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Beinn nan Aighenan was our last unclimbed peak in Glen Etive and I was looking forward to finally getting there and having another area "clear" of red balloons. Earlier this year, I had optimistically set my annual Munro target at 260, now it was beginning to look realistic! Only 2 away!
On the other hand, I was aware that with summer now coming to an end, it would be difficult to find any new Munros to add to my tally...
Glen Etive is notorious for parking, especially the road near Coileitir, so to be able to find a suitable space, we left home so early that even all cockerels were still asleep
Sadly, getting up in the middle of the night doesn't agree with my stomach, and I suffered badly on the 2 hrs drive down from Inverness. Having spent most of the journey bent in half, it was a nice change to be able to stretch and breath in the fresh air of Glen Etive. Of course, despite our early start, by the time we arrived most good parking spaces were taken and we had to drive to near Loch Druimachoish.
Busy day in Glen Etive:
We had toyed with the idea of climbing Beinn nan Aighenan from Loch Tulla but in the end, the classic route from the north over Bealach Lochain Ghaineamhaich proved the most practical choice:
The morning was quiet and very warm; +25*C forecast for the afternoon, but so far, not too bad, especially when walking close to water:
We had been here only a few weeks earlier, climbing Ben Starav, and now we discovered, to our discontent, that the path past Coileitir has since turned into an annoying quagmire or as Kevin described it "a good route for ducks"! It had rained the night before and the amount of hopping and slaloming we had to do to avoid the worst of the bog should be added to the Guinness book
Looks better than it is, ha ha ha:
The path improved slightly when we reached the bridge over Allt Mheuran. We were glad that we'd climb most of the ascent along a nice stream, at least we wouldn't run out of water - and the sun wasn't joking!
There are several paths leading into the glen, we took the one closest to the gorge, fort the sake of taking pictures...
...but soon we were fed up as the lower path was far too boggy to our taste, so we climbed out of the gorge and found one of the higher paths, which soon took us to Allt nam Mheirleach:
From now on, walking was less boggy, but the air was getting hotter and hotter, soon we were sweating! Allt nam Mheirleach and the smaller streams flowing into the gorge were a blessing - at least we didn't have to worry about getting dehydrated. About half way up into the glen, we took a snack break and I discovered that my Jaffa cakes turned into Jaffa chocolate soup
Looking down the gorge:
The slog along Allt nam Mheirleach seemed neverending in the heat, but eventually we reached Coire Lochain Ghaineamhaich, where we discovered more steep ground to cover!
View down into Coire Lochain Ghaineamhaich:
Reaching the bealach was a welcome relief. We decided to have a longer break here, drink more water followed by a sandwich and more jaffa soup for dessert
Above us, Ben Starav ridge dominated the view:
View north from the bealach:
Due south, the sun-kissed ridge of Ben Cruachan:
It was still a long way to Beinn nan Aighenan, including a 150m drop to the next bealach followed by a steep-ish 300m ascent to the summit:
As we dropped down to the lower connection between the two mountains, I noticed that the slope here was rather gentle. At least, on the way back, we wouldn't face a steep, knee-jerking march up to Bealachan Lochain Ghaineamhaich:
I was surprised how rocky "our" Munro was:
We were slow in the heat, but I must admit, in given circumstances, we were doing pretty well
Ben Starav and Glass Bheinn Mhor from the path up Beinn nan Aighenan:
The route up is steep and quite rocky, but no real scrambling involved and even if the path leads up a scramble-ish section, it can always be avoided. Not that we always did
Looking back to Ben Starav:
The summit cairn was a welcome sight. We met a few other walkers sitting on the top and had some typical "mountain chatting" (in my case it was more mountain bragging "only 23 to go"). Kevin in the meantime, was busy preparing his summer picnic:
Only 1 away from 2019 target! Munro no. 259 for me...
...no. 118 for wee Lucy:
Beinn nan Aighenan might not be the most inspiring of Munros, but it did indeed charm us with its aura of remoteness. Views are fantastic, especially to the south, as the northern side is blocked by the wall of Ben Starav/Glas Bheinn Mor. But the hidden position of this hill allows the walker to see the less known side of the Etive ridge:
Ben Starav, Loch Etive and the attack of the vicious gnats
We were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the air today, no summer haze so we could see even more distant peaks:
View due south:
Ben Cruachan, Stob Daimh, Beinn a'Chochuill and Beinn Eunaich:
Zoom to Bidean nam Bian and Beinn Maol Chaluim:
Loch Dochard and more distant Loch Tulla:
After a long break on the summit (I couldn't miss the opportunity to enjoy the last of the summer meowing!) we set off to return to Glen Etive. It required descending to the 647m col and then climbing back the extra 150m to the high pass between Ben Starav and Glas Bheinn Mhor. We caught up with two chaps we had met earlier on the summit and had another nice chat. Looking back to Beinn nan Aighenan, we had a feeling of job well done!
The descent into the gorge of Allt nam Mheirleach took time, but we didn't hurry. Weather was lovely, we had a good water supply nearby and there was no need to rush it! The gorge itself was an interesting feature:
I noticed that if I descend at slower pace, my knees don't hurt as much. I really enjoyed our Etive trip despite the heat, but somehow I feel that this was the last of the summer meowing and colder days are coming. But as long as the sun is shining, we will be out and about, exploring the Scottish hills in autumn colours
My wish of reaching the magic number of 260 M's was fulfilled in the first days of September, when we visited Loch Awe and walked the alternative Dalmally horseshoe. TR to come soon
