walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot


Postby dogplodder » Fri Apr 20, 2012 3:57 pm

Route description: A' Ghlas Bheinn and the Falls of Glomach

Munros included on this walk: A' Ghlas-bheinn

Date walked: 06/09/2008

5 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

When I was a kid there were four Scottish hills that left a permanent impression on me - Ben Nevis, Ben Lawers, Ben Lomond (my first Munro) and A'Ghlas Bheinn. The reason the last stuck was from our annual summer holidays driving up from Yorkshire (where we then lived) to Kyle of Lochalsh where my great grandfather lived. He died at 96 and was a wonderful old man who clipped gorse bushes into animal shapes and made his own pancakes! :D

Four generation photo in Kyle with my great grandfather, granny and mum :angel:

4 generations, Kyle '61.jpg


In those days it was a day's journey from Edinburgh to Kyle - much of it by single track road - and there was no causeway across the east finger of Loch Duich so we spent a good twenty minutes looking at the gully-riven west face of A'Ghlas Bheinn. My wee brother aged five remarked it looked like pyjama trousers drying on the line and from then on it was known to us as pyjama mountain! :lol:

Fast forward 50 years and Moira and I set off to climb pyjama mountain. :D We turned off the A87 at Morvich and took the minor road up Strath Coe to the forestry commision car park at the end of the road where we parked. I gather this option is no longer available.

We were busy blethering as we followed the continuation of the track and walked past the turn off to the right to cross the bridge. It was a beautiful September day and the rowans were in their full berry-laden glory.

Looking back towards Loch Duich
DSC00444-medium.jpg


Looking across to the hills of Glenelg
DSC00443-medium.jpg


About 15 minutes into the walk Jack the yellow lab found a piece of contraband which he was very proud of and was trying hard to bolt down before I took it off him. :shifty: It was part of the foreleg of a deer with the hoof still attached. I prised it out of his jaws (funny how dogs get a serious attack of lock-jaw on these occasions!), put him and Tess on the lead (she's just as bad if she gets a chance) and threw the offending item as far as I could into deep bracken. Shortly after that we noticed the path we should have been on, on the other side of the river, and since both sides were steep we thought the best thing was to retrace our steps and go back to the bridge. duh.

Having crossed the bridge we negotiated a herd of cows who were a bit too interested in the dogs and were finally on the correct path on the right side of the river walking up Gleann Choinneachan. It was familiar (though you wouldn't think that after our earlier mistake!) from the route I took up Beinn Fhada a few years earlier.

We crossed the Allt a Choire Chaoil on boulders and followed the zig zag path up to the Bealach na Sgairne, ignoring the path to the right which leads to Beinn Fhada.

Path to the Bealach na Sgairne
DSC00445-medium.jpg


From the bealach the path turns north and climbs in a series of dog legs.

Steep path up south east ridge of A' Ghlas Beinn
DSC00446-medium.jpg


Jack's got that goofy expression he puts on when I make him pose and he wants to be off doing something else!
DSC00447-medium.jpg


Loch a'Bhealaich, Sgurr Garsaic on left and through to Glen Affric
DSC00448-medium.jpg


The ridge is rocky and undulating and after a while you come to a lochan where the dogs persuaded us to have a break! :lol:

Tess for a spot of retrieving (tail wagging so fast it's a blur)
DSC00451-medium.jpg


DSC00453-medium.jpg


Jack hoping for something to eat :angel:
DSC00452-medium.jpg


In the absence of steak, carrot will have to do
Hillwalks 2008 206.jpg


Loch Duich from ridge
DSC00455-medium.jpg


It was windy on top and the dogs' ears were flapping
DSC00457-mediums.jpg


After a few 'false tops' we arrived at the summit cairn.

View from summit
DSC00458-medium.jpg


Skye
DSC00459-medium.jpg


Moira at top
DSC00461-medium.jpg


DSC00462-medium.jpg


DSC00463-medium.jpg


View down to Kyle and the Skye bridge
DSC00464-medium.jpg


DSC00465-medium.jpg


DSC00466-medium.jpg


Having been to the Glomach Falls before we decided not to extend the walk and retraced our steps. The return was uneventful until we were nearing the bridge over the river and Jack disappeared. I whistled and he didn't come which sometimes happens if he finds something he knows he shouldn't have! :twisted:

A few minutes later he raced back having already been over the bridge and in his mouth was the deer's foot I'd confiscated and thrown away on the other side of the river several hours earlier! :mrgreen: It wasn't even on our return path as that was the part of the wrong way we'd taken at the beginning of the day and that dog had remembered exactly where to go to sniff out his confiscated contraband. :lol: And yes, I was extremely mean and confiscated it for a second time. :(

