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Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.


Postby clem_f » Sun Mar 17, 2019 7:28 pm

Took a ride out to the landslide to have a look at what is going on there. As it was a Sunday, no work going on, so went up to where the landslide occurred in December. Got to the point where the road is split by the slide, and it is a pretty deep gully there. Was going to cross it to the dam, but then a chap turned up telling me that I couldn't do that as the land is still unstable. He was very helpful though and told me that the road would not be opening until November at the earliest. Which I had to say surprised me as I had heard it would be about May. He did tell me that I could go back down 100m to the access road to the base of the dam, and then go up the ground to the other side of the dam wall, and then cross over at the top of the wall back to the road. You can't go up beside the road side of the wall, as a the top is just a wall, and a spillway.

He said that hillwalkers can take this route, providing that work wasn't going on that would make this unsafe, but there doesn't seem to be any way of finding out if this would be the case in advance. Basically the distances are about 1.75 miles from the gate across the road at Kingie to the dam, and then another 3.5 miles to the start of the Gleouraich track and another 1.75 miles to the start of the Sgurr a'Mhaoraich track. Obviously if you are doing Gairich it only adds on the extra nearly 2 miles from the gate at Kingie. I took my bike, it wasn't too hard to push it up besides the dam wall. Obviously it you are just going to walk it will add on a few hours to doing these hills.

Untitled (1).gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



Gate at Kingie
20190317_141410.jpg


Road washed away
20190317_143108.jpg


Turned left here down to the dam wall
20190317_160030.jpg


Sign telling you not to go up the northern side of the wall
20190317_155717.jpg


Walk around this building and up the other side
20190317_155707.jpg


Landslide
20190317_144145.jpg


Sgurr a'Mhaoraich track start
20190317_152448.jpg


Gairich, Sgurr an Fhuarain and Sgurr Mor across Loch Oich
20190317_152417.jpg


Ben Tee across Loch Garry
20190317_163353.jpg
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby gammy leg walker » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:02 pm

[quote="clem_f"]

He said that hillwalkers can take this route, providing that work wasn't going on that would make this unsafe, but there doesn't seem to be any way of finding out if this would be the case in advance. Basically the distances are about 1.75 miles from the gate across the road at Kingie to the dam, and then another 3.5 miles to the start of the Gleouraich track and another 1.75 miles to the start of the Sgurr a'Mhaoraich track. Obviously if you are doing Gairich it only adds on the extra nearly 2 miles from the gate at Kingie. I took my bike, it wasn't too hard to push it up besides the dam wall. Obviously it you are just going to walk it will add on a few hours to doing these hills

Some good if annoying information thanks, I've still got Sgurr 'Mhaoraich to do as I had to bail a few years back only around 200 metres from the summit
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby AHillTooFar » Sun Mar 17, 2019 8:45 pm

I was looking into that area last year but the snows came so I put it off, guess I will mark that area down for 2020 then.
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby weaselmaster » Mon Mar 18, 2019 2:57 pm

Thanks for the (rather disappointing) update, I was all excited when I heard it might be reopening around Easter. November at the earliest is going to make some interesting route planning for the Corbetts down at the kinlochhourn end of the road :think:
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby gammy leg walker » Mon Mar 18, 2019 3:24 pm

Access Update: Kinlochourn
The Highland Council met with engineers on 16th Jan and have now advised local residents that the road to Kinlochourn will reopen in time for Easter weekend. With Knoydart Foundation, Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse

Knoydart Ranger Service & Knoydart Foundation are saying different
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby clem_f » Mon Mar 18, 2019 4:29 pm

gammy leg walker wrote:Access Update: Kinlochourn
The Highland Council met with engineers on 16th Jan and have now advised local residents that the road to Kinlochourn will reopen in time for Easter weekend. With Knoydart Foundation, Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse

Knoydart Ranger Service & Knoydart Foundation are saying different


Would be good if it is open by then. My November date was only going by what I was told by a workman on site. Sorry for any misinformation!
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby Moriarty » Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:36 pm

clem_f wrote:
gammy leg walker wrote:Access Update: Kinlochourn
The Highland Council met with engineers on 16th Jan and have now advised local residents that the road to Kinlochourn will reopen in time for Easter weekend. With Knoydart Foundation, Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse

Knoydart Ranger Service & Knoydart Foundation are saying different


Would be good if it is open by then. My November date was only going by what I was told by a workman on site. Sorry for any misinformation!


