Glen Carron Episode 2

[Benaden887]

Glen Carron episode 2 31k 2008m 11 hr 26/06/1995

Yesterday having completed The Fisherfield Six from a full up Shenavall bothy, Andy, Steve and I will stay at Ledgowan. During our last visit here, we had discuss with manager the merits of him turning an old staff outbuilding into a bunkhouse. After buying a pint I resumed the topic by suggesting we could stay there overnite.”Look, there`s no hot water, flushing toilets or beds. It`s not fit for humans”. We went for a looksee - iron bedsteads with mattress against the walls in three rooms. After Shenavall where we slept sitting, backs against a indoor wall, I said it would do for us. He asks, Ok how does £6 each sound. Says I you`re kidding me, there`s no hot water, flushing toilets………..we got it for £1 each.
A real gent. A 4am start, brilliant sun so another hot day. Park at Craig, cross the railway, for a path that turns up the corrie. My last time here was with Andy and a gameplan that went wrong. Then we followed the river SW turn into Coire Leiridh, for a night at the Bearneas bothy. The rain began as we cross the Aon Cheum bealach and lashed down solid over the next 24hrs. Being we`d get wet, at daybreak we left the bothy, crossed a flooded basin to climb Coire Seagach for Cheezecake, Lurg Mhor and Meall Mor in torrential rain. Down to Loch Morar, never to actually see it in the clag, a wet tromp up to Bealachs Crudhain and Bhearnais before we pulled the plug and went for the car. The Two Sgurrs and Mollie could wait for a drier day.
This day ! The bulk of Sgurr nan Ceannaichean is behind us, the Allt a` Chonais river is low so forgo the wire bridge and climb a path to Bealach Bhearnais@596. L turn, up a grassy slope with rock steps to a narrow level ridge and the cairn of Sgurr Choinnich @979m. Great views all round. SE then NE to descend a sharp ridge for Bealach Coire Choinnich@ 860m. ENE for a flat ridge, grass then stone steps to the trig point of Sgurr`a Chaorachain @1053. Great views all round then on to Bidean an Eoin Deirg@ 1045 spikey wee top. Return 1/2km and drop N on steep grass to the boggy lochan area of Drochaid Mhulich for a final 400m climb to Carn nam Fiaclan and the flatish plateau of Maoile Lunndaidh. Andy and I climbed this in snow and mist from Strathfarrar, but we keep Steve company and the views here are worth it. Round the curve of Fuar-thul Mhor where the crags just fall away to a long hanging corrie, to Mollie`s cairn @ 1005m. Rest here and soak in the views. This is a massive hill. Drop N for a Col @760m with Creag Dhubh Mhor, then W to Feur- thol Mor, past waterfalls to the floor of the glen, a burn and a locked Glenuaig Lodge. The up track ends here at ruins. We follow it back over the watershed and meet our inward route for Craig. A great two days a bit of roughage but a decent Munro tally, so worth it.

After the Lurg Mhor soaking, when drying out at the Achnasheen bunkhouse, Andy tells me - that doing tomorrows Moruisg pair would be his last. On the way home, we refuelled at Aviemore to find the whole of Scotland had a roasting w/e with Glen Carron the only place on the planet to see rain.
I gave him a week before saying go look at your Munro map and you`ll find all the most remote, hard and big day hills, you`ve already done with me. His final Munro of Buachaille Etive Beag was done on a mucky club outing from Lagangarbh in 1998.