Glen Etive - Ben Starav & Glas Beinn Mhor

[jwramsay]

On Friday 11th June 2010 I headed to Glen Etive to wild camp for the night with the intention of getting an early start for my 2 targets, the munros of Ben Starav and Glas Bheinn Mhor.

Ben Starav - tomorrows first target!

I took a walk up the corbett Beinn Trilleachan to suss the area out. A few beers with some fellow campers and off to bed around midnight (that was when it got darkish!). An early rise at 5am and after getting the tent into the car and a bite to eat, I started on Ben Starav at 7am - first on the hill!

Daybreak on Loch Etive (5am) - Ben Cruachan

After getting my feet wet crossing the River Etive, I crossed the main burn down from the mountains, via a bridge this time!

Glas Bheinn Mhor from the bridge over the burn

View back to Glencoe from Ben Starav

Loch Etive and the Trilleachan Slabs

From here it gets a wee bit exposed and in the words of a fellow climber who I encountered near the top "Fall down there and it's good night Vienna".

Top of Ben Starav beckons

I reached the top at 10.30am, 3.5 hours. Not bad for me. Was passed by some real fit and eager dudes who planned on bagging all 5 munros, one of them did Starav in 2 hours!

This is the ridge all the way to Glas Bheinn Mhor:

Ridge Walking!

And if you feel adventurous, swing right here for Beinn nan Aighenan:

Stick left for Glas Bheinn Mhor, right for Beinn nan Aighenan

Dressed in my camouflague I got close up and personal with a pair of Ptarmigan:

Startled ptarmigan

And then whilst having a wee bite to eat this Red Deer wandered by:

Red Deer

Along the rather easy ridge to the bealach, where I could have added Beinn nan Aighenan (3150 feet) to make it 3. I decided against this as the sole was coming away from my (now binned) walking shoe, so decided just to bag Glas Bheinn Mhor which is really on the route back to the car.

And here I am ontop of the 2nd munro with Ben Starav and it's ridges directly behind

Jim atop Glas Bheinn Mhor

Another look back to Ben Starav:

Ben Starav from Glas Bheinn Mhor

Almost down:

Glas Beinn Mhor (left), Ben Starav (right)

I got back to the car at 5pm, so was really glad that I didn't add Beinn nan Aighenan or it'd have been 8 or 9pm.



Managed to be home in front of TV with a fish supper and a beer to watch the England v USA World Cup game at 7.30pm (thats why it takes me 3.5 hours and a fit young man 2 hours to do a munro!).




[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VWmytPdBiI[/youtube]

[Glenrothes]

Jim, the only reason you took so long on your walk was to give us a superb trip report, photos and video diary of your day - stunning, especially of the Osprey fishing on the loch - Many thanks

[jwramsay]

Thanks for your kind words. The osprey was at Loch Earn. I'd just missed one heading to the nest with a big fat trout in its talons too!

This was of course on the previous day.

I'm a slow git, part of the reason why I used to like to go on my own. I'm also into photography and video, which is as important to me as doing the mountains.

Glad you enjoyed it, more to come while I get all of my previous walks/photos/videos uploaded to this site.

[rockhopper]

Some nice photos there Jim - good job

Was passed by some real fit and eager dudes who planned on bagging all 5 munros, one of them did Starav in 2 hours!

- can't have been monty as I think he was up there just last weekend

I'm a slow git, part of the reason why I used to like to go on my own. I'm also into photography and video, which is as important to me as doing the mounta

- no need to make excuses; not much point in walking if we don't enjoy it