Walkhighlands

The day started well enough; a brisk walk up to the cottages at Inverchbrachan was completed in around an hour and 15 minutes. THe weather was looking good, suuny almost. There was very little snow on the hills; and all was set for a quiet leisurely day in the hills...



Near Inverchbrachan we got the first sight of the gully off to the left where the ascent proper begins, and still all was looking well...



We started the ascent of the gully and it wasn't long before the large waterfall was in view.



And this is where it all started to change, spots of rain, became larger drops of sleet, which became rapid and heavy snowfall in a full on blizzard! It was driving hard into our faces as we topped out over the waterfall and was extremely unpleasant conditions - not the conditions to be taking pictures in.

It was here we caught up /with met Nigel (Hi Nigel) who was out for a walk. He was thinking about turning back, but we invited him to join us and push on a little bit further to see if conditions got any better. So with Nigel on the GPS, and us pathfinding our way up the hill it was relatively slow going in the fresh snowfall. Eventually we reached the col that signified our arrival on the ridge of Beinn Bhuidhe, and the cloud lifted temporarily, well a little anyway...

Craig, myself, and Rocco on the col.



Then it was a fairly simple matter of up the ridge to the summit; and job done. A wee dram of Whisky to warm us up and then a fairly rapid descent making it back to the brewery just in time for a beer. I went for Highlander, a pleasant ale.

All in all a decent day out with a real sense of achievement given how the weather deteriorated. Nigel was a very pleasant chap, and he too is a member of Walk Highlands (woo hoo!) so great to meet you Nigel, and hope you enjoyed your parties when you got back to your family.



My tracks, detailed tracks from shortly before Inverchbrachan...



Location map for Beinn Bhuidhe



And the stats...

Shame about the dramatic change in conditions but you stuck it out and that matters When it comes to your choice of beer you do know there can be only one don't you

I'd had possible plans to do this one yesterday with a friend but they were shelved during the week for a variety of reasons. Looks like it was a pretty good move!

We (g.l.w, alan s, jb likes a beer) also had this one in mind,but instead ended up on Mount Keen with stretch where we had blue sky"s and great views all round,good to see very little snow on the tops,one of the reasons we changed our mind on this one,we knew there was a scramble near the top and were not sure if it was possible if covered in snow,as we don"t have a lot of experience of winter walking or climbing

hey tht looks like some nasty weather u got! Would you recomend a mountain bike for the walk in?

When it comes to your choice of beer you do know there can be only one don't you

I could feel the lightening through the blizzard!

one of the reasons we changed our mind on this one,we knew there was a scramble near the top and were not sure if it was possible if covered in snow,as we don"t have a lot of experience of winter walking or climbing

The final ascent to the col is the steepest bit, but I wouldn't say it's bad; though saying that you wouldn't want to slip. It was okay in the snow, if it were icy you'd need some crampons. There's nothing to cause any problems on the ridge.

Would you recomend a mountain bike for the walk in?

Hmmm, depends what your intentions are, it's around 8 km to the base of the of the mountain on good road / track, with the ascent itself being relatively short, so it's not a long walk. I guess if it's in the summer months where the days are longer, you could use a mountain bike, see this hill off quickly in the early morning, and then spend the afternoon at the Cobbler...

Hi Andy / Craig / Rocco

Just got back south of the border - and was about to post - I'll edit it down now given the story's been told and just post a few words and pics.

Despite the conditions it was worth the day out - thanks for the company and Rocco's encouragement.

I'm not sure all the party-goers have recovered yet - but I know where they could get a spindrift blast hangover cure.

N

I'll edit it down now given the story's been told and just post a few words and pics.

Never Nigel - tell the full story - and hopefully you have a pic or two for the blizzard!

Glad you had a good party & trip home...