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Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlas

Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlas


Postby Bruadair » Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:04 pm

Route description: Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas

Munros included on this walk: Beinn Ghlas, Ben Lawers

Date walked: 10/10/2010

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Arrived at NTS car park on a bleak morning and surveyed cloud covered ridges in all directions and being a complete novice wondered what I was letting myself in for, so kitted myself up and headed up track towards my goals.

After passing through the gate on the deer fence, I noticed the track split and headed in different directions...so what was the correct route.....there was no one around and no map or clues, so being that one track appreared to skip round the side of wherever I was and the other appeared to head up.....I chose up. Ever wary, I kept stopping to ponder whether I was on correct track and looking back for someone else following and to my surprise or dismay finally saw someone heading up the other track.....Oh no I thought, and by this time I was starting to go into cloud, and the wind was getting up (and so was mine) at that I looked up and thought there's a top up there somewhere, so up it is.

I think at one point I may have drifted from the track as I found myself scrambling up some rock and after a while and once fully into cloud I stopped for a break...thinking I haven't a clue where I am or what Munro I was on, if I was on one.

Through the howling of the wind I thought I heard voices...where are they coming from..so I sat, and then I heard the tap tapping of walking poles, and distinguishible words of 'no pain no gain'.....yes I thought...I'll hang about to see who no pain no gain is, and after several minutes was delighted to see a group of five heading towards me.

Not wanting to appear the **** that I was, I opened conversation with Aye..can't be much further now..after letting them pass.....I decided I would tag along behind...only to pass them some minutes later as they had stopped for a break, but at least I was back on a track and knew I was heading in right direction.

Walking along the ridge from the summit of Beinn Ghlas towards Ben Lawers was a struggle and I really had to lean into the wind to stay on my feet...if I stood upright or relaxed I was blown to my left and after reaching the next ridge to assend up again towards Lawers summit....I stopped for another break and again was passed by the team of 5.

After getting to summit I joined the 5 and had my lunch and a bit of conversation with them (it definately wasn't a sheeps head)...sorry private joke which should be understood by any of 5. Anyway I had hoped to include An Stuc on my day out, b ut took advice of 'not today and not yourself' from the vastly more experienced climbers, and took up their invite to join them on the way down.

To the 5...thanks for the advice, the conversation and company on way back off the ridge and down to car park.
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Bruadair
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 133
Joined: Nov 2, 2010
Location: South Lanarkshire

Re: Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlas

Postby mountain coward » Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:12 pm

I hope you didn't mean you hadn't a map - you really do need one in Scotland... hell, I often even carry one in the Lakes where there's paths everywhere and I've done them a million times before!

Shame the views weren't better for you anyway... when I did them with my walking buddy Richard, it was like that all the way out to An Stuc and as far as Ben Lawers on the way back. However, when we started to descend from Ben Lawers, things started to appear and, by the time we reached the col, everything was out so I managed to get some nice photos :D
mountain coward
 

Re: Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlas

Postby Bruadair » Wed Nov 10, 2010 11:40 pm

mountain coward wrote:I hope you didn't mean you hadn't a map - you really do need one in Scotland... hell, I often even carry one in the Lakes where there's paths everywhere and I've done them a million times before!

Shame the views weren't better for you anyway... when I did them with my walking buddy Richard, it was like that all the way out to An Stuc and as far as Ben Lawers on the way back. However, when we started to descend from Ben Lawers, things started to appear and, by the time we reached the col, everything was out so I managed to get some nice photos :D


Sadly..that's exactly what I mean and I did describe myself as being a ****.....it was after all only my second venture out and after my first (Nevis) I thought they all had tracks..... after this one I did invest in some maps.
Bruadair
Mountaineer
 
Posts: 133
Joined: Nov 2, 2010
Location: South Lanarkshire

Re: Ben Lawers & Beinn Ghlas

Postby mountain coward » Thu Nov 11, 2010 12:08 am

Yeah, good, the weather's just so much worse in Scotland than anywhere else - I'm nearly always in the clag. I wasn't telling you off anyway - twice I've forgotten my maps in the Scottish hills and just carried on anyway :oops:
mountain coward
 

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