Hmmm, if you take Option A - Local Government estimate of timescale and opening date vs Option B - estimate of timescale and opening date from workman on site doing the job I wonder what relative odds you'd get down the bookies for actual opening date?

I don't think I'll make any firm plans to visit Kinloch Hourn this summer. :roll:
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby clem_f » Mon Mar 18, 2019 7:00 pm

Moriarty wrote:
clem_f wrote:
gammy leg walker wrote:Access Update: Kinlochourn
The Highland Council met with engineers on 16th Jan and have now advised local residents that the road to Kinlochourn will reopen in time for Easter weekend. With Knoydart Foundation, Knoydart Foundation Bunkhouse

Knoydart Ranger Service & Knoydart Foundation are saying different


Would be good if it is open by then. My November date was only going by what I was told by a workman on site. Sorry for any misinformation!


Hmmm, if you take Option A - Local Government estimate of timescale and opening date vs Option B - estimate of timescale and opening date from workman on site doing the job I wonder what relative odds you'd get down the bookies for actual opening date?

I don't think I'll make any firm plans to visit Kinloch Hourn this summer. :roll:


I don't know how much the guy I spoke to knew or what his position was though. He may well be wrong for all I know. The issue seemed to be about stabilising the area above the road - there certainly looked to be a fair bit of loose debris still up there. I guess there would be a possibility of more landslips in heavy rain. The road itself looked like it could be repaired in a shorter time, but I guess there is no point if more earth were to come down. Obviously there is the issue of the potential danger to users of the road if this did happen.
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby jupe1407 » Tue Mar 19, 2019 11:44 pm

I missed that landslide by about 2 hours after a thoroughly crap day on Sgurr a'Mhaoraich. Still got Gairich left there but I think might attempt it from Glen Kingie as a I can't face that interminable bog. Has anyone on here tried to MTB through the felled forest? It looks possible in theory


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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby clem_f » Wed Mar 20, 2019 12:50 pm

[quote="jupe1407"]I missed that landslide by about 2 hours after a thoroughly crap day on Sgurr a'Mhaoraich. Still got Gairich left there but I think might attempt it from Glen Kingie as a I can't face that interminable bog. Has anyone on here tried to MTB through the felled forest? It looks possible in theory

Yes, I did that route on a MTB last year. It was part of a longer ride through Glengarry. If you leave the Tomdoun road there at Poulary as you have on your map you go across the bridge, and then go through the gate into the forest, although most of the forest there has been felled in the last few years. Just follow the forest track for a while until you get down to the bridge over the Kingie. The track is quite reasonable there until you get to the turning down to the ruin marked as Lochan on the map. The track was quite wet then for the next 3 km through the forest (I did it in July last year), and got a bit drier, but still a bit rough after that. I remember having to get off a walk a few times over some rough bits for the last 3 km. At the turning to Lochan there is an old track, walking only, where you could head up to the regular Gairich track, depends how much biking you want to do. I pushed the bike up there to the dam, it was pretty wet in places. This was a different day, not on the map here.

I Was interested in using the bike to get to Sgurr Mor, I haven't done it yet, but hoping to go that way, rather than driva down Loch Arkaig. I think it would be very doable. Maybe going up by Sgurr an Fhuarain, could even do the horseshoe around Glen Kingie.


