cobbler now beginning to peer outBack down to Butterbridge and up Glen KinglasAn unsettled looking skyBinnein an FhidhleirThe north west crags of Beinn an LochainBen DonichBeinn Luibhean, The Cobbler and The BrackLuibhean and The Cobbler across Loch RestilBack down over the flat shoulder on the ascent ridgeTo the summitZoomed to the unmistakable outline of The CobblerI think these cliffs are known as the Old Man's FaceAll the way back down to ButterbridgeLuibhean and The Cobbler from the summit. I think the axe has seen better days!Ben Donich from just below the South TopBen Donich and The Brack from the South TopJob done by the back of 10Stob an Eas from the summitDescending towards the Rest and be ThankfulNorth along Loch RestilSouth back along the loch towards Ben Donich