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Sunday morning after WH meet quiz, and I'm not rushing to be off just before dawn
a) because the WH convivialities had gone on quite late; and...
Morning after the night before...b) the forecast is for poor weather in the morning, clearing up for the afternoon.
Over multiple mugs of tea I decide to go for the Ballachulish 2 (Beinn a’Bheithir), on the way home.
By the time I make this decision, I suddenly realise that time will be a bit tight. Inevitably, frantic packing means that I manage to leave my (favourite) mountain socks on a radiator, and my charger still in a socket somewhere…
. At least it wasn't my boots
.
But the Beinn a’Bhethir ridge looks absolutely brilliant as I approach the Ballachulish bridge.
The descent from Creag Ghorm (RHS) looks somewhat precipitous viewed from here...
More of that later!!
The original thought had been to ascend straight up the hill starting off more or less at the first roundabout after the bridge.
However, from the map this appears to involve close to 300m of flogging up through forestry, which in the light of my recent experience on the descent from Meall na Teanga – and indeed of all experiences of trying to negotiate forestry - seems like a really poor idea, especially as there is nowhere close to park the car and the forestry looks very dense indeed. So then I drive further down the road and park in the layby in front of St John’s church, where a Remembrance Day service is about to start.
Looking at the map, the next idea is to walk a bit further east down the road up to the point that the forestry finishes – about 500m along from the church – there cut up the hill to Bheinn Bhan, then along the steadily ascending ridge to Sgorr Dhearg. However, looking up behind the church, I can see that there is a strip of forestry where the trees have been felled that seems to extend right up to the ridge. True, it is very steep – around 45 degrees – and there are some cliffs at the top.
20171112_114103.
But the cliffs don’t look too intimidating, and a walk along a road, even if only 500m or so, can’t compete with getting my shoes on to the raw earth. So this is the option I take.
Some people truly never NEVER learn...
Hurriedly I get changed, packed and started.
In the event, though, the yomp through the felled forestry area really isn’t that bad (albeit a bit slow). The real bummer is that my ice axe catches on a branch I am ducking under, and pulls the upper securing strap off my sac; and somehow – I suppose due to the undergrowth temporarily holding up the axe, it manages to slip out of the lower strap (I know: geometrically considered, this shouldn’t be possible – I should feel the axe handle banging on the back of my thighs first; but the fact is: it did disappear). Unfortunately I don’t notice my loss until about half an hour later ☹. Very annoying indeed! I am a bit concerned too, because, at a distance, it looks as if an axe might be necessary near the summit. But in fact it isn’t, so I am able to complete the route.
20171112_120434. On the way up the steep slope, the views east over Loch Leven are superb.
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20171112_124051. (If you like panos, it's worth clicking on the pics to view them full screen size).
20171112_124025. Looking back down the slope I've just ascended. Out of the forestry scrub at this point, and about to start the scrambly bit.
It's a short scramble up the cliffs - but it freezes ma digits...
...and then it's on to the ridge of Meall a'Chaolais. Straightforward going from here on.
20171112_130235. As I crest the slope on to Meall a'Chaolais, the other side of the horseshoe I'm planning to traverse comes into view: just peeping out on the LHS, Sgurr Dhonuill, and immediately in front, Creag Ghorm. Even from here I can see that the ridge between the two looks pretty up-and-downy, and so it later proves to be.
20171112_130638. Looking back down the approach ridge en route to Sgorr Dhearg.
20171112_130655. It's hard to refrain from snapping in the direction of the Mamores and Loch Leven...
20171112_132114. As I approach the summit of Sgorr Dhearg, the views of the Beinn a'Bheithir ridge are simply wonderful.
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20171112_132134. The final pull to the summit of Sgorr Dhearg. No footprints here - obviously this isn't an "official" route. Easy walking.
20171112_134444. It's a really satisfying ridge walk up to the summit - this is looking back along it more or less due north.
20171112_134805. As I approach the summit, I see there are 5 or 6 young folk there, the first of the day. The pic is looking approximately south east, with Glen Coe on the far LHS, Stob an Fhuarain and Sgurr na h'Ulaidh centre middle background, and Bidean nam Bian behind (I think - correct me anyone please if I'm wrong).
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20171112_134935. Looking west north west along the ridge towards Sgurr Dhonuill and to the right, the ridge out to Creag Ghorm - in fact most of the high-level part of the remainder of the route.
