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Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair


Postby Louise993 » Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:00 pm

Munros included on this walk: Beinn a' Chlachair

Date walked: 25/09/2020

Time taken: 9.18 hours

Distance: 21.73 km

Ascent: 1253m

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What a day!!!!

I don't usually make my posts public but it would be interesting to get others thoughts and experiences of this route.

Solo day

After checking weather forecast and realising the winds may be strong with a -11 wind chill i thought I better put on the thermals.

Headed off from the parking layby 10:10 .

Now WH says 8 to 10 hrs for the 3!!

I know I am slow however it took me 9 hrs to do the 0ne!

Usually I am pretty spot on with WH estimations. For example if it says 8 to 10 hours I'm usually around the 10.

Either I done something very wrong or WH is way off. :?

The path is great but when you start to strike up the hill the terrain is terrible. Boulders, bog and heather and steep all the way up." Steep grassy bank" description just does not cut it.

The sun was splitting and it would have been very pleasant if it was not for the thermals :) I was cursing myself for wearing them...

I hate to say it, it doesn't get any easier when you reach the Corrie,its basically a boulder field all the way round.

It was getting increasingly windy but still a decent day and the cloud on the summits had dispersed....until I reached the summit. :lol:
Made a huge navigational error coming off (school boy error) and found myself coming down the north west side of the summit. I was aware that the terrain looked very off, luckily the cloud cleared and realised with confidence I had definitely came down the wrong way. :roll:
So I headed back up and over the correct way.
After reading my Sunnto stats when I got home I realised my detour added only an hour to my day.

I had already made my mind up at the first summit that this was no weather for the other 2 and I was very conscious at how long it had taken me to get this far. (just over 4 hours to get to the first summit.)

I had decided rather than going back the way I had came I would head for the bealach and take the very good stalkers path back down the glen. (this would be the way to the 2nd Munro of the day). I thought this was a better option rather than trying to negotiate my way back down what I had come up.
Definitely was the right option, methinks.

What I was hoping would be a lovely flat plateau to take me to the start of the decent to the bhealach was a horrendous, constant boulder field with no path ( well i never found it) :?

To add to it it had started snowing and blizzard like conditions, in the face!
It felt like 50mph winds in the short blizzard storms. I was now very thankful for the thermals.

Stupidly I had not packed my ski goggles ( didn't think it was going to be winter,winter conditions) so navigation and progress was hindered.
On two ocassions there was nothing else for it but to get the storm shelter out and hunker down until it passed.
Which it did quickly. This happened on a number of occasions however I was very thankful it did not last more than 10 minutes and the sunshine would beam brilliantly once more, Just like it never happened.
At one point the weather conditions made me question whether this was actually happening and I was still lying in my warm, cozy bed and just having a rather unusual dream :shock:.

'Four seasons in one day' has never been a more deserving statement.

When I reached the edge, a path presented itself. I was never more pleased to see a path. It was very wet and slippery but the scramble was not as exposed as I was fearing.

At the start of the descent to the bealach, it had taken me 6 and a half hours. It had taken me over 2 hours to get across the plateau, obviously with my little detour (1 hr) so over an hour to get to the descent to the bealach if you take away my detour.
I have never been so happy to see the very excellent path. What a great path it is all the way back to the main track by the little beach.
Once down from height you would not have known what conditions I had experienced. It was a lovely evening, cool but sunny.
I hate admitting it but it has to be one of my least favourite day on the hills.

I know I had a lot of time consuming weather and navigational conditions but I still can't figure out why these 3 Munros are put together as a suggestion and how it could take someone only 8 hours to do the 3 :?

I can't imagine it would be a route for even fell runners, due to the very constant boulder field terrain?

To me it seems that Beinn a Chlachair is one for itself and the other 2 seem much more understanding of why you would do those 2 together ( Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh).

The ascent to Geal Charn from the bealch looks huge?
To be continued on my return :lol: :lol: :lol:

I realise I am probably the most unfit that I have ever been but still cant see how even at my fittest I could pull these 3 off in 10 hours.

Anyhoo, I know this seems like a bit of a moany post but I just wanted to share my experience and get other peoples views of these mountains.

I think It was also a wee scary reminder of just how much the terrain can change when we are up there. Sometimes I think I need a wee reminder :wink:

No photos, as to top it off, (as some of you will be familiar), Apple doesn't like the cold and had decided to shut down before I even started to ascend.

Hope I have not depressed you all to much with my miserable post :)

Would be great to hear what is everyone else's experience been of this circuit?
Happy Hiking

Louise
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Louise993
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby prog99 » Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:32 pm

You did ask, have done the round twice...
9 hours to do the 3 in very drench weather and included Carn Dearg too as a bonus.
6hours 50 second time doing the 3 in wintry underfoot conditions, bike used to the loch.
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby Louise993 » Sun Sep 27, 2020 5:37 pm

prog99 wrote:You did ask, have done the round twice...
9 hours to do the 3 in very drench weather and included Carn Dearg too as a bonus.
6hours 50 second time doing the 3 in wintry underfoot conditions, bike used to the loch.


