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In December 2017 in groin-deep snow I tried wading and swimming up Ben Lui from the Lochy side and got to about 600m before sinking to my waist in snow and bog and admitting defeat. The views were spectacular though, and no one else was around (because they're not stupid
) and it's one of those favourite scuppered walks. (Some of it was walking, not swimming).
The winter 2017 attempt002 River Lochy crossing and under-railway-bridge stoop by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
004 Blue rope across the Eas Daimh burn by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
013 The tiny missable cairn at the bridge - thank you Walk Highlands by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
022 Pano of the Ben Cruachan group by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
027 Discernable bog by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr (as opposed to undiscernible b-waaah-glub)...
This time - July 2019A trip up that way this July, en route to see some friends on Orkney, gave me a chance to see a) what the heck was going on under all that snow and b) the views to the south of Ben Lui and brother a'Chleibh.
This time, I fancied a riverside walk along the Cononish, without the forest assault course by the Eas Daimh.
And it was rewarding: grey wagtails, sandpiper, tormentil, fluffy oak eggar moth, bugbane... and gold.
002 Grey wagtail in River Cononish by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
003 Common sandpiper by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
014 Tormentil in flower and bud by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
027 Oak eggar moth by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
030 Bugbane - I think - and buttercup by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
011 Weekday gold mine blasts by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
I gather the gold mine started production this year and it's due to run for 8 years. What then, I wonder?
006 Brothers Oss and Lui by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
It was a hot day and about 10.20am when I started the ascent proper, after crossing the Allt an Rund. The Allt Coire Gaothach and its cascading, tumbling waters were a refreshing sound as I rose up the meticulously maintained steps, Ben Lui's pretty corrie ahead and Ben Oss to the left.
016 Shieling and Allt Coire Ghaothaich by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
017 Refreshing sound on a sunny day by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
021 The Ben Lui ridges - Stob an Tighe Aird on right by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
022 Ben Lui path maintenance by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
The clegs were out, but not a nuisance, and it was still cuckoo spit season too (though, apparently, cuckoo season itself was over - I didn't hear any on this visit I don't think).
018 Cleg by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
019 Cuckoo spit by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Yep, quite the transformation from its different beauty under a blanket of snow.
031 Summer floral view down Glen Cononish by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
I fancied heading up to the right rather than rising up straight through the corrie, and found a little cairn and arrow in the grass.
032 Cairn and arrow showing my route by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
033 Side view of Ben Luis tops by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
As I rose up to the bealach, a raven calling on the rocks just below me, I spotted a couple of guys taking the direct ascent, one in black, one in red. More about them later. For now, I'd reached the cairn on the ridge and the views were stunning.
035 Ben Cruachan to Ben Starav - Etive hills - from ridge-top by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
036 Etive hills and Ben Nevis behind on right by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
038 Back down Cononish to Breadalbane and Ben More and Stob Binein by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
There was a mini-scramble towards the summit, and I hoped there might be a bit more, but it wasn't to be.
039 Mini-scramble towards the summit by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
To my right were Stob Garbh and in the middle-distance Beinn Dorain, with Glen Cononish back over my shoulder.
040 NE over Stob Garbh to Beinn Dorain by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
041 Back down the glen by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
People handily appeared for scale
042 Ben Cruachan behind with people for scale by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
To my left, Ben Lui's own craggy east face rose, with the neighbouring hills beyond.
043 Side of Ben Lui with Ben Oss and Ben More to Cruach Ardrain behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
A look up, and a short hop, skip and a jump to the top.
048 The view up by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
No idea what this is, so if anyone fancies enlightening me, go for it.
051 Needs ID by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
054 Huge quartz blob - Ben More and Stob Binein to right by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
At the summit, a stop to take in the views, drink some water, take in the views, decide where to go next, and take in the views some more.
055 Beinn a Chleibh- Cruachan and Loch Etive by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
056 Summit view over Glencoe to Ben Nevis and Mamores beyond by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
057 Ben Cruachan and friends from summit by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
058 SW to Beinn Bhuidhe in middle - Lochan Shira peeping by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
059 Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich and Crianlarich hills on right by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
060 ESE to Crianlarich Hills - Ben Ledi in middle behind by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Being a pointy summit, it's a small space to accommodate more than a few folk and had I been alone I'd have stayed longer. But, although the views were tremendous, it was getting crowded. Still, it's always a pleasure to linger a bit on a top that you spectacularly haven't got up to before, especially if you can picture yourself flailing in bog down below in a past incarnation.
Sticking to Plan A, I headed over to Beinn a'Chleibh. It makes little sense from this side, but I knew I wasn't likely to do it again from the north. The benefit of Beinn a'Chleibh, I discovered, was that if folk did gather at the summit cairn I could just walk on to the further cairns for some solitude. And I was looking at some old friends from the bealach.
