Beinn Dearg from Dirrie More

[chasmcc]

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With the forecast looking settled the three munros to the east of the Beinn Dearg group was the target for the day. A continuation of the dry spell also meant crossing Allt a' Gharbhrain shouldn't be an issue.

Starting off towards Loch a' Gharbhrain

The clockwise route starts from the A835, just west of Loch Glascarnoch and ascends Beinn Dearg by the south shoulder giving terrific views of the spectacular Coire Ghranda.

View south to Loch an Eilean with the distant start point.

Coire Ghranda with Cona' Mheall far right.

I would certainly recommend this approach to Beinn Dearg in comparison to the path from Inverlael Forest as the landscape is far more interesting and dramatic.

View east across Coire Ghranda to Am Faochagach.

As the morning went on the clouds started to gather which resulted in broken views as we arrived at the summit cairn of Beinn Dearg. We didn't hang about and headed north for the wall which would guide us down to the col for a late breakfast before heading to Cona' Mheall. Its only a short walk with some boulder hopping to pickup the second top of Cona' Mheall with its superb visa. The tops to the north and west were clearly visible with the cloud now settled for the day at a level above the summits.

View north from Cona' Mheall

The south shoulder of Cona' Mheall drops you down to the waterfall crossing of Loch Prille before taking the height of Am Faochagach. The crossing was a wet experience with the wind firing spray back and giving us a good shower on the crossing.

Loch Prille Waterfall

A steady pull up the north should of Am Faochagach eventually brings you to the double cairn. Our route now headed south along the broad ridge which we followed for 3km before decending southwest towards Loch a' Gharbhrain.

Am Faochagach summit cairn

The weather had remained dry and grey with the tops remaining clear after an initial flurry. No sun unfortunately but a great day. All take remained was the Allt a' Gharbhrain crossing which turned out to be a bit tricker than expected which was a surprise as we have had no rain for weeks.

A movie capturing the day....

[rockhopper]

Nice route - looked enjoyable despite the wind and low cloud. I do like the hills up here with their various route options and some great views - cheers

[Bonxie1]

I'm thinking of doing this exact route in the next couple of weeks if I can get a weather window, with an anti-clockwise approach in case the river is high - I'd hate to get stuck after an 8 hour day! Great report, thanks!