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Ever since I caught the munro bug in August after doing Ben More and Stob Binnien, Bidean nam Bian has been the name staring at me to complete. I've always wanted to do , so when the weather looked okay, I convinced dad away from the Tarmachan ridge to do this one, and I'm so glad he gave in!
We got up at the usual 5:30am, and headed off to Glen Coe to the main viewpoint car park. We were the first people there by about two seconds, as a van with a man in it pulled up just at the same time. It turned out we would see this man a lot during our walk, as he was doing the exact same route as us!
We headed down to the track and turned right down it, then left onto the path to the footbridge over the River Coe, before following the path up Coire nan Lochan. Stob Coire nan Lochan looked impossible to get up.
- How do we get up there?
Kept heading up the corrie and where the path split, we went left, following the main path, rather than following the Walkhighlands route to the right. There was a bit of scrambling to make us think we'd made the wrong decision, but then there was just on of these moments when your vocabulary shrinks to the word 'wow!'
- Wow!
Stopped for a snack at this point and to layer up. The man we'd seen at the car park then caught up, and after a chat we found this was Alan MacKay, who has conquered cancer and is back in the hills!
What a hero
! He also told us about his blog, which you can find at alanfmackay.wordpress.com
After our meeting, we left Alan to his tea/coffee and headed over to the north-west to gain the ridge, but first we had to cross the snow, which is easy for dad because he's an adult, but not me, as every single safe patch of snow had to be covered, which took a while!
- I love snow!
Once we were on the ridge, the views opened up to the west and south-east
- Gearr Aonach, Beinn Fhada, Buachaille Etive Beag to the south-east
- The Amphitheatre (ooh), Beinn a' Bheithir, Loch Leven to the west
Amazing the rock formations on the ridge
- Pinnacles!
- Chimneys! The cracks in the rock are vertical
- The view to Aonach Eagach
Reached the top of Stob Coire nan Lochan -more views. Although it is a top, many people think Stob Coire nan Lochan should be a munro in itself - I have to agree with them. It's funny looking from a peak that isn't a munro DOWN onto one that is.
- Me, Stob Coire Sgreamhach on the near ridge
- Me and dad at the top
- The ridge - we're going to the right
Met Alan briefly and then set off for Bidean nam Bian. The bealach was covered in snow so we had to go across the top. What an amazing feeling up there
Just the final push to Bidean.
- Cornicing still around
And then we were there - the highest people in Argyll!
- Ben Starav above Loch Etive, Cruachan behind
- Me at the top, Aonach Eagach down to the right with the Mamores behind
- Me and dad with Starav and Etive behind
We stopped for a snack and then chatted with Alan, before descending to Bealach Dearg with him to see what descending into the Lost Valley could be like in this much snow.
- The Lost Valley
Decided going down there would be too dangerous and we would be risking our lives, so we decided after Stob Coire Sgreamhach we should carry on along the ridge towards Beinn Fhada. First, though, we had to get to Stob Coire Sgreamhach, or 'peak of the dreadful corrie' - nice!
Once we reached the top, we had lunch with Alan (is it seriously only lunchtime!
)
- The three of us
- Snow on the south ridge
- Bidean and Stob Coire nan Lochan tower above us - how are we on a munro?
Decided we would head for the first bealach and descend from there, so once we were down in it, we decided to head down this way. Headed down to the top of the snow before nipping across the snow onto the tongue that stuck out from the snow - who knows how deep that is?
Once we reached the bottom of the tongue the only way to go was across the snow. It looked quite steep though. What should we do?......... (DUN DUN DUN etc. etc.)
Have a laugh was the answer
- Woohoo!
Met a guy at the bottom of the Lost Valley once we had descended and recovered from wetbumititus who asked us whether he could/should go up Bidean. Seemed like a nice guy but it was a definite no, especially after what we had done! Headed down to the bottom on the valley to the rock where dad and his wife mum had been 19 years earlier before I was here and drank soup. The rock they sat behind was soon nicknamed 'the Rock of Romance' by guess who, and when we arrived at it, it was time to say goodbye to Alan (hope to see you again). After, we started to descend, but first...
- I couldn't resist!
- Looking back up the Lost Valley - the recommended route from Bidean is straight up the middle
Headed down the path back to the car park, meeting someone we knew from back home! Talk about coincidences!
- I'm knackered but wait... how is dad not?!?
Amazing how hard it is to fit all the photos in, what an amazing day.