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There are few worse hardships for a walkhighlander than spectating on a west highland spring-heatwave from an office desk. So I was glad to enjoy my piece of the action with a sun-soaked walk up these Corbetts.
The perfect weather was savoured early with a drive over the Lecht, followed by 9 holes of golf at Spean Bridge. The spectacular backdrop of the snow-mottled Aonachs an ample consolation to racking up an 11 on one hole!
I u-turned at the Commando memorial, opting against the two Glen Cia-aig Corbetts for a more exciting choice. After 3 visits to neighbouring Sgurr Thuilm, Streap (from the gaelic word, verb presumably, for 'climbing') had built up an attraction given it's regarded as the finer peak of the two. Ambitious plans of multi-day Knoydart expeditions that crossed it, en-route, never materialised, so this was it. No Landranger map wasn't ideal, so a string of screen-shots from the Bing website would have to suffice.
At 11.30 I set off from the car park, which is along a track 100 yards beyond the main road bridge. The walk up the pine-filled glen was a pleasure, the shade of the scented pine trees a welcome presence. The plunge pools/waterfalls along the Dubh Lighe cried out for summer exploration. A group from the local outward bound centre were canyoning as i passed. The track is followed over a bridge past the Gleann a’ Dubh Lighe Bothy – renovated superbly by the Mountain Bothies Association. I signed the bothy book and took a little plastic card they leave to remind the likes of me to pull their finger out and donate.
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Cuckoos were calling out. Having emerged from the woodland, I could now eye up a route onto the ridge, 650m above. Broken by rocky bands, deeply-incised burns, and no chance of a path, it would be a slog in the heat. Another bridge over tempting, shimmering-green pools and I began my rising traverse, looking to hit the crest beyond the last of the prominent bumps that lead from the Glenfinnan viaduct end of this ridge.
Under the beating sun, my energy levels eventually became as parched as the tinder-like grassy terrain. With early than planned lunch stop, water re-fills where burns had not dried out, and my hat lobbed into the water for cooling - eventually I was on the ridge, and views opened up westwards towards Ladhar Bheinn and the Cuillin.
The final slender ridge was relished, a cool easterly breeze picking up to keep my fragile-ish sense of balance on its toes. The grassy crest – a metre or two wide at points - was an enjoyable “striding edge”, of sorts, but nothing to be feared and tamer than i'd expected. Under full snow cover it would be a sight of elegance to behold. Only once were hands required to move from trekking poles to rock. At around 2.30pm I made the summit, atypically modest Corbett cairn. The snow-rimmed Cairngorms were just visible 60 miles away, Cruachan and Ben More on Mull the limit of the southern panorama.
The ridge broadened as I continued on to Streap Comhlaidh, a cairn-less summit that would never be so if it sat amidst the Lake District. My new-ish Makalu trekking poles then took a pounding on the steep but grassy descent to the bealach besides Lochan a’ Chomhlain. Better them than my knees.
It was now pushing 4pm and, inevitably, the re-ascent of 400 metres to Braigh nan Uamhachan, Brae of the Caverns (nowhere to be seen), was an exhausting, morale-sapping grind. If high cloud hadn't blunted the heat of the sun i'd probably still be there. The bizarre line of a stone dyke, ascending the same toilsome slope, teased and baffled. With palpable relief I made the summit, turned tail and began my return, opting for the undulating ridge over a low-level descent, a punishing drop back down the slope I'd just crawled up a little 'too soon'.
Having romped back down to the track in the glen, I clipped my food bag onto my rucksack's waist belt and proceeded to demolish my remaining food rations, which spurred me on for the march back, arriving at the car at 6.30. Dinner at The Bothy in Fort Augustus, and a hobble over to my hotel opposite, would then round off a day I think i'd rung the most out of.
