walkhighlands

The Worst Win

Route: Beinn a' Bheithir via Schoolhouse Ridge

Munros: Sgòrr Dhearg (Beinn a' Bheithir), Sgòrr Dhònuill (Beinn a' Bheithir)

Date walked: 02/10/2023

Time taken: 26 hours

Distance: 21km

Ascent: 1350m


Beinn a Bheithir (15km 1297m 7hrs 15mins).gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



I should have known.

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My alarm goes off at 6:30am, jolting me out of an unusually uncomfortable sleep. Staggering through the hallway and down the stairs (past an enormous bath that reminds me of the video for Lady Gaga's Bad Romance), I slowly gather my belongings. I'm in Taynuilt, where I have been cajoled into joining up with the final night of a stag do. The day before I had climbed Beinn na Sroine for my 40th Fiona https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=121287, and everything had been surprisingly straightforward.

Today is not going to be straightforward. For a kick-off, it's Monday. Never go a hillwalk on a Monday. Geldof warned about this.

There must be *some* clear sky around, because I get the proper camera out and take a load of zoom photos of the Moon while loading the car up. Unfortunately I don't have those photos to hand, because, well......... :shock:

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Going to the stag do meant swapping round all my plans, so instead of getting the bus to Beinn a' Bheithir on the Tuesday (a longstanding plan that had involved a long WalkHighlands thread asking about the peculiar pricing scheme to Ballachulish), here I am driving to the official car park in South Ballachulish. I *really* don't like driving to hills that are bus-able, for several reasons, but there was no alternative. If I wanted to get to 70 Munros (and 10 for the year), then these were the only two that were realistic in this timescale. I had to be back in Glasgow by 4:30pm at the absolute latest, to pick my daughter and take my wife to work, so Beinn a' Bheithir it is.

"WOAH! We're Going To A'Bheithir!" sang the Vengaboys (I think).

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Well at least they have signs. This is an ok start...? :thumbup:

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Oh right. Well I probably wasn't coming down that way, but ok, noted.

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Dunno what that is.

I've left just after 7:50am in a bit of a shower, but I figure the two Munros could just about be climbed in six hours. Even if it ran over just beyond 2pm, I probably have enough time to get back to Glasgow, if the traffic isn't too bad.

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I've just reached the 100m junction and bridge when I hear a rustling in the undergrowth ahead. Three or four deer run across my path and scurry off to the right! See if you can spot the bright tails. :D

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Always an amazing sight to see in person, and especially right in front of the dramatic Dragon's Tooth.

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Yeah, don't really like the look of that cloud though......

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Or that river...... but at least this route doesn't have any river crossings, so we should be fine...

(............... :( )

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Bit random to have a sign for traffic on a path that is clearly not driveable by anyone. Although weirdly this bit is shown on maps as a track rather than a path.

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I turn right at the 200m junction on a wee shortcut path and head South for another fine view of the Dragon's Tooth. And some blue sky is starting to appear. Is the worst weather behind me now? Then I have a quick check of the GPS and oh wait I'm going the wrong way. :?

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Ah right, schoolboy error. I retreat for a couple of minutes and find the next path to lead me up towards 300m.

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Hey, kinda dark in this forest. Are we sure the sun actually came up?

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Finally I break out of the forest after 55 minutes, and start to head towards the corrie. This is the WH route in reverse, and should hopefully have a clear path the whole way. I'm hoping to climb Sgòrr Dhònuill first (the one to the right), then return to the col and climb Sgòrr Dhearg. Sgòrr Dhònuill sounds like the trickier one, so it would be good to get that one out the way first, and it would be nice to reach 70 Munros on the higher of the two, Sgòrr Dhearg.

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The path reaches 510m then annoyingly follows the fence back down to 490m, before climbing into the corrie. Suddenly it's getting quite boggy here, and the rain is returning (again).

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Ok, I'm in the corrie now. But that looks heck of a steep up to the col, and the rain is hammering down by this point. The path has also faded badly in the corrie, although I can see it leading up to the col.

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I mean, it *seems* to be the path. The GPS certainly says it's the path, and I can see the erosion. But it feels more like a river today.

