Beinn Chabhair

[cjwaugh]

Sat 21/03/09. Starting from Beinglas Farm we followed the path up the left side of the burn past the falls and on to the lochan where you get the first real view of this munro (if the cloud isn't down like it was when we were there).
From the lochan we headed north east for the bealach on the north west ridge and followed the winding path to the summit cairn this was all in cloud until we were heading back when the cloud suddenly lifted and we could see what we were missing on the way up

great views across to Ben lui

and Ben lomond

Here's another group leaving the summet

View across Glen Falloch

Followed the path back to the lochin

down to the burn then back to the Drovers Inn where the van was parked

This was a rewarding walk although it did take us 7 and a half hours but it did nt rain all day

[walker1]

Good report and photos. The walk in and out takes longer than you think. I walked up A'Chailleach and Carn Sgulain on Sat but it wasn't until we descended before the drizzle and cloud cleared. Thats life!

[Paul Webster]

Some good pics there - it always seems a miracle when you set off in clag and it then clears up - I think it makes you appreciate it more.

A long, long time ago, together with another guy who also should have known better, added Beinn Chabhair to An Caisteal and Beinn a'Chroin. In mist we somehow managed to descend the wrong flank of the hill in spite of compass work - I think rocky bits kept making us go more wrong. Further down it was too late and we ended up descending to Inverarnan where we drowned our shame with a few pints whilst waking for the student club bus to come and pick us up (we were supposed to be in Crianlarich).

[cjwaugh]

Thanks guys and yes definitely appreciated it more because the cloud lifted we were doing that hill because my uncle who is my walking companion did it before in thick cloud and wasn't convinced he hadn't summited ,turns out he hadn't but no mistakes this time

[druidsam]

my uncle who is my walking companion did it before in thick cloud and wasn't convinced he hadn't summited ,turns out he hadn't but no mistakes this time

that would be me


.........................Sam

[mountain coward]

Glad you enjoyed it - I did it on Monday but didn't enjoy my day at all! It was my own fault for making a last minute decision to do it at 11:30 after going to look at Beinn Chleibh and deciding it looked horrid in the snow (very steep finish to the col) and the river was too high. I hadn't really had a good read (as mentioned before, I don't usually go up things I haven't studied thoroughly beforehand) and had only seen one suggested method in the book - the 'strenuous' option. So, instead of going up by the waterfall (which I did) and then walking along the bog/track to the 'Loch Chabhair' and then going up the Munro, I went over all the intervening hills. The book says 4 - well there are around 3 Grahams - but in actuality, there are 6 intervening hills of around 2000ft - 5 of which I did on the way. By the time I bumped into 2 guys who were also staying at the Crianlarich Youth Hostel and recognised me from there so stopped me for a brief chat on the start of the path up the Munro (on that route there is no path until you reach the col before the Munro ascent) I was completely and utterly knackered. Fortunately, the path took a superb and easy route up to the summit so things weren't as bad as I initially thought when I saw how steep it all looked.

There was at least reasonable visibility but a bad gale and many horizontal snow/hail showers and some ice on the path (all avoidable). The last bit of the ascent and the ridge between the summits saw the wind doing it's best to hurl me down the steep side down the back. This put me off going back to the same col so I decided to descend South and then South-East (which the map said was okay and the angle looked okay). I found a path initially but it headed off towards the valley at the back (although it may well have turned back south lower down) so I just went down south-east. I managed to find a clear route down but when I looked round, I'd come down between some pretty big and brooding crags! I then went back to the loch and the 3 miles or so of bog to get back. The final steep 900 foot or so descent by the waterfall finished me off completely and I was mentally and physically exhausted by the time I got back to my car.

I comforted myself with a couple of drinks and a great soup in the pub and thoughts that I had done pretty well really... that was until I got back to the hostel and read Yokehead's account of how easy he'd found that hill in addition to An Caisteal and Beinn Chroin in the same walk!! Now I feel totally inadequate and unfit!

[mountain coward]

Actually though, it only took me 5 and a half hours so maybe I'm not too unfit...

[Alan S]

nice set of pics there
the views from the top on a clear day are stunning from here
i did this last july on a baking hot day with no cloud and blue skies with a pretty miserable attempt at doing all 3.
i started from derrydaroch farm following the what for around 1/2 mile then cutting across the boggy fields following the allt a chuilinn burn then climbing the steep slopes eventually finding the path.with a quick decision to return we followed the path past the lochan which brought me back to the whw to not far from where you started with the long hard slog back to the car.
its good to see the right way to do this hill

cheers alan

[cjwaugh]

Well that was 2 hours faster than us but doesn't it get so annoying when you see how fit some people are walking up Ben Ledi 2 weeks ago we passed a fell runner on his way down not even out off breath .When we were nearly back to the car park there was another runner heading up the hill ,I made the remark to my uncle that cant be the same guy going up again surely ,that's just taking the Mick if it is I,m going to trip him up low and behold it was but after a "good afternoon "from both of us he continued unharmed (and he still wasn't out of breath)no I couldn't really trip him up ,but how do these guys get so fit do they sell there soul.

[kevsbald]

Having had the misfortune to go up against these fell runners in the Ben Lomond race last year, I was witness to the fitness. I thought I was fit but these people are super-human. However, us walkers tend to have a longer half-life on the hill, with regard to injuries etc. I take some consolation in that.

[yokehead]

Nice one cj, great photos and wasn't it brilliant how the weather improved and gave such good visibility after the haze of the previous few days - I was on Beinn Heasgarnich report to come.

mc seems to me that you chose the hardest way to and from the summit so I'm sure that in retrospect, having covered different ground to everyone else, you think it was rewarding?!

[cjwaugh]

Thanks guys look forward to that next report yokehead haven't climbed that one yet

[mountain coward]

I can't believe the same fellrunner went up the same mountain twice in a day!! I know one of my friends did Blencathra 3 times one afternoon, but that was because he wanted to do all the ridges on the front in one go which I thought was fair enough (although I sure wouldn't be able to do it!). Fell runners make me sick too - I suppose I get totally jealous of everyone who's fitter than me (and that's a lot of folk!), especially as I've got so much less fit over the last 10 years or so, despite my best efforts.

Did I find my route rewarding? Definitely not! I've never been so knackered in my life and was saying to myself all the way to the Munro that it was the worst walk I'd ever done! Having said that, I did like the Munro itself when I finally got to it... Also, while the Munro guide said 3 of the intervening peaks were Grahams (which remembering them, I doubt somehow) I can't see them on the Graham list. I think they should be listed as obstructions!