Clocks 'n' walks

[weedavie]

The trouble with long walks is estimating times - well it is if you can't be bothered taking care. Beinn Laoigh from Crianlarich by train can be crushed into the 6 hours between the morning and afternoon trains but if you wait for the evening train it's 9 and a half hours to wait. I reckoned to only do three hills would mean an expensive two hours in the pub so go for all four.

I shoved the route into the OS package and came out with 6 hours 40. It just uses Naysmith which assumes an optimum surface for 5 kph and allows a minute for 10 metres of ascent but nothing for descent. The route had 1600 metres of each so the indicated time was definitely just a minimum. Anyway I reckoned about 90 minutes on the bike so it all looked comfortable including a pint.

The train was a touch late so I left the bike at 11.15, still with 8 and a quarter hours in hand, and made Laoigh comfortably by 1.15. I saw an eagle on the way in. It had a white tail so I got into the usual young eagle, sea eagle dilemma. I'd like to think it was a White-tailed Eagle because it was doing a weird wheeling pattern up the glen but I don't actually know if that's significant.

There had been rags of cloud all morning but they now cleared.

Far away targets

Laoigh to Beinn a'Chleibh is nothing - well, maybe 50 minutes.

Scotia's grandeur

I stopped for a few minutes but it really is an undistinguished top. I now worked out a probable time to Ben Oss. Looking at the terrain and the need for a traverse, two hours seemed right. As the Oss bealach is 100 metres lower than a Chleibh's,I picked a line before I started. That was worthwhile because once you start, you've no visibility of Oss and it seems right to climb rather than descend. I was really grateful for the dry spell, the traverse would be a lot more slippy when wet.

I beat the two hours by 10 minutes which should have been "achievement!" but just woke me to how much distance was left. At this point I met another two people. There had been two coming off a'Chleibh, and that was it for the day. Ten past four for a 7.30 train seems comfortable but I might have skipped Dubhcraig, except there's not a natural way of doing it.You've got to climb that shoulder. Recently I've only gone between them in winter which is quite demanding but I estimated an hour and was surprised how easy it was.

Hazy but satisfying

Psychologically I now screwed up by not estimating my walk out. I was knackered and stumbling and I believed I was getting way behind time. But the last slope, which can be a pain when it's wet or snow covered, was dry and easy and I was back to the bike in an hour. Ya beauty, back to Crianlarich with the wind and slope behind me. I'd half an hour in hand so I bought a couple of bottles of beer for the train from the Landis shop. Then in to the Rod and Reel for a pint, I thought, of Guinness. Paradise, there was a Deuchar's handpump! £4.30 seemed steep for a pint, but it was beautifully served and I'd cheerfully have paid double.

Laoigh 4.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

[rockhopper]

It's a nice round and a bike certainly helps.
Good going - did something similar a few years back but even taking the bike a bit further than you it still took me quite a bit longer - but then I think Naismith has always been too fast for me

I reckoned to only do three hills would mean an expensive two hours in the pub so go for all four.

I've seen various rationales for the number of hills in a round but not this one so far - cheers