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Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh

Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh


Postby munrowalker » Sun Jul 19, 2009 7:23 pm

Route description: Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Chàrn & Creag Pitridh

Munros included on this walk: Beinn a' Chlachair, Creag Pitridh, Geal chàrn (Laggan)

Date walked: 19/07/2009

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Forecast to rain heavy all day, for our trip up Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh, well the forecast cetainly looked to be spot on as we drove up through Drumochter as it was pelting it down, with the cloud cover down near the top of the car (a wee bit of an overexaggeration to be honest) so spirits weren't down but resigned to the fact we'd be drookit!

Ah well must get the waterproofs on from the start then methinks and start to roast like a chicken in the oven in the long approach up to the loch before the ascent proper starts to Beinn a' Chlachair. Well we almost never even got near the loch as we took a wrong turn at the forest and headed up the wrong path, luckily we noticed quite quickly we were going wrong and rerouted.

Which was quite funny as it was the satmap that kept us right here. At start of trip my satmap was getting the mick taken out of it as it should be map & compass only and gps was too easy, fair enough methinks I'll only use it if needs must..... well as we were taking the wrong route following the map & compass and satmap was telling us it was the wrong way, red faces all round that it saved us a fair old bit of backtracking!

Rain was fair pelting it down alongside Loch laggan and Lochan na-earba but path was superb so we got along this 4-5 km bit which is at most 100m of ascent no bother at all. At Lochan na-earba a Air Force Mountain Rescue van was sitting, so aye aye we thought whats going on here. No one in van and no one near, it was 10am so we decided must have been just out for training.

Four guys on mountain bikes battered past us at this point, and this is my one major tip for anyone else doing this trip, take a mountain bike as far as you can up the trail, its no much of an ascent, hide it in the heather at head of path, and would be a nice 15 minute ride back to layby at end! We however were on for the trudge!

Path heads up into the centre of the three hills, and best plan of attack is to turn to your right and head up the flank of Beinn a' Chlachair straight up, not wet and not even a scramble to get up about 500-600 metres where it flattens off, and first of the hard ascents is out of the way.

You'll then see the summit of Beinn a' Chlachair almost doubling back on yourself as you go round a horseshoe to get to it, but its only a couple hundred metres of ascent spread out for a couple of km.

Stop at the summit for first breakfast as good appetite worked up now. And boy oh boy the views were superb south to Carn Dearg, Geal Charn (other one) and Aonach beag and Ben Eibhinn & Ben Alder. Oh if there were more hours in the day as they so looked close enough to get going onto as well! But then we remembered we still had to bag Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh, so reality set back in.

Have to point out that rain had been on and off about a dozen times till now, and waterproofs on and off that amount of times as well! At this point I decided ach the waterproof trousers are staying off if I get wet legs, tough!

Its a retrace steps for a wee while, and down slopes to bealach between Beinn a' Chlachair & Geal Charn, mist starting to come in now so we lost sight of Geal Charn's summit. But path is easy enough to follow between Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh so its pretty much just a case of follow that and then at final bealach between them turn right and push for the summit of Geal Charn.

The route did say head up over the ridge and over the bouldery stuff, but because there was eight in our group and democracy kicked in. ie 10 minutes spent deciding route and no walking being done! we split into two groups for a wee race to the summit. Both routes were just as good, one hugged the north side just below the boulders and got there a couple of minutes faster.

Hardly any views though at top as mist was fair in now. But rain was managing to keep off which was good! We decided to keep party together and head back over boulders to the bealach between Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh in preparation for the final ascent of the day.

Creag Pitridh, on first sight this looks rather steep, but 20 minutes of a good push up a good path,with good footholds and you're there no bother with cracking views north (cannae remember the names of the hills, just know they looked rather tasty for another trip!).

Then its back down the slopes heading for Locan Na h-earba avoiding the crags. Now you'd think this was going to be very easiest bit, not likely. Grass was mega long in here and no way to see where you're feet we're going into, yes we're talking good risk of twisted ankles and muscles in here! Took a fair bit of concentration and care not to slip into sticky bits. But we all made it through nae bother.

Back onto path, and then you realise ah, thats when then the mountain bikes would have been really fantastic! As it feels a lot longer trudging out than it did in!


But rain had fair stopped now so with good speed we fair dried out by the time we got back to the cars so no steam coming off wet clothes (yeeucch!) as they get thrown in back of boot!

Another fantastic day in the hills, 26.6km over 8 1/2 hours, total ascent 1555km, average walking speed 5.9kph

Day seems so much shorter when youre trying to remember it all!

Just realised this is a first for me, first walk report on walk highlands for these three hills! Yup I'm excited!

Next week, its Ben Hope as going to visit parents in Dornoch, cannae persuade my dearest that Ben Klibreck is soooo close to it and would be daft nae tae dae it, can I nae dae that as well, please please please.

But no just a one day pass a week for me, and parents will think I'm no actually going to visit them, achhh!
User avatar
munrowalker
 
Posts: 259
Munros:163   Corbetts:7
Fionas:1   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:9   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:1   
Joined: Jun 4, 2009
Location: Bathgate

Re: Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh

Postby Graeme D » Sun Jul 19, 2009 8:32 pm

Awwww shite! Ah've just been gazumped!!! :( When did you do this munrowalker? I was up doing these three on Friday - just not got round to filing the old report yet :lol:

Will get a wee report and some pics up soon....
User avatar
Graeme D
 
Posts: 3996
Munros:251   Corbetts:123
Fionas:75   Donalds:22
Sub 2000:59   Hewitts:36
Wainwrights:28   Islands:6
Joined: Oct 17, 2008
Location: Perth

Re: Beinn a' Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh

Postby munrowalker » Mon Jul 20, 2009 6:38 pm

Saturday funnily enough. Off now to read your report....
User avatar
munrowalker
 
Posts: 259
Munros:163   Corbetts:7
Fionas:1   Donalds:2
Sub 2000:9   Hewitts:1
Wainwrights:1   
Joined: Jun 4, 2009
Location: Bathgate

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