Easy way up the hill with the long name and great views

[dogplodder]

Quite often over the past few years I've included this Corbett in a group of options for "what to do not too far from home when we don't have all day". But it's never been the one that was chosen. Somehow it's always been left standing there in favour of something more exciting or with a better path, even though it meant a longer drive. If Beinn Liath Mhor a' Ghiubhais Li had feelings I reckon she'd be feeling a bit under valued and overlooked, if not in danger of developing a downright complex. Having such a long name that's unpronouncable to all but Gaelic speakers doesn't exactly help her cause. I used to refer to her as the "Glascarnoch Corbett" - which doesn't quite have the ring to it of say Fuar Tholl, The Fara or Cobbler. It's not a great start when you can't remember a hill's name.

But then the day came for righting this injustice. Evelyn likes to climb local hills rather than driving a long way so I knew when I included BLMGL in a group of options for a half day outing there was a fighting chance she'd be chosen. And she was!

We decided to go up and down from the west so we could use the forestry track and also because the views would be better to the west. We parked near the Torrandhu bridge, the same place I parked with Kath to climb Am Faochagach. To access the track you have to walk back over the bridge before following the signed path to the south. There's a gate to go through and you follow the good track in through the young trees with views back to the Beinn Dearg hills.

Zoomed to Beinn Dearg and Cona Mheall

The track crosses a burn but after a dry spell there was no problem getting over with dry boots.

Burn crossing

Ullapool road and Loch Droma

The forest track

Once through the gate in the forestry fence the track continues south towards the Fannichs and that's when we turned off it and headed SE over grass and heather. Sometimes we came across deer tracks which were briefly useful but in the main the deer didn't seem to be heading for the top of BLMGL so we were mostly finding our own way up. We skirted round the worst of the peat hags on Cnap a' Ghuibhais Li and did so even more effectively on the descent. It's easier when you know what you're avoiding! It did help that it was such a gorgeous day and at no point did I feel there was anything tedious about this hill or that I wasn't enjoying it.

Looking back to the gate we came through in the forestry fence

Eastern Fannichs

Skirting the peat hags on Cnap a' Ghuibhais Li

Dearg group from higher up

Zoomed to Beinn Dearg and Cona Mheall with Seana Bhraigh appearing

As the gradient steepened we picked a line up the grassy parts avoiding most of the bouldery parts. Before long we were on a gently rising plateau of moss and stones, heading for the circular windshelter at the summit. With such a good weather forecast I'd decided to take both my compact camera and my SLR - partly as an experiment to see which gave the best results. I used to assume the SLR would always be best but now I'm not so sure there's that much in it and probably not enough to justify carrying the extra bulk and weight.

SW to An Coileachan

Zoomed to Loch Fannich and hills to SW

Beinn Liath Mhor a' Ghiubhais Li summit

For an undistinguished hill BLMGL certainly makes up for it with the views she gives to more famous hills around her - from Sgurr Mor, to An Teallach, to Beinn Dearg and then east to Ben Wyvis.

Sgurr Mor, Beinn Liath Mhor Fannaich and An Teallach

Zoomed to Sgurr Mor

An Teallach

Zoomed to the pinnacles of Corrag Bhuidhe

Zoomed north to Beinn Dearg and Cona Mheall

And again

East to Loch Glascarnoch and Ben Wyvis

South to I'm not sure what

After a leisurely lunch in the sun we discussed which way to go down. Out of curiosity I'd probably have opted for the way off to the east but Evelyn wasn't keen on a 1km walk along a busy road so we retraced our steps the way we'd come up, which was also the better choice for the views.

Back on the forest track

Looking back towards An Coileachan

Last one of Beinn Dearg

So that was it. We had finally climbed "the big grey hill of the coloured pine". We didn't get wet feet, didn't have to climb fences, didn't have to cross boulder fields or scramble up anything - an easy hill. An easy unremarkable hill but with fabulous views which I imagine would be even better in winter.

[Sgurr]

At least you had the courtesy to climb it in good weather with great views. With us, it was always the hill we'd do when we didn't have the weather for something better. And she repaid that ingratitude by producing a goretex mountain cap, very mouldy and only slightly nibbled by something which we resurrected for husband, and which he has been wearing ever since with a few goretex patches (May I say that was in the time before Lost and Found on the internet).

Love your distance photos, as we never got those views.

[dogplodder]

At least you had the courtesy to climb it in good weather with great views. With us, it was always the hill we'd do when we didn't have the weather for something better. And she repaid that ingratitude by producing a goretex mountain cap, very mouldy and only slightly nibbled by something which we resurrected for husband, and which he has been wearing ever since with a few goretex patches (May I say that was in the time before Lost and Found on the internet).

Love your distance photos, as we never got those views.

Something good out of your day then!

[BlackPanther]

My first winter climb was up this hill... in early March 2008... My boots were leaky and my fingers were freezing off, but the views made up for all the pain The forest has grown significantly since then!

We will definitely return to this Corbett and probably in winter again, I might be tempted do concoct some kind of traverse...

[dogplodder]

My first winter climb was up this hill... in early March 2008... My boots were leaky and my fingers were freezing off, but the views made up for all the pain The forest has grown significantly since then!

We will definitely return to this Corbett and probably in winter again, I might be tempted do concoct some kind of traverse...

A good one for a clear winter day with those views...