Carn Gorm & Meall Garbh (Half the Invervar Horseshoe)

[jimbryce1967]

Date:Mon 21Oct19

Carn Gorm & Meall Garbh (Invervar Horseshoe)

Left home(Dunfy) 8:30am.

Got to Invervar 10:10.

Car park was full, 6 cars.
I parked on the road by the bridge 50 yards further on.

Start was as per Meal Na Aighean until I reached the tractor track to Glen Invervar.
I followed the track this time straight up the Invervar Glen.

A stalker worker on a big wheeled buggy, road up to me and we had a quick chat.
9 folk on the hill today already he says. Some on top of Carn Gorm now.
Stalker season now over as from yesterday 20th Oct. It runs from 1st July.

I am going round the horseshoe clockwise this time as almost everyone does.

I crossed the Invervar burn at a very rickety iron bridge.

The climb was steep now round the edge of the forest and straight up the hill.

It was hard going but I went slow but steady.
Wind was from the west, not strong enough to be a problem, but was forecast to get stronger later in the day.

I, of course, had a great view of Meall Na Aighean & Carn Mairg. I climb those a few weeks ago.

When I got higher up , I could see Ben Lawers and other Munros toward Bridge of Orchy.
Some very spiky.

The main feature in the Horseshoe is a big crag at the head of the glen.
I thought it was the 1004M top, but it turned out to be the 924M top between Carn Gorm and Meall Grabh.

I soon reached the level part of the ridge, for a bit of a rest.
It took me 1 hour to get this far.
The wind was more evident now before I reach the next steep climb.
Surely this is the last climb before the top.
But no, there was another slop after that.
I can see I am nearly as high as Meall Na Aighean at 968M.

When I pop my head up to see the summit, the wind catches me.
I get to Summit of Carn Gorm (3 Hours 15 Minutes), book said 2:30

I take photos quickly; I find I have left my phone in the car. So no selfies.
The cairn has an OS triangulation point, lying on its side, in the summit cairn. Strange.

I'm not hanging around on top. The path northwest to the bealach is strewn with individual
grass pieces which are frozen, like icicles.

It is slippy, so I get my ski poles out to steady me.
These ski poles are great.
I hurt my leg by falling on the descent of Meall Chiuch earlier this year.
That showed me how important poles are.

I get to first Bealach then across the base of the 924M top and then to the next bealach.
This is where I intend to descend to the glen floor later. I hope its not too steep.
I'm tired now. I climb at a crawl up a series of metal fence posts
to the summit of Meal Garbh(4 Hours 28 Minutes).

Again a strange sight at the summit cairn with several metal fence posts helping to create the cairn.

I head home now, via the bealach I have just come from and then south, directly on to the Invervar glen.
It is grassy and a little boggy here and there. but generally fine.

Great view of the craggy 924M top.

A path appears here and there then gets more distinct but still has boggy bits to jump over.

I have seen no one all day. I kept studying the ridges frequently. I saw nothing.

I'm getting close to the forest now and I do not need to cross the dodgy iron bridge his time.
I see a couple walking down from Carn Gorm, the way I had climbed up.
They are far away and I don't meet them before I get back to my car.
6 Hours 28 minutes on the hill.