Beinn na Lap to The Fara without a tent

[guyhansfordmbcs]

My second midsummer midnight lunch, this time on Beinn Eibhinn. I left Corrour station at 16:38 on17th June 2004 and got to Dalwhinnie station at 11:19 on the 18th.
A much nicer route than Beinn Bheoil-Ben Alder-Sgor Gaibhre-Carn Dearg and I had the benefit of the previous summer's experience, which made up for the poorer weather this time. There were fewer good spots for a 15-minutes rest. I found a good slab at 05:00, got down for 10 minutes then got up covered in snow.
Beinn na Lap was very ordinary but better than trudging along the road. When I got down off it and headed to climb to Beinn Eibhinn I was glad of the road. It had an artic trailer parked there waiting for the stalking season, with scores of butcher's hooks around the walls and its door was open, so I got in right out of the wind and drizzle to sort myself out for the main trek.
When I plotted the route I was worried that I'd be crossing a narrow arete at midnight GMT but the narrowness helped because it meant there was one clear path with no chance of a wrong turning. By that time the drizzle had ceased so it was just chilly.
The Geall-Charn plateau was a delightful moss carpet so the light at 02:30 was sufficient to follow the compass to the cairn. The steep descent to the Diollaid arete needed a lot more concentration.
Carn Dearg was another open top with very easy walking. It was full daylight by now. I heard cheeping, stopped and looked around and saw a golden plover right over on my left.. I stood still while it ran a complete semicircle in front of me, at a radius of about 20m, stopping behind every tuft and peeping round it at me.
It was an easy descent to the main track near Loch Pattack then I had the option of following the track to Dalwhinnie or going over The Fara, a Corbett but a big one at 911m. No problem. There was very easy access to the ridge and it was endless but good going. I got to the summit at 12:25 in a brief hailstorm then belted down the fence, hurried to the station and got the train at 13:57 to Kingussie for fish and chips before getting the next southbound train which didn't stop at Dalwhinnie.
A couple of years later a pal was doing the TGO Challenge and invited me to join him for the same crossing but through the lairig and staying overnight at the Culra Bothy. So, after two free-as-air crossings, I did it with sleeping bag, Thermarest, firelighters and food for supper and breakfast - and no mountains, which was just as well with that load. The company was good, and it was good to see in the daylight all the hills I'd walked in the night but the walk itself - Dreich!

[hills]

Goodness, thats a walk and a half, some lovely hills and country included in that, nice..