Plan A had been an introduction to Glen Affric and the duo of Tom a’Choinnich and Toll Creagach. But the Met office suggested it didn’t look great, so plan A soon got shelved.
Plan B was Sgurr a’Mhaoraich. Weather looked ok and the bonus was I could afford a slightly later start time. So it was 5 a.m. that I was off and on my way up the A82, stopping off at Fort Bill for a tasty Donkey and egg McMuffin meal from a well-known fast food outlet
All was well as I headed further north, although passing through Invergarry I was noticing a bit more snow at a lower level than I had expected. Plan B came to an abrupt end as I turned into the minor road down to Kinlochhourn 
Much iced slush and snow made the road look less an appealing and I didn’t fancy risking a smash for the sake of any hill 
A couple of chaps were also doing an about turn in their motor too and a quick chat between us confirmed they had the same opinion and a safer alternative would be best 
So that led me to plan C. At that point though I didn’t actually have a plan C
With no easily accessible un-bagged Munros nearby I was contemplating what else I could aim for. And along came the Corbett of Garbh Bheinn on the outskirts of Kinlochleven to my rescue 
I’d often considered this hill, but never got round to it. Now was the perfect opportunity. And so I found myself heading back south and eventually parking up at one of the small parking areas close to the start of the walk. A later start than I had planned for plan B, but as this is only a short walk all would be good.
Personally I like to investigate a walk in advance of doing it. I like to feel like I already know the hill and the surrounding area before I arrive. It leaves me feeling uneasy if I’m contemplating a walk I either don’t know already or haven’t investigated. I was a bit rusty on Garbh Bheinn, so was onto walkhighlands to get the low down on the hill and the route I would be taking (I had also stopped to purchase a map of the area too, even though it is in essence a straight up and down type of hill).
- Torran nan Crann at the start of the walk
Perhaps it was the lack of preparation, but I wasn’t overflowing with enthusiasm at the start. For pretty much the whole of the walk up I would be looking for any excuse to head back to the car. Despite that fact though (and the occasions when I stopped to navel gaze and try to dream up excuses) I kept putting left in front of right, in front of left, in front of right………….heading onwards and upwards
Had a couple of snow showers, but they never lasted too long.And this little hill gives great views too………….of the Pap, down the length of Loch Leven to Ballachulish and beyond
The Glencoe hills to the south (the Aonach Eagach especially) and the Mamores to the north were struggling with cloud at times 
- Early view down Loch Leven on the way up
- Zoomed in
- Stob Coire Sgoilte
- View down Loch Leven again.....I'll not apologise for including this view more than twice in this report
- Stob Coire Sgoilte from a bit cloder this time
- One of the snow showers
The initial section of the walk was pretty boggy, but eventually I was standing at the base of the serious climb up Stob Coire Sgoilte. I tried to persuade myself to jack it in here, but the feet kept moving onwards and upwards
- Stob Coire Sgoilte - the climb
- The majestic Pap of Glencoe
First set of crags. Did that with no problem.
Then the short trip to the next set of crags.
Easy.
Then the 300 odd feet to the top of Stob Coire Sgoilte.
A bit of a slog, but done in no time.
All that was left was a short scrambly bit and a final 300 odd foot walk to the summit opf Garbh Bheinn.
The little scrambly bit is probably easy without snow. It’s probably easy with snow, but just as I hit it the wind picked up and we had another of those snow showers
This led to another temptation to quit, but it soon passed (the snow and the temptation) and I was finding a way round the crags in some nice deep, steep snow. - View back to Stob Coire Sgoilte from my traverse route round the scrambly bit
- That view again
And there I was on the final slog to the top
And here I could enjoy the views
- Initial summit view, with Rannoch Moor just visiable passed the summit plateau
Blackwater reservoir and the wasteland of Rannoch Moor
- Blackwater resevoir
The Mamores
(well, some of them )- Stob Ban of the Mamores
The Pap and down Loch Leven to the west
Oh yeah, and the cloud even lifted off the Aonach Eagach to give some wonderful, snowy views of the notched ridge
- The Aonach Eagach.......what a day that was :-)
That was a view that was to accompany me all the way back down
As was the view of the Pap and Loch Leven I spent quite a while on the summit, just enjoying the unexpected views, given the cloud that had appeared to hang over the hill up until that point. As plan C’s go this one had turned out quite alright
- And again
- And again and again
- And again and again and again
- The view of the scrambly bit on the return
- That view yet again
- Am Bodach on the Aonach Eagach route
- Loch Leven.......yet again
- One last time
- The Pap
And to top it off, having got back down to the car I stopped off on the way home for a posh coffee and perhaps the best slice of chocolate cake I have had in a long while
- View back on my Plan C en route to some coffee and cake
Happy days