For a few minutes the rain is utterly torrential. I've very rarely turned back on a hillwalk, but I give it some thought here. But unfortunately I'm hell-bent on climbing 10 Munros this year. If I can't get to double figures this year - even with a three-week block in the summer with no childcare issues - will I ever reach double figures again? Apologies to common sense (and health & safety), but we're going on.

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At least all of this makes for some atmospheric photos of Loch Leven. And the rain's actually eased off again. Phew. Maybe the worst is over?

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It's approaching 9:50am, so just under two hours from leaving, and I've finally reached the 757m col. Not a phenomenal pace, but I should be up and down Sgòrr Dhònuill by, what 11am? Maybe 11:15? Then I can try and leg it up / down Sgòrr Dhearg by the back of 12, after which it's straight downhill on the paths and forest tracks that I already know. 2pm is achievable, just.

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The route reminds me a bit of the Stob Bàn route from July, with the climb past the trees into the valley, the dramatic peaks over to the right, then the steep climb from the col. Oh, and the rain. The Mamores had a *lot* of rain on 1st July, particularly in the descent. Today's had some torrential rain already, but hopefully the worst is over?

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Erm no. The weather deteriorates again as I pass the flattish bit at 930m. There's only about 70m to go but, much like Stob Bàn, the last bit is the steepest.

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Phew! The time has just left 10:30am, so it's taken 2hrs 40mins to this point, but I've finally reached #69. Not a number I want to stay on for long...

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The WalkHighlands app is an absolute godsend, especially on days like today.

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The weather is showing no signs of improving, so after a wee wander round the summit and a quick snack / drink, I'm heading straight back down the Eastern ridge again. The time is starting to make me nervous by this point, and the weather is *atrocious*. There was no weather warning for today, but maybe I should just be boycotting Munros if there's any rain forecast? By this stage I'm really only interested in ticking the two boxes and getting the heck out of here, as they say.

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It might look like blades of grass in the middle of this photo, but it's actually massive raindrops. I take a quick break to check that my proper camera hasn't suffered rain damage. I'm such a fool for not leaving the camera in the car, but I left South Ballachulish in such a hurry that I forgot.

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The time is approaching 11:15am. I reach the col, and see the path fork into two. It's decision time. :think:

In my head I know what the only sensible option is. I'm supposed to be back at the car park in 2hrs 45mins - 3hrs at an absolute push? Sgòrr Dhearg is the bigger of the two, and there's been no blue sky anywhere in more than an hour. But I feel a kind of autopilot just dragging me onto the Sgòrr Dhearg path. If I can climb 10 Munros this year, then keep going at that ratio, then I can reach the century by my 40th birthday. Maybe this might just start to feel more achievable then. I've read that Sgòrr Dhònuill is the trickier of the two, and that one's behind me now. The rain is off again, crucially. The path ahead looks fine (well, from what I can see of it). It's just a quick up-and-down. What Could Possibly Go Wrong? :roll:

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The climb is...ok, really? From the start I can tell it's a much better path than Sgòrr Dhònuill, which was another torrent of water (much like the corrie). This path is gentle by comparison, and for some random reason isn't even that wet. It's also quite a wide path. Everything feels ok here, except the time, which is marching on with pace (unlike me, frankly).

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#70 (SEVENTY)! I've made it. At 11:53am, so a smidgeon over four hours from leaving, but I've finally made it. :D

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Update: It Wet Again.

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I get my lunch out the rucksack (a Sweet Chilli Chicken wrap from Morrisons in Glasgow, before Beinn na Sroine yesterday). It's sodden through. Oh well, I'm starving so there's no Plan B here. But the summit cairn makes a good seat here, so I feel relatively good about things. I've done a mini-circuit of the cairn for the selfie etc., so I sit down on the cairn facing South, with the Western ridge to my right.

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Lunch is finished, and it's 12:01pm. I'd better high-tail it out of here. I turn right and head back down the Western ridge towards the 757m col. I briefly think about checking the GPS again, but there's no doubt I'm on the right path, heading back down the same ridge. 2:15pm is maybe just about achievable, if I jog a bit in the forest. And it's all good paths from here. "Kent grund", as my great-gran from Fife used to say.

