Stay at home

[past my sell by date]

Lovely clear sunny day: I wanted a shortish walk well away from the masses in Glen Coe, so chose Mam Gualainn from the West. I passed the start of the R.O.W. from near Caller Ho. to Fort William and parked by a gateway 50m or so further on. I started through oak woods that gradually changed to birch with gorgeous views back across Loch Leven

Start

Beinn a Bheithir

Garbh Bheinn

Higher up

R of Bidean is the Etive Corbett Beinn Maol Chaluim
The track soon reached the open hillside where it has been wrecked by mountain bikes - it's 30m wide in places It was easy in the dry conditions, but would be a real mess in the wet. Ileft the track well before it reached its high point, and headed R up pleasant grass slopes to the knob of Tom nan Corp continuing on a good path to reach the summit in near Naismith time - almost unheard of these days. Stunning views all round.

Blackwater Reservoir and Schiehallion from near Tom nan Corp

Approaching the top

Views from the summit

Mullach nan Coirean

Amazing white screes of Stob Ban

Wider view - Ring of Steall peaks on the R

Zoomed - Sgurr a Mhaim is party hidden by Stob Ban: Aonachs behind

detail

Further R - looking on down the ridge to Beinn na Caillich

Kinlochleven - Schiehallion behind

South across Glen Coe - Beinn a Bheithir on the R

Zoomed - Ben Starav at the back with snow on it: The Pap is much less impressive from here

Loch Linnhe and Ardgour
I carried on E for 100m or so when a better view of Loch Leven opened up , then returned to the top and headed down to the 464m col and the adjacent Graham Tom Meadhoin

Over Tom Meadhoin to Garbh Bheinn (Ardgour) : Beinn Resipol on the R

Descending to the col
There was quite a good track to the Graham - clearly a lot of people tack it on to the Corbett
Views from Tom Meadhoin

Stob Ban - Sgurr a Mhaim now on its L

Looking back to Mam Gualainn

Lower end of Glen Coe

Zoomed view - Stob Coire nan Lochan , Bidean and the W face of the Aonach Dubh

South West across Loch Linnhe

Zoomed - Ben More on Mull

Zoomed - Looking around NW - Rois bheinn area maybe
I headed back down towards the col and then veered down R to rejoin the track near the corner of the pine forest. At the bottom a second track headed directly through the woods to my car - I couldn't resist one last photo across the loch.

All in all a brilliant day

[PerthAlly]

Truly beautiful photos of an area I've only recently started visiting

[past my sell by date]

Truly beautiful photos of an area I've only recently started visiting

Thanks PerthAlly - this is I think much the easiest hill in the whole area - but the views are stunning