free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
And to the last one. At the start of this year I decided my challenge for the year would be to complete my second round of Corbetts by the end of it. That meant getting through an average of 13 Corbetts a month - consistent effort being the key. More taxing than 13 Munros a month given the lack of "multiples" when it comes to Corbetts (with a few exceptions it is hard to climb more than 2 Corbetts on any given outing). Now I was poised to finish them off with a couple of months to spare. At times the schedule has felt a little bit forced, if I'm honest, and I'll be looking forward to a break from schedules (I can hear Allison laughing derisively at the tought that I'll be schedule-free
) So there wasn't any doubt about where we were headed this weekend - Mull was the only place to be - and the forecast was suitable for one of my completions, being wet and generally grim
I'd booked the 10am ferry on Friday morning, with a return early enough on Sunday to enable a hill on the way home - the forecast didn't suggest it would be nice enough to make a full weekend on Mull (little did we know...)
So we motored up the A85 on Thursday evening. I'd planned to stop over in some woods, just past Taynault, which looked camp-able on GoogleMaps. There was one camper van already there, but we found an OK area to get the wee tent up, in the rain, and hoped for a quiet night. Oh it was not to be... Firstly, just gone 8pm, a car came in - dog walkers - who must have spent 5 minutes walking their pooch in the dark and wet before driving off again - seriously, what's the point? I'd just drifted off to sleep when a couple of carloads of Yahoos, hopped up on goof balls, come in and go racing away up into the woodland tracks, then come back to the parking area and are chortling inanely. I'm thinking of the episode in Robinson Crusoe where he's watching the feast scene with the cannibals and in some trepidation about what's going to happen next, when they unexpectedly head off in search of gudgies apparently "ah ken where there's hunners of gudgies". Relieved to see them go I failed to convince myself they wouldn't come roaring back at some later point in the evening (it was Hallowe'en, too). So sleep refused to come after that. Next thing, after midnight, the camper van inhabitants get out and start walking around, in the rain, just talking, or on the phone, and keep this up intermittently til 3am. Not loud, just enough to ensure no sleep. What is wrong with people - in the dark and the rain, just go to sleep. So Fearnoch Forest is a spot we'll not be using for our overnight stops in future.
We had no great need to hurry on Friday morning as it was only a few miles along to Oban. I checked the weather with the Met Office promising that the rain would end at 11 and the afternoon would be dry. That would be appreciated. The crossing was smooth, we drove off searching for the turn-off for the start of the walk up to Dun da Gaoithe, missed it and had to turn and head back. We parked up the narrow lane, by the big trees as suggested in the WH guide and set off along the track, heading for the masts. No sign of the rain going off
Clag closed in above 250m and the rain got heavier if anything. It was going to be very much like our last visit here.
Not the most promising conditions...
PB010229 by
Al, on Flickr
We made it to the transmitter masts and stopped in behind some electric cabinets to have lunch out of the worst of the rain. Then across soggy ground into the mist, generally following the curve of the ridge, past the trig point (that's not the summit) and onwards for another kilometre to the big cairn that marks the top of this hill and the end of my second Corbett round. I can't say there was much in the way of celebration in the conditions. I had hoped to pay a visit to the two Simms further along the ridge - which would have added 5-6k onto the route and who knows how much time given the poor visibility. So we turned around and headed back the way we'd come.
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
222 number 2
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
It was about half three, enough time to drive round to the west of the island and find a space to pitch near Ben More. The rain had diminished to a faint drizzle as we found the spot we'd used last time and pitched amongst the sheep. Cooked dinner and settled down for what would hopefully be a quieter night than the previous one
As it was - just the gentle lapping of the waters in Loch na Keal, the occasional sheep bleat. Why then I could not get to sleep at all confounded me, but it was a very long night from 6pm til we got up at around 8am. I felt shattered.
Cloud was down on the hill summits - I checked the forecast for Ben More which said there would be no rain and some full sunshine for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Would this be more reliable than yesterday's? It did mean that we could do the more interesting A'Chioch route however.
We set off along the road, walking for a couple of miles to the bridge over the Scarisdale River. I was heading for the Marilyn of Beinn a'Ghraig rather than the shoulder of Beinn Fhada, which - to be fair - isn't really that visible from the road. Allison corrected me and we headed over the boggy ground to the start of Beinn Fhada. Head down, feet one in front of the other, steady if painful progress up to the long flat ridged top of Fhada. We nip up to the summit, return to have lunch by the wee lochan before contemplating the next section of the journey. We can see 4 figures ahead of up, making their way up A'Chioch.
PB020235 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
View West
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Al, on Flickr
Beinn Fhada lies ahead
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Summit Beinn Fhada, A'Chioch ridge behind
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Al, on Flickr
We dip down towards the bealach with A'Choich, avoiding the areas of crag and scree. A path is picked up, grassy initially then onto some more scrambly stuff. The rocks are slippery and wet, making it necessary to keep to the grassy/scree areas in places. A puff of cloud hangs over the summit of Ben More, otherwise it is indeed a gloriously sunny day. We drop down from the airy top of A'Chioch and prepare for the steep, scree-runs leading up to Ben More. This time we managed to keep to the proper path - last time we got a bit too low and had minor unpleasantness trying to get back on line. We made the cairn, where the 4 women we'd seen earlier are waiting around for Brocken Spectres to manifest. We get one whilst walking down the back of the hill and had the pleasure of a dry, sunny walk back down to the tent. A sunset over the islands to the west lent a nice finishing touch to a good day in the hills.
A'Chioch and Ben More
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Nearing the top of Ben More
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Al, on Flickr
Ben More
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Al, on Flickr
Wee Brocken
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Rain was heavy at times overnight but we woke to more sunshine and a group of sheep sleeping nearby in a circle. Our plan was to get the 9am boat back to the mainland and climb Beinn Chuirn on the way home. Checking the forecast I was dismayed to note that it was to stay dry and sunny on Mull, but to be misty and wet on the mainland. Typical
We got to the terminal for just after 8am and were entertained by a pair of hoodie crows that sidled along the rail to the open car window and peeked inside - they were rewarded with some biscuit for their efforts. Allison tried to reach out and hand feed this creature but couldn't quite reach - maybe not a bad thing in view of its powerful beak...
PB030269 by
Al, on Flickr
After another smooth crossing we drove back to Tyndrum, parking at Dalrigh and preparing to head along the track to Cononish. Last time we'd done this hill, the gold mine was in mothballs and we were able to use the track up to the mine itself to get onto the hill (although scrambling up the steep side of Eas Anie was not to be recommended). Now that the price of gold has gone up and the profit margin to run the mine has improved, there's an exclusion zone around the south-east quadrant of the hill. So we continued past the farm and along the track a bit til we passed through a gate and could head up on a path alongside a fenceline. This was a more pleasant route anyway - we continued on to the southern top (a Simm) then followed an old fence line to the summit, where a solitary patch of wet snow remained from last weekend. Allison now has 26 Corbetts left til she completes round two.
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Could be a bit alarming if you're wild camping around here...
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
This is how I imagine "mine vehicles"
druthermole28 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Beinn Chuirn from its south top
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Al, on Flickr
Still looks like it is sunny on Mull
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Al, on Flickr
Start of round three for me?
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