About 1/4hr later I reach a flattish section. That's ok, I remember one or two of them from the climb. Although, mind you...it seems to be quite a big flat bit. I'll, erm...just check the old GPS here, and, urm.........

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:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

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You haven't. You absolutely haven't. Oh, you have, haven't you? :wtf: :silent: :oops: :thumbdown:

I'm not on "The Western Ridge", because there isn't "A Western Ridge". There's a South-West one and a South-East one. I haven't paid attention at the cairn, have (apparently?!?) turned 90 degrees rather than 180 and have marched off onto the wrong flipping ridge.

This is a time for split-second decisions, so of course I take the wrong one. In the cold light of day it will become obvious that the only sensible choice is to head back up the South-East ridge and over the summit again. After all, the phone tells me that I've only been on the wrong route for 13 minutes. But instinct tells me not to re-climb a hill I've already climbed. The Top of Sgòrr Bhan is very close now, and there's a path down the North ridge from there. I'll just have to take my chances in the forest.

Approaching the summit of Sgòrr Bhan, a figure looms out of the mist, the first human I've seen all day (quite a telling sign on popular Munros in the Southern Highlands...) He asks how I'm feeling. I say I feel awful. I've got lost, in 2023, with a fantastic GPS app in my pocket, and now I'm running late to pick up my family. He agrees with me that the North ridge of Sgòrr Bhan is probably the best option. I say I don't like the sound of the forest, since nobody seems to go down that way. He says it should probably be fine if I pick up a forest track. He also tells me that the mountain rescue have already been out on Beinn a' Bheithir today - not due to a terrifying fall, but due to "cramp". Oh well, better safe than sorry. The way today is going, they might have another callout to the same hill later. :crazy:

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Well it wasn't planned, but I've climbed my 18th Top! Time for a summit selfie that reflects my true emotions at this wonderful moment.

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Yeah, that works.

The time has left 12:20pm. I'm due back in Glasgow in about 4hrs, and this is already starting to feel a bit unlikely. My only realistic option from here is to power down the North ridge, hope the pathless bit / forest / river crossing isn't too awful and nail it down the forest track. But I'm in danger of wandering onto the Schoolhouse Ridge here. My original plan was to get the bus to Ballachulish and start from there, so there would be a nice kind of symmetry to that, except that I would be 280 miles from my car then.

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Land! Loch! Town! :)

I've just about managed to find the branch path to the North ridge (after some help from the WalkHighlands app - should've checked that at the summit, eh?) when the cloud suddenly clears to reveal Loch Leven and, for the first time today, Ballachulish. The town is spread out below like a map. I'm not planning to head there today but it's nice to see some civilisation after this hurricane of a morning.

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The path is good at this point, but from the map (and my faint memory of checking Bing Aerial weeks ago) it heads down to the East then disappears before Ballachulish. I need to head North-West to pick up that forest track at about 190m, so at some point I'll just need to leave the path and strike off to the left.

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Always great to see a rainbow, but the time has just left 12:45 so now isn't the time to stand there gawking (or gapwing?) at it.

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On the right-hand side is the river I'll have to cross later. :o Not sure I've clocked that yet.

I reach the top of a rock face at c.560m. The path is kind of faint here, but it any event this is probably where I need to branch off to the left. I'll just see what's over here. It's usually not so steep once you actually peer over the edge.

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Oh. That was a mini-rock-climb. :shock: And very awkward. But at least it's done. The time is 1:06pm, my goodness, I've got to be in Glasgow in 3.5hrs at the absolute latest...

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1:16pm. I can finally see the forest track at 190m, but my pace is slowing a bit because of the terrain (walking diagonally across steep gorse is The Worst Thing). I can feel the insole in my right boot starting to detatch from the boot. This is starting to fall apart here. Should I just have gone back up Sgòrr Dhearg at the time? Could it honestly have been worse than this?

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Oh, the Sun has come out over Onich. Charming. Comic timing.

