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on Wednesday we climbed the three munros Creag Pitridh, Geal Charn and Beinn a'Chlachair from Laggan Bridge. Arriving back at the car we drove down to Fersit on a lovely evening with all the summits visible; I think this is the first time we have ever been in the area with clear views and what lovely looking mountains they are!
We parked at Fersit and found a place to camp quite near the car hiding behind a moraine. It was even so lovely I was able to sit outside the tent and do a couple of rows of knitting before the midges appeared.
- knitting at Fersit
We slept late in the morning so after having breakfast and packing up the tent it was nearly ten o'clock before we set off on our walk.
It was not a beautiful day at all. The hills were shrouded in cloud and from time to time we had lashing rain. If there was a path we didn't find it. It was cold, requiring more garments than I would generally expect from late June. You get clear of the farm buildings and go straight uphill, keeping to the right of the burns which come down the hill near the farm. It is very boggy. Stob Coire Sgriodain is rough going and steep with a lot of false summits. I always like to think that false summits mean that the hill is getting less steep, but this hill seems to manage it while staying steep all the way up! You might have thought that this would have made for a bit of a miserable day, but actually it was very enjoyable (mostly). From time to time we had glimpses of views and it appeared like it was going to clear up. We almost had views from the summit and we claimed it as a cloud-free Munro.
- keep to the right of the burn
- a nice lochan
- a wee tree doing its best
- Looking back the way we came. The wee lochan on the right is at Fersit
- Looking up Glen Spean towards where we were yesterday
- First view of Loch Treig
- Where we were yesterday - from left to right, Binneins, Creag Pitridh, Geal Charn, Beinn a' Chlachair
- Easains considering clearing up
- ooh look there's the top!
- and here is Rudolph on the top
- and me. OK so the views aren't very impressive but you can see Loch Treig and the side of the Easains so I am claiming it.
There are bits of path between Stob Coire Sgriodain and Chno Dearg but it still demands some careful navigation as the ground coming down Stob is quite lumpy and rough. Halfway down it cleared up briefly and we found a sheltered spot for a brew.
- bit of dramatic cliff
- The cairn on the 958m top of Stob Coire Sgriodain. Someone has taken a lot of care over this picking out the quartzite stones
- ooh a quick glimpse of a view
- and another though blink and you might miss it
Chno Dearg is a completely different hill from its neighbour, just a steady plod up grass and a bit of stone at the top. Sadly no view and we took a bearing off the top straight for the farm and just went for it.
- up Chno Dearg. an MTV track appeared for a while
- Rudolph on the summit with a big blob of water on my lens
- me on the top
If you don't mind wet feet it is actually a very nice descent; once out of the cloud you can see exactly where you are going, nothing taxing, just avoiding the odd moss pool and hag, and lower down there are some bonny waterfalls and gorges to keep the interest up.
- Looking back to where we were earlier
- Just head for the farm
- a waterfall in a gorge. in real life it looks much more impressive
- Birch and rowan growing in the side of the gorge
- some white lousewort with a bit of the normal purple. I'm told the white is quite rare, like white heather. There's also some on Stob Ban in the Fisherfield and the Big Bookle
- Looking back up stob coire Sgriodain. Weather hasn't improved any. but the forecast for tomorrow is for an improving day.
We were back at the car at around 4.30pm ready for the next adventure, which was tea at the Real Food café en route to Loch Lomond and the Arrochar Alps.