Excellent well done you. Yeah a bike would have definitely made a big difference to the loch and back.
Thanks for your reply.
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby jmarkb » Sun Sep 27, 2020 6:53 pm

I can't remember how long it took me, but I don't think the WH times are too badly out - you could probably shave 1-2 hours off in better conditions (combination of wet, wind and boulders does slow you down a lot) and if you avoided the nav error, and the extra 2 hills probably only add on another 2 hours.
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby Coop » Sun Sep 27, 2020 7:01 pm

A couple of things I take from this report.

1. You had a navigational error and rectified it

2 you knew your limits realising three was too much

Well in

Pick 10 different reports on here for the same hill and they'll all have different times. I try and say yo myself and others when they mention times that no one is on the hill with a stopwatch timing you

I went to do these 3 in the snow as few years back and very soon sacked that idea and only did Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh. Went back soon after for the other https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=71523
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby rockhopper » Sun Sep 27, 2020 9:02 pm

Louise993 wrote:Would be great to hear what is everyone else's experience been of this circuit?

As prog99 says, "you did ask"...... :wink: :wink:
Looks like you had a bit of a challenge.
Checked my walk report - walked these three the day after walking the Creag Meagaidh 5 on the other side of the A86 so was a bit tired. For the three: 7.3 hours.
Cycled in just past the loch. Went anti-clockwise. Some comments included "No track to follow (at least I couldn’t find one) but the mix of heather and moorland made for straightforward, if a bit boggy, walking conditions......It was rocky under foot for the last part of the way – tended to be a bit slippery as they were wet". Weather - nice to start then light rain and showers with very heavy rain towards the end - cheers :)
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby brpro26 » Wed Sep 30, 2020 3:53 am

I see what you did with the title... :lol:
The times are not far off for these 3 but the Beinn AC is the slog to start. We took bikes into just past the loch, made a big difference, apart from Jim D getting a puncture and Colin falling off on the way back...laugh my sides were sair.
The 2nd and 3rd are much easier, in fact the last one didn't even feel like a Munro, which is rich coming from me.
Impressed that you had a storm shelter and weren't afraid to use it :lol: You've got the skills and know your limitation which is have the battle. There's nothing worse than "Thermal Chaffing" :shock:
Did you factor in your inside leg measurement to the Naismith's calculation :lol: :lol: :lol: only kidding.
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby Louise993 » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:54 am

jmarkb wrote:I can't remember how long it took me, but I don't think the WH times are too badly out - you could probably shave 1-2 hours off in better conditions (combination of wet, wind and boulders does slow you down a lot) and if you avoided the nav error, and the extra 2 hills probably only add on another 2 hours.


Thanks Mark :thumbup:
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby Louise993 » Wed Sep 30, 2020 11:56 am

Coop wrote:A couple of things I take from this report.

1. You had a navigational error and rectified it

2 you knew your limits realising three was too much

Well in

Pick 10 different reports on here for the same hill and they'll all have different times. I try and say yo myself and others when they mention times that no one is on the hill with a stopwatch timing you

I went to do these 3 in the snow as few years back and very soon sacked that idea and only did Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh. Went back soon after for the other https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=71523


Thank you COOP for your feedback. Going to head up and do these two in the next week. Thank you
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Re: Beinn A'C*** a Chlachair

Postby Louise993 » Wed Sep 30, 2020 12:03 pm

brpro26 wrote:I see what you did with the title... :lol:
The times are not far off for these 3 but the Beinn AC is the slog to start. We took bikes into just past the loch, made a big difference, apart from Jim D getting a puncture and Colin falling off on the way back...laugh my sides were sair.
The 2nd and 3rd are much easier, in fact the last one didn't even feel like a Munro, which is rich coming from me.
Impressed that you had a storm shelter and weren't afraid to use it :lol: You've got the skills and know your limitation which is have the battle. There's nothing worse than "Thermal Chaffing" :shock:
Did you factor in your inside leg measurement to the Naismith's calculation :lol: :lol: :lol: only kidding.


Haha did you like that. :lol:

I had planned to take the bike up, but my bike mechanic (aka Jim) had not returned it yet. :problem: :wink:

Oh poor Colin and Jim, would have had a serious giggle though. Did you wait for them at the car all smug?

Thanks Brian, good to get a bit of reassurance I'm not a total eejit. Although have to admit I was questioning myself and giving myself a big row for the nav error.
Going to head up soon and do these 2 i think.
You need to get your finger oot and catch up :wink:
We could have a joint completion party :lol:
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