free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Had been keeping this for a winter ascent, but as usual was doing a last minute dither where to go and left it too late for Lochnagar, so headed up the Ullapool road instead. Plenty rain recently, but today was forecast to be dry asides from occasional showers, and windy but not the extreme winds of yesterday.
Not a long drive for me which is always nice. Bit of a shock at the Garve level crossing, where traffic was waiting as the barriers were down - as I pulled up behind the queue, I could see a car on the other side at a diagonal angle and on the wrong side of the barriers. Fortunately they were off the actual rail track, and a guy in Network Rail high viz was in the process of speaking to them, I suspect as a telling off for their attempt to ignore the flashing lights and beat the barrier (unsuccessfully!). Lucky escape for all concerned.
Anyway, parked in the rough parking area by the Black Bridge where a couple of cars were parked already, and followed the tarmac track then the rougher (but still good) track all the way to the abandoned cottages at Lubachlaggan, where it was time to turn off the track and head up the hill on a faint path. Met a guy who'd just come down, he said it was wild up the top. Easy to believe, it was strong winds down the bottom, I was glad I was walking and hadn't tried cycling.
- Loch Vaich, summit of Beinn a'Chasteil just out of sight on right, behind Meall a' Ghrianan
Zig zagged up the boggy path (maybe not too boggy normally), then headed for the cairn I could see near the start of the plateau. I expected to see the summit wind shelter from there, but no, nothing, so I just headed to what looked like the highest point, across bog, peat hags and stony tundra. Wouldn't like to be navigating that in cloud, so good that today the cloud was staying above the top of this hill, if not all the nearby munros. Made it to the summit trig point/wind shelter, good views of everything in the vicinity (inc. Am Faochagach, Seana Bhraigh, Carn Chuninneag, Ben Wyvis), though not further afield.
- Summit, Seana Braigh in the background
- Ben Wyvis behind my head!
Started raining as I left the summit, so that, combined with the strong wind and the likelihood of a boggier walk, changed my mind about the circular route, and I headed down the way I came (except somehow picked a much wetter line back to the cairn and was ankle deep in bog a lot of the way). Nice to head back on to the zig zag descent and be a bit more sheltered. Of course sods law that I got to the bottom and the shower ended and the sky had bits of blue, making me regret not taking the route back over Meall a' Ghrianan. There again, within minutes there was another shower and dark clouds, so maybe it was the right decision?! The changeable weather continued all the way back to the car, sunglasses on 1 minute, waterproof jacket the next.
Overall, an enjoyable walk, quite a remote corbett but with a good access track in to it making it not too challenging, and good views from the top. Expected it to take me longer, but I guess the easier terrain of the track for the bulk of the return accounts for that.
Left car 1102, summit at 1352, back at car 1630.
Corbett #39