062 Arrochar Alps on left by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
063 SE to Ben Vorlich - Ben Vane and Beinn Ime by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
064 Back up to Ben lui and my eventual descent left by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Looking back up Ben Lui, which was the obvious route back, I chose to put off deciding whether to go back that way or drop down to flail-land, though I think in my heart of hearts I knew I wanted to retrace the boggy steps, this time seeing where I was going. For now, though, up to Beinn a'Chleibh.
When I saw some folk coming up, one on all fours, I couldn't resist taking a picture. That's what I'd been swimming up...
It really hadn't seemed so steep but even at 600m it's a fair old incline.
068 People coming up from Glen Lochy side by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
At the summit cairn, a little group of chatty students who'd been on Ben Lui's summit had parked themselves on the stones. So I left them to it and carried on past with a nod and a wave.
070 Ben Cruachan and Mull Ben More beyond by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
072 N to Ben Nevis and Mamores from Beinn a Cleibh summit by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
073 Pointy Stob Gabhar in the centre by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
075 Bidean nam Bian and the Glencoe hills by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
076 Zoom to Bidean nam Bian by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
077 Zoom to Stob Ghabhar and Aonach Eagach by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
078 Zoom to Creise by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
079 Zoom to the Easains by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
080 S to Ben Lomond Ben Vorlich Ben Ime Beinn an Lochain pano by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
081 Zoom to Ben Lomond and Ben Vorlich by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
082 Loch Etive and Ben Cruachan by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
089 Ben Cruachan pano by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
090 Ben Cruachan to Ben Starav range by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
083 Ben Vane and Arrochar Alps over to Cnoc Coinnich on r by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
086 Zoom to Ben Cruachan with Ben More - Mull - and Dalmally in front by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
087 N to Bidean nam Bian and Ben Nevis by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
And after all that zooming, admiring the magnificent, beautiful crest of Ben Cruachan, and a lot of soaking up the sun and the quiet on my private cairn, it was time to get going. I'd liked Beinn a'Chleibh more than I'd expected, not because it's an exciting walk, but because it's such a fine viewpoint. You can't see Ben Ledi and Crianlarich, obviously, but the ranges you can see, and especially the view of Ben Cruachan are stunning.
Bonkers as it was to drop down to the northwest when I had to end upon the other side of Ben Lui, east, I couldn't resist finding out what was under all that snow.
And what there was were lots of gurgling, babbling burns. It was a delicious sound, and sure enough, the streams just emerge from the ground with no warning. So no wonder whichever way I meandered in December I couldn't avoid plunges!
100 Gurgling burn emerging from underground by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
The flora was all bog cotton and butterwort.
101 Bog cotton by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
094 Butterwort dinner by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
And this. What's this?It's great!
105 Mystery purple flower by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
I dropped down towards the assault course woods and then turned east to walk above them, looking up to Ben Lui and imagining it under its snow-blanket again.
106 About as far as I got by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
107 What I looked up to in snow by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Curling round Ben Lui on its north flank, the long grass was full of horsetail and moths. Unlike bats, who avoid you pretty successfully with the echo-location, moths fly into your mouth to find out if it's where they want to be or not. Pfft ppfff pppffffftt!
118 Mystery butterfly by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
121 Mystery little moth by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
123 Black eyed moth by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
After a fairly hard-going clamber, on the steep flank, with bracken turning to bog, tussocks and more bog, rising up and down, dipping in and out, In the distance, I spotted a brown head peeping out of the grass like a deer. But it wasn't a deer. It was old mining remains, probably from led-mining rather than gold.
125 Not a deer by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
127 Approaching not a deer by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
131 Mining remains to Ben Lui top by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Above me, and above its garden of meadow and moths, Ben Lui was showing its secret craggy face, and a massive gash.
126 NNW flank of Ben Lui by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
136 That Ben Lui gash by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
137 Ben Lui burn in late afternoon light by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
138 Old wood by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Ben Oss came into view, except with what looked like a massive cleft which threw me and I checked my compass. Trick of the eye from this angle.
135 Ben Oss by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
Back to the path, letting the folk ahead of me find out if the cow with the calf was in a bad mood or not
,
140 So far so good by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
and back along the River Cononish.
And it was halfway back that I met the two fellas I'd seen ascending Ben Lui in the morning. They were walking towards me, hoping to find a path to take them to Tyndrum to catch a bus to Glasgow. The only paths I'd seen were the closed gold mine one and one going up to Meall Odhar, according to its signpost (though actually it just seemed to hurl you into a thick wood to thrash through the trees).
149 Not clear that this goes NE to Tyndrum by
Emma Kendon, on Flickr
They decided to turn around with me and together we walked back to the A85, the two of them ducking off along the WHW route when we reached its turn-off path. They'd done the Tyndrum 4 while I'd been moseying and moth-eating - I thought they were coming back for a lap of honour. Extra points for that.
At Crianlarich I found a John Parminter book with a beautiful evocative photo of a wintery Ben Lui over the Cononish. Glad I've been there in both winter and summer and from both sides. It really is a feast for the eyes.