Corrour - Beinn na Lap

[Ranger]

The fantastic summer weather of May 2016 was delightfully continuing into June, and my fourth mountain walk in a month would prove my best. It's not often an ascent of the meek and mild Beinn na Lap could be viewed as an immense challenge, but when three of the party had a combined age of 9 years old this modest Munro became our Everest.

Let alone climbing a mountain, it can be challenge enough to get out the front door on time with young children and so it proved as we set off from Banchory 20 minutes behind schedule. I could have spent hours stopping to take photographs on the scenic drive from Calvine over the hill to a sparkling Loch Rannochside, but we had a train to catch and arrived at Rannoch Station with little time to spare. Copious amounts of food were thrown in bags and we jumped on the train for the short trip across the moors to Corrour, surely the most magical station to alight at in Britain. We needed 10 minutes to organise what we were taking and what was being left at the Station restaurant before setting off along the track eastwards.

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Who knew a 10 minutes journey could be so exciting

Setting off towards Loch Ossian

Blue skies above Leum Uilleim

Our day's target - Beinn na Lap

Ben Nevis managing to tower over us thanks to a zoom lens

I loved the vivid lime greens around this lochan

Loch Ossian with Ben Alder filling the skyline

A bite for lunch on the way up

Hannah's first Munro - if only she was awake for it!

A mountain-filled horizon, with Ben Cruachan faintly visible on the left

Summit party, sherpas and clients, celebrate

James' picture of the teddies

Unprompted feet-paddling in the summit lochan

Hannah falls over and her cousin Isla comes to the rescue

James enjoying a break during the descent

Curiosity at a resident of the mountain

No hesitation in knocking back that mountain water

Sherpa working double-time for final half-mile

Happy to be at the Station Restaurant

Ready to toast our success

More happy summitteers

Entertainment besides the good food

When the teddy-eating-cake game goes a fraction too far

A journey in the Guard's Van to round off the day