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After a stressful week at work I needed to get out on the hills and clear my head. I decided to head to Glen Coe.
On the way up the road I stopped off at The Real Food Cafe in Tyndrum. Their food is great, but the service is slow, which is not great if you are in a rush. I was keen to get to the car park at the Pass of Glen Coe before it filled up with tourists.
The weather was great and as I put my boots on three other pairs of walkes headed off before me.
Once across the river Coe the path rises quickly and it was not long before I'd passed the people who had set out just before me.
Despite over night rain and snow melt the rives was not too bad and was easily crossed. Once over a short rise the magnificent butresses of Stob Coire nan Lochan came into view.
The ground hear was a little boggy and the path became very indistinct. I picked a spot to head for at the end of the butresses and found my own route there.
Once one the shoulder of the hill the views down Loch Leven started to open up to the West.
The view North was equally fansastic and Ben Nevis looked so close that you could reach out and touch it (the photograph does not do it justice).
The summit cairn of Stob Coire nan Lochan was clear of snow, and to the west Stob Coire Sgreamhach could be seen,
The route up to Bidean nam Bian looked imposing. The path before the snow was clear to be seen, but from the summit of Lochan it was hard to see how to proceed once you started to ascend again.
The descent down Corie Gabhail had been on my mind and I stopped to watch small black dots, which must have been people), slowly make their way up.
However, my attendtion quicked turned back to what was in front of me and the ascent to the summit of Bidean nam Biam.
The obvious route was to scrabmle up between the large rocks to the right of the snow. The rocks were like sand paper which was great for feeling secure in my footing but was hard on the hands.
I was glad of having the taken my ice axe with me to cross the snow were is was exposed.
Sumit cairn of Bidean nam Biam.
Two guys who had not been far behind me joined me on the summit and one kindly took a photo of me.
I stopped just after Bealach Dearg to watch people make their way up the coire. I watched as one guy poceeded kicking into the snow for his feet and clining onto the snow with this hands for dear life. Once at the lip the threw one leg over and the did a sort of sausage roll to get over the cornice. My concern primarily getting over the lip of the cornice as the first section is very streep.
Summit of Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
The two younger guys who had been on the summit of Bidean nam Bian joined me on the summit of Sgreamhach and we discussed how we were going to get down. The guy how I'd watched roll over the cornice also joined us on the summit. His description of coming up that was convinced me I was not going down by that route.
I decided to heaf toward Beinn Fhada and drop down into the Lost Valley from one of it's gullys. Plan B was to dropp down the less steep side of Fhada into Lairig Eilde and walk back to the A82 from there.
[The view over to Buachaille Etive Beag and Buachaille Etive Mor.
[The view back to Bidean nam Bian].
I decided not to go for plan B, which really would have been plan C, and after scrambling down some rocks I found a spot where I decided to decend. The ground was very soft so it was hard to get a secure footing. Once I reached the snow it was still very steep so went down the snow backwards using my ice axe as an anchor.
The younger guys also decided to descend the same route as myself. You can seem them against the snow.
I decided to head to the snow you can see in the right hand corner of the photo below as this bridged the river and allowed me to join the main path in the Lost Valley.
Looking back to where I'd come down from.
Looking North down the Lost Valley.
Looking back up the Lost Valley.
Nearly back at the car park looking back at two of the three sisters.
It has been a great day out, just what I needed. You really can't ask for anywhere better than Scotland on a sunny day.