It's a dog's life. :?
Last edited by dogplodder on Fri Apr 20, 2012 7:47 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
dogplodder
 
Posts: 4238
Munros:242   Corbetts:74
Fionas:25   
Sub 2000:32   Hewitts:4
Wainwrights:9   Islands:24
Joined: Jul 16, 2011

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby monarchming » Fri Apr 20, 2012 4:24 pm

Ha! A great wee story and pics dogplodder! :thumbup: Well done! :D
User avatar
monarchming
Munro compleatist
 
Posts: 258
Munros:162   
Joined: Aug 25, 2009
Location: South Ayrshire

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby soulminer » Fri Apr 20, 2012 6:59 pm

An enjoyable read which had me laughing about the deer foot. :lol:
My previous dog- Brodie, a Rottweiller/Shepard cross and I climbed Stuc a'Chroin in pretty snowy condition at the top. On decending, and heading for the traverse path back- we stumbled upon four deer legs at the side of the path, when Brodie decided to walk along with one in his mouth. He dropped it after a while, and just before we met some walkers heading towards SaC. Would have frightened the life out of them. Amazing what they find on walks :shock:
Cheers.

The guilty party:

Image
IMG003 by BoydBlair, on Flickr
User avatar
soulminer
 
Posts: 804
Joined: Mar 18, 2010
Location: Johnstone

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby adamarchie » Fri Apr 20, 2012 8:18 pm

What lovely dogs! And a cracking story about Jack's cunning memory. Good thing dogs don't have secret compartments (other than, like toddlers, their stomachs). Imagine all the junk they'd bring back to the house!

The views were a happy reminder of my own trip up A' Ghlas Bheinn a few weeks ago. I've an almost identical photo of that stunning edge-of-the-world lochan where the dogs persuaded you to have a break. Should really do a walk report of what was an excellent (though mileage heavy) two day round, starting and finishing in Glen Elchaig, overnighting at Camban and climbing the Sgurr nan Ceathreamhnan three plus a Beinn Fhada traverse followed by A' Ghlas Bheinn and the Falls of Glomach.
adamarchie
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 138
Munros:259   Corbetts:40
Fionas:17   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:21   
Joined: Apr 13, 2010
Location: Edinburgh

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby dogplodder » Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:11 pm

monarchming wrote:Ha! A great wee story and pics dogplodder! :thumbup: Well done! :D


Thanks monarchming! :D
User avatar
dogplodder
 
Posts: 4238
Munros:242   Corbetts:74
Fionas:25   
Sub 2000:32   Hewitts:4
Wainwrights:9   Islands:24
Joined: Jul 16, 2011

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby dogplodder » Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:15 pm

Brodie was a handsome dog and I love the way you got him to carry half your gear! :lol:
User avatar
dogplodder
 
Posts: 4238
Munros:242   Corbetts:74
Fionas:25   
Sub 2000:32   Hewitts:4
Wainwrights:9   Islands:24
Joined: Jul 16, 2011

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby dogplodder » Fri Apr 20, 2012 10:17 pm

adamarchie wrote:The views were a happy reminder of my own trip up A' Ghlas Bheinn a few weeks ago. I've an almost identical photo of that stunning edge-of-the-world lochan where the dogs persuaded you to have a break. Should really do a walk report


I'll look forward to seeing that when you get round to it! :D
User avatar
dogplodder
 
Posts: 4238
Munros:242   Corbetts:74
Fionas:25   
Sub 2000:32   Hewitts:4
Wainwrights:9   Islands:24
Joined: Jul 16, 2011

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby 2dalmatians » Sat Apr 21, 2012 9:10 am

A great story dog plodder - I love the title! :lol:
User avatar
2dalmatians
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 341
Munros:38   Corbetts:3
Fionas:2   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:7   
Joined: Aug 16, 2010
Location: Stirling

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby dogplodder » Sat Apr 21, 2012 10:47 am

2dalmatians wrote:A great story dog plodder - I love the title! :lol:


Thanks 2d! :D
User avatar
dogplodder
 
Posts: 4238
Munros:242   Corbetts:74
Fionas:25   
Sub 2000:32   Hewitts:4
Wainwrights:9   Islands:24
Joined: Jul 16, 2011

Re: Hill of the flapping pyjamas & confiscated deer's foot

Postby danielleo » Wed May 02, 2012 2:05 pm

Thank you for sharing this, it was a lovely read and great pictures!
danielleo
Bird-watcher
 
Posts: 1
Joined: May 2, 2012

5 people think this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).




Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: desmondo1, simp25 and 71 guests