Horrible path

[20Lennox]

We went up the suggested route, biking up to the gate and then up by the west of the burn and back on the east of the burn.
We had generally poor weather (which may have biased my feelings!) and it was wet. The path is very bouldery and the stones are very slippy when wet, so it was all a bit of a struggle. It may be OK in dry conditions but at the time I felt we would be better off not even being on the path. The "bad step" was clearly treacherous and we went round it. I would be inclined to suggest that you go up and down on the east bank of the burn. There is a path developing, but it's not difficult navigation to get up (a compass bearing for the first kilometre and another for the second km would pretty much do it). Start just on the near side of the sheep fanks; there is a gate-sized space in the dyke with some old fencing wire across it, nip over that and head up. There are gates and stiles for all the fences, so use those and don't wreck the fences!
Take bikes if you can.

[Sgurr]

Went to climb a Marilyn up Glen Shira and met some people doing Beinn Buidhe from that side. The start (at least where it coincided with our route) was a good well tarmacked private road, and if you could find your way from where it diverged it would probably be a better bet, as this sounds horrible. Indeed I remember it as being a bit of a strain when we did it your way. I can only find one report https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=64605 which makes it seem a bit of a slog, but weaselmaster does note a new path coming in from the west, not on the map, so that might be better. The folk we met seemed to think it was a good way to do it.

[jmarkb]

There is a newish hydro track that goes up to the col behind Newton Hill and meets the path further on, as mentioned in the WH Walk description, though this is not a very attractive route. Another option to make a bit of a circuit on the way down is to go to the 901m top, descend its E ridge until a grassy ramp leads toward the Allt a Mhuillin which is followed down to the track.

[1Magnus]

I can see what the original poster is saying. But what happened to our sense of adventure? Does every walk have to be straightforward and without problems to overcome? Don't you feel better at the end of the day when you did well on a difficult route? I biked in for this mountain, and yes, the path that followed was steep and wet. At the bad step I stood and looked at it for quite a while before wobblying past it. My walking pole slipped from my hand and ended up lying just on the edge of the abyss... I decided not to try and retrieve it... Further up the hill, sitting down to have my sandwich and thinking about the price of a new pole, a kind gentleman walker asked me if I'd lost a walking pole and handed it to me! What a brilliant experience. A big Thank You to the friendly fellow hillwalker, and three cheers for hills that offer the unexpected!

[past my sell by date]

It's a few years ago, but as you leave the car there is an obvious diagonal track leading up thru thre forest on the LHS of the river. We followed that as far as it went and then meandered up the hillside to the final "lump". The advantage is that you gain height almost from the outset