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Looking back to the forest I had ridden through - this is near the bealach between Gairich and Sgurr an Fhuarain.
20180712_160628.JPG


About the furthest point I got on the map - there is a still a rough track here. Wasn't too boggy.
20180712_152913.JPG


Kinbreak Bothy across Glen Kingie
20180712_154445.JPG
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby iain_atkinson_1986 » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:41 pm

I've been keeping a close eye on this as Sgurr a'Mhaoraich and the Knoydart munros are among the 10 I have left before compleation which I'd like to happen in mid-to-late May. I emailed the Highland Council Access Team and have today had a reply from the Senior Engineer stating:

'We are aiming to have a very rough road re-opened for Easter Weekend by Friday 19th April... The road will hopefully be suitable for robust vehicles and care will be required to pass the site.

This will hopefully be confirmed on Tuesday 16th April.'


Whilst the response is appreciated I'm sceptical that my Vauxhall Astra will be cruising along the road to Kinloch Hourn for the Easter weekend so I think I'll go with the Inverie option for the Knoydart hills, either staying at Knoydart Foundation or wild camping at Mam Barrisdale or Barrisdale Bay. As for Sgurr a'Mhaoraich I did have some ridiculous plans to go around or over the SG ridge but I think at this rate I'll take the hit and do the walk in and out from Kingie which will probably make it about 24 miles on foot all-in.

This isn't a dig at Highland Council - I appreciate that it's a very difficult operation and safety is paramount here. With compleation in touching distance, though, I'm dead set on getting these hills done by hook or by crook.
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby Sgurr » Wed Apr 03, 2019 3:59 pm

You could always start banking some Corbetts. Looks as if you have plenty of choice.
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby iain_atkinson_1986 » Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:14 pm

Sgurr wrote:You could always start banking some Corbetts. Looks as if you have plenty of choice.


My Corbett round will be starting the week after my (first) Munro round is finished.

:lol:
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby jupe1407 » Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:58 pm

clem_f wrote:
jupe1407 wrote:I missed that landslide by about 2 hours after a thoroughly crap day on Sgurr a'Mhaoraich. Still got Gairich left there but I think might attempt it from Glen Kingie as a I can't face that interminable bog. Has anyone on here tried to MTB through the felled forest? It looks possible in theory

Yes, I did that route on a MTB last year. It was part of a longer ride through Glengarry. If you leave the Tomdoun road there at Poulary as you have on your map you go across the bridge, and then go through the gate into the forest, although most of the forest there has been felled in the last few years. Just follow the forest track for a while until you get down to the bridge over the Kingie. The track is quite reasonable there until you get to the turning down to the ruin marked as Lochan on the map. The track was quite wet then for the next 3 km through the forest (I did it in July last year), and got a bit drier, but still a bit rough after that. I remember having to get off a walk a few times over some rough bits for the last 3 km. At the turning to Lochan there is an old track, walking only, where you could head up to the regular Gairich track, depends how much biking you want to do. I pushed the bike up there to the dam, it was pretty wet in places. This was a different day, not on the map here.

I Was interested in using the bike to get to Sgurr Mor, I haven't done it yet, but hoping to go that way, rather than driva down Loch Arkaig. I think it would be very doable. Maybe going up by Sgurr an Fhuarain, could even do the horseshoe around Glen Kingie.

$matches[2]


Looking back to the forest I had ridden through - this is near the bealach between Gairich and Sgurr an Fhuarain.
$matches[2]


About the furthest point I got on the map - there is a still a rough track here. Wasn't too boggy.
$matches[2]


Kinbreak Bothy across Glen Kingie
20180712_154445.JPG


Thanks Clem, that's very useful indeed. Nice photos :D
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Re: Landslide near Loch Quoich dam update.

Postby gaffr » Fri Apr 05, 2019 11:46 am

Hello jupe..... You had a greater margin between you leaving the area after your day out.....the roar of the boulder/landslide was heard the morning after your visit. The folks at Kingie including my daughter were just getting ready to travel up the glen in a motor at 9am when all of this mayhem took place. I think.that even I would consider this a close call.
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