1:25pm. Still at 445m. The track is about 255m away. If I don't reach the track by 2pm I think I'll be late home. Enough is enough. It's time to go for Plan B: Bumslide. :crazy:

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Desperate times call for desperate measures.

I haven't done this in 10 years, since a similarly chaotic climb of The Brack in snow. This time it's a bit more straightforward, as there's no chance of losing control, but it's blooming painful because of all the gorse. I'm getting hurt in... well, a sore place. :shock: There are some random rocks that aren't helping either. I make about 60m of progress to get me down to 385m, but it's still nearly 200m down to the river and the track. I revert to Plan A, reluctantly and sorely.

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A path. Are you kidding. Where did that come from?

I try it for a couple of minutes, but if anything it seems to be climbing again, heading North round the side of the forest. There's no point: I'm just going to have to lob the fence and crash into the forest. I'm at c.300m now: the track is tantalisingly close.

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Ok, this is not ideal but it's a vast improvement on what I just had for for half an hour.

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Lol. Eh, no.

(Always amazed by these signs. Am I supposed to go back up a pathless mountain in a storm? Where do they think I've come from - and where exactly am I going - if I've ended up in this position? Out my way please, it's 1:43pm.)

The next 10-15 minutes are utterly brutal. In another re-enactment of my climb of The Brack, I have to pass through some felled forestry. And like on the Brack, I get a few cuts on my hand. I swear a bit, but it's not the end of the world. I can see the track on the other side of the river (it's actually above me now). Every step is incredibly awkward, and progress is predictably slow, but with every step I'm closer to the river. And after the river is the track. We're nearly there......

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Ok......that river doesn't look too clever though......

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*faints* :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

Right, the time is 2:01pm. My earlier check of Google Maps (before all of......this?) said it's about 2hrs 15mins to home from South Ballachulish. If I get across this in the next couple of minutes, and absolutely leg it round to the car, I *might* be there by 2:30?

To my right are two huge logs side by side, placed horizontally across the Allt Giubhsachain. They look like they were put there deliberately by the fellers: it's far too neat to be random fallen trees. That's my only realistic option, from what I can see. I can't carry on down the Eastern side of the river, it's a hellish mess of felled trees and branches. I need the track, now. But I also can't guarantee my safety on this double log thing, especially as they might be slippery today. Are they even strong enough? I'm not as stick-thin as I used to be.

Split-second decision, because I'm panicking. I'm going to lob my walking poles and rucksack over the other side. It's narrow enough that they'll reach the other bank. Right, here goes. First walking stick......

......oh for goodness sake, it's planted in the river. :crazy: I mean it's still upright, and it's kind of nestled against the other bank, but that's now what I was aiming for. I'll try the other one...... that makes it over, just. The first one hasn't been swept away by the current - it just seems to be fine where it is.

I take the rucksack off. It's quite heavy, what with all the rainwater. But I can't walk across these logs with it, when there's the option of chucking it over first. Here we go. Practice swing, and then 3...... 2...... 1......

*chuck*

It hits the other side.........

.........and then falls in.

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I scream. Then everything stops. What happens now? Do I get arrested or something?

Within 5-10 seconds my bag is over the side of a ravine. Never getting it back. Guess I just cross a raging river on logs now, seconds after one of the worst moments of my life.

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It sounds weird, but if anything it's settled my nerves a bit. The river crossing is now only the second most harrowing thing to happen to me this afternoon. I take one step out on the left log, then one on the right. It doesn't feel too bouncy. Good. I start praying in every language I know, taking one gentle step at a time. In about 60 seconds I'm across. Well I'm still alive, even if my rucksack isn't. A win's a win, eh? :crazy:

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I head back upstream and collect my two walking poles, then clamber up the hillside to the rough straw-like forest track. I'm in the early throes of another breakdown here. Over the next five minutes I try and gather my thoughts to work out what exactly is missing.

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The camera's gone, obviously, and I'm an absolute div for forgetting to to take that out the bag in the morning. Maybe my sunglasses (but I need a new prescription anyway), maybe some old beta blockers that I keep for job interviews and stuff like that. But my phone is in my left pocket, and my wallet's in my right pocket. My jacket's on me. Don't think I had any clothes in there. Guess the travel charger's gone. It's a mixed bag, pardon the pun.