20171112_135911. Descending to the bealach, Fraochaidh to the left of Sgurr Dhonuill.
20171112_140307. At the bealach, looking north down Gleann a'Chaolais towards Ballachulish bridge.
20171112_141648. Looking back east from the fairly gentle ascent of Sgurr Dhonuill towards Sgorr Dhearg, Bidean nan Bian in the background, and behind it, the snow on Stob Coire Sgreamhach just catching the sun. Magical!
20171112_141817. ....while to the west the afternoon sun beginning to sink behind the clouds over Loch Linnhe provides an inspiring spectacle.
20171112_142343. Some quite dramatic cliffs on the north face of Sgurr Dhonuill, on which it looks as if one could spend an entertaining few hours scrambling.
20171112_142410. The Ben Nevis and Mamores ranges really showing off...
20171112_143048. ... as on the summit the eye is inevitably drawn to the west as the sun continues to descend over Loch Linnhe.
20171112_143220. Looking almost due west from the summit, I think that the wonderful spiky looking hill just to the right of the fellow walker's head must be Gharb Bheinn (please correct me if I'm wrong).
20171112_143244. The way ahead, Meall Ghorm centre pic, and in the background what I think must be Gulvain (the pyramidal shaped hill catching the sun)...
20171112_143518. Afternoon sun again in the west over Loch Linnhe (I took over 200 pics on this short afternoon ...
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20171112_143901. The lumpy route ahead...
20171112_150026. Pano looking back at Sgurr Dhonuill and Sgurr Dhearg from the lumpy plateau. One gets a bit of an idea from the foreground of just how up and down it is.
20171112_150835. And it's characterised by many many little lochans that suddenly appear as an unexpected pleasure, for one cannot see them long in advance because of the up-and-down nature of the terrain. (I know, I found a lot of reasons to photograph the sun going down over Loch Linnhe - my justification is that others seem to find sunsets equally fascinating to judge from the number of pics of them in WHRs!!
)
20171112_152500. It's quite exhausting flogging up and down the myriad little ridges that run perpendicular to my direction of travel; but the views continue to enchant. This pic is looking back towards Sgurr Dhonuill again, with Sgorr Dhearg in the background catching the low sun full on. Wonderful.
. Like the previous 2 days, this is another irrepressible continuous grin day.
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20171112_155749. Another of the many many sunsets-over-lochan pics I take on the way.
20171112_160519. The setting sun lighting up SG and SD in a wonderful orange glow, viewed from the highest point on Meall Ghorm.
20171112_160528. The last sunset pic - promise!
20171112_161252. The first part of the descent slopes gently, if up-and-downy, and I'm treated to the inspiring sight of Loch Leven and the Nevis/Mamores hills as darkness begins to close in. I can't yet see down to the break in the forestry I'm heading towards, so I'm using my compass more or less continuously to stay on the correct direction.
I recall now the very steep face I viewed from just before the Ballachullish bridge earlier today, and sure enough, the slope suddenly steepens quite dramatically, to about 45 degrees.
20171112_162701. Moreover, there are a number of cliffs that have to be circumnavigated, so if one were to repeat this route, one would need to be comfortable in this environment.
The last pic was taken at maximum exposure, and it's very soon too dark to take any more pics. Originally I'd thought I might go straight down to the road and walk along it back to the car; but as I approach the decision point, the thought of ending the day on a road appeals less and less. So instead I follow a forestry track that starts at a radio mast and shed at about 037591. There are multiple turn-offs, and it's so dark that I have to use my head torch to read the map.
But all goes well, and in an hour or so I'm back at the car. Quick change, then head back home, pausing only to purchase a very large bottle of natural orange juice - for some reason I have a desperate urge for citrus, and in addition to the juice, manage to consume a complete net of oranges on the drive home. I take the route via Callendar and Stirling to avoid the big detour around Loch Lomond that I experienced on the way up to the WH meet, and, incident-free, I pull into my drive at half past midnight, still thoroughly suffused with adrenaline after a terrific afternoon, and generally a superb weekend; and with enough time to sit at my kitchen table and make up for the loss of fluid that under normal circumstances I would have made up by a swift visit to the nearest establishment of cultural, historical and architectural distinction....
3D of route.