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Watching the mists roll in

Watching the mists roll in


Postby Pastychomper » Fri Aug 16, 2019 4:31 pm

Sub 2000' hills included on this walk: Beinn Stumanadh

Date walked: 08/06/2019

Time taken: 4.5 hours

Distance: 14 km

Ascent: 600m

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Beinn Stumanadh: An enigmatic mound to the east of Ben Loyal that draws the gaze of the occasional traveller. This occasional traveller went for a closer look.

20190608_131013.jpg
Stumanadh's west arm from the bridge

It turned out to be my kind of hill: steep, no-nonsense sides with an interesting series of tops curving around to the big one. That ridge hides the "real" hill from the road.
I started from the road at 13:02. The weather was sunny and calm, visibility good and the bluebells were out under the birch.

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Looking back at the bridge
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I couldn't blame the midges for hanging around here
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Back across the land bridge
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Ben Loyal and Cnoc nan Cùilien
The first and steepest slope starts to level off near the top of Sròn Ruadh. Pausing for breath between two crags, I turned around to see a bird right at my eye level, making use of the updraft over the crag. The silhouette looked eagle-like to me, so maybe a buzzard with ambition, but by the time I remembered the camera in my pocket it was heading out of range.
bird1.jpg
Making itself scarce so I don't notice it's actually a crow
bird2.jpg
"Look out mate, there's a camera behind me - turn around!"

The way up was a over a series of nicely rounded lumps.
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Sròn Ruadh
20190608_141259.jpg
The sea through a gap

Stopping on a higher slope I looked back and saw what I thought was a group of walkers maybe 20 minutes behind. They'd vanished a few minutes later and I saw no more of them, leading me to wonder if they were ever there at all. Probably they were taking a quicker route down.

After that it was up, down, round the end of a burn and up to the trig point.
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atTop.jpg
At the top

SumPanNE.jpg
NE - sea and Borgie Forest
SumPanSE.jpg
SE - Griams and a bit of Ben Armine
SumPanSW.jpg
SW - Ben Klibreck, Cnoc nan Cùilean and a bit of Loyal, Hee in the background
SumPanNW.jpg
NW - The rest of Ben Loyal, Cranstackie, Spionnaidh and friends, Hutig and Meall nan Clach Ruadha

Down the other side was a nice collection of toplets with a few frogs in between.
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Down an arm
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Two lochans and Creag Bhreac
frog.jpg
Ribbit
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Closer to the Creags
CreagDubh.jpg
Creag Dubh

Standing near the end of Creag Bhreac I saw that Torrisdale Bay, which until now had made a nice yellow triangle beyond the woods, was covered in a dense white haar. The wind was blowing it straight towards me. Nice of it to wait until I'd done the last top.
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Haar it comes

Sure enough, some minutes later the clouds rolled in to cover the peak of Beinn Stumanadh.
20190608_161035.jpg
Stumanadh in the clouds

I chose a straight line down to avoid the new clouds, then met the first of several deer fences. My 'phone battery had been draining extra fast since somewhere after the summit, and around here I turned it off (and stopped logging my route) to preserve what was left.

The fence seemed to be heading west over Stumanadh's north spur, so rather than scale its wobbly stabs I followed it up into the fog and down into Coire na Caileig. After a while I could see some hilltops through the mist, and was contemplating crossing the bealach by Sròn Ruadh when I came across the track towards Achnanclach bothy.

I'd seen the track on a map but expected it to be as overgrown as the one I'd allegedly crossed earlier in the walk. Instead it proved a quick and easy way out of the clouds. I got back to the start at 17:35.

20190608_173546.jpg
The end.

The track is approximate, especially on the steep bits.

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Pastychomper
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Re: Watching the mists roll in

Postby Graeme D » Sun Aug 18, 2019 2:45 pm

Interesting looking wee hill. Cheers. 8)
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Graeme D
 
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Location: Perth

Re: Watching the mists roll in

Postby Pastychomper » Tue Aug 20, 2019 10:13 am

Thanks, glad you liked it.
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Pastychomper
Wanderer
 
Posts: 216
Munros:5   Corbetts:4
Fionas:4   
Sub 2000:8   
Islands:5
Joined: Jan 2, 2018

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