Oh.

My.

God.

My house keys and car keys.

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :silent: :silent: :silent: :silent: :silent:

Why in god's name did I put them in the rucksack? Oh, I remember why - because the house keys were digging into my thigh on Beinn na Sroine yesterday, so I thought it would be comfier.

I can't get home by 4:30pm. I'm not sure I can get home at all frankly.

I call my wife, and that's an absolute hum-dinger of a phone call, let me tell you. I tell her I've had an accident, although I'm not injured, and everything is lost. There are tears. Eventually she hears how shaken I am and says not to worry about her shift. The only course of action is for me to get the bus from Ballachulish to Glasgow, pick up the spare keys and come straight back up here tonight / tomorrow morning. It's going to cost an arm and a leg, but at least I still have my arms and legs (was beginning to worry on those logs).

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I head over the brow of a hill, when she calls back and says she's told my parents that I'm "lost". I scream again. She's misunderstood me - I said I *was* briefly lost on the summit of Beinn a' Bheithir, but now I'm on a track near the A82. Oh well, she's told them now. I start getting missed calls from my Dad, and after what he's been through this year, that makes me feel even more guilty. And now, just to soothe my mood even more, here's a forest worker clambering out of his digger and marching towards me.

"Excuse me!"

I walk on. Not now, mate.

"Excuse me!!! Did you not see all the signs back there saying 'NO ENTRY'?!?"

I give him a look that implies I'd like to chin him. Then I turn away and walk down the hill.

"EXCUSE MEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! :evil: "

It doesn't matter how many times you scream it, I'm not answering you. I just had a near-death experience and lost hundreds of pounds about nine minutes ago, I'm not about to start debating Right To Roam with you (and the difference between Scots Law and internal company policy).

(Come to think of it, they were using some sort of pulley system to bring stuff across the river. Could've asked him to grab my bag. If he wasn't being such a pain in the......)

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I stagger at mid-pace down the rough track, then onto a proper forest road. There's a huge forest truck down here, and some more signs saying "DO NOT COME CLOSE TO THIS TRUCK OR WE WILL ATTACK YOU WITH HAMMERS" (paraphrasing). But it's the only way out of here, and luckily the driver is much more understanding this time, waving me past. I'm on the A82. I'm back in civilisation. But I'm a long, long - LONG - way from home.

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I head down to the mouth of the Allt Guibhsachain, where it meets Loch Leven. There is no bag. Of course not. It's either lodged against a rock halfway down the river, or it's already in the sea.

My phone battery is at c.20% by this stage (no charger now, obviously), and my head is spinning. Google Maps says there's a Citylink from Ballachulish at 2:39pm, and I see it fly past me. I was looking for my bag anyway, and I never expected that one to stop at the side of the road. But crucially there's supposed to be one at 3:39pm too. I finally call my parents back, to confirm that I'm alive. Then I haul myself to the Isles of Glencoe Hotel, for the first time in exactly 25 years (that was a great family holiday, mind you), finally save my appalling walk on Strava and ask to borrow the reception's phone to call Scottish Forestry about my stranded car (I don't want them giving it a ticket - there was a sign about overnight parking?)

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The receptionist looks...sympathetic, we'll say. Scottish Forestry are also quite sympathetic, but reassure me that nothing will be done to my vehicle. I also call Motorpoint (on my own phone, for some reason) to ask about my car keys, but after they confer with their boss, transfer me to another line etc., they confirm that lost keys aren't really covered by my policy. They could in theory drive up here with them, but it would cost me. It looks like I'm on the 3:39pm bus then. The Isle of Glencoe agree that there is definitely one due then. I stumble over to the bus stop near the Tourist Information Centre.

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Again, definitely one due at 3:39. So I wait... and wait...... and wait......... :roll:

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..........and wait. Oh, there's the Schoolhouse Ridge in the background. Can I really say I've completed Beinn a' Bheithir if I missed the Schoolhouse Ridge (and lost everything I own in a river)?

By this point my battery is about 6%, so I have to essentially stop using the phone. I head to the public loo near the bus stop. There are a load of youths hanging about outside the loo, but none of them want to open the door for some reason. Eventually I leave, and they giggle a bit at me. Even if I didn't have crippling social anxiety, I wouldn't have had the energy to tell them where to go. Not today.

The Tourist Informtation Centre is still open, and has a cafe inside. I ask to borrow their phone (this is becoming a habit), and call Citylink. Where on earth is their 3:39pm bus? They say that stopped at the end of September. Right, but that's not what Google Maps says, or the hotel, or the actual bus stop? Oh, that's the council's fault, they say. :roll: They won't let me book a ticket over the phone, because of course not. Before the internet everything was booked over the phone, but company policy dictates that they can't, because Reasons.

I call my wife (again, using the centre's phone...) and ask her to book the ticket on my behalf. She's never done this before, and still isn't best pleased about, well, everything. But eventually I manage to direct her to the right page, and she books the 7:39pm bus (thank god it had seats? Apparently the 2:39pm was full), then the 6:40am bus back up tomorrow morning. This is going to be one of the worst nights of my life, after one of the worst days. But there's no alternative. And the price? A cool £50. I remember from my WalkHighlands thread that Glasgow to Ballachulish is normally £42 (although Glasgow to Fort William is £25, for some reason), so no idea where they found all the extra 'quids' from. But I'm at their mercy by now.


Ballachulish (4.57km 30m 5hrs).gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



I buy some sort of bakery thing and a snack, as a thank you to the staff (and, well, I'm starving now), but at 5pm they close up and eject me from the premises. There are still 2.5hrs left, and Ballachulish in October isn't exactly San Francisco in the summertime. So I end up walking all the way back to the Allt Guibhsachain, to see if my bag has turned up. Of course it hasn't. It never will. I look under the bridge to see if the river is walkable at all. Nope. Certainly not today, it's still in spate. Maybe the rest of October will be much drier, and I can come back up here to check in better conditions [ED - PLZ CHECK].

Dinner is something from Co-Op. I used to work for them several moons ago. That's not going to get me a freebie today though. I grab some plain-looking chicken sandwiches and a drink, and eat it at the bus stop. There's a shop opposite me, and it's the creepiest looking shop I've ever seen. The town is dark (is it a town or village?) It later transpires that there's a magnificent quarry about two minutes away that you can walk round, which could have filled a gap. But I'm not in the right frame of mind to check this kind of thing (also my phone is like 4% now).

7:40pm-ish. The Citylink finally rolls into town. The driver looks at me like I'm a serial killer in a horror film. I show him a sodden piece of paper with a code on it. He says he doesn't recognise that format of code. Apparently because I booked it at 5pm, it didn't show up on his piece of paper (what's the point of this booking format then? They don't give you a new sheet in Fort William?) But in the end, he just takes pity on me, and lets me on. I try and sleep (it's pitch black so there are no Glencoe views), but it doesn't really work. I stagger up to my front door at about 11pm, and have to chap the door (no house keys either now). My wife opens the door. She's not very chuffed to see me.


South Ballachulish (1.44km 24m 17mins).gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



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The Drovers Inn and Beinglas Falls. Thought they would be more in spate than that, but more spate is the last thing we need now frankly.

My alarm went off at 5:10am(!?!) and thankfully I got up first time. If I missed the 6:40am bus then this saga would've got even messier, but the connecting bus arrive at 6am after a wee delay. I'm powering towards Crianlarich, and there is still lots of rain around. Good. No offence, but this was the day I was originally supposed to climb Beinn a' Bheithir before all my plans changed, and if today was sunny I don't think I could bear it.

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My goodness. :shock: And there's me stressing out about a bag.

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It turns out that one of my colleagues is actually on this very same bus, and spotted me at Buchanan Bus Station in an amazing coincidence. I didn't see him. My brain isn't really switched on at the moment.

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Yeah, they could really do with mothballing that place tbf.

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I jump out at the Ballachulish Bridge, after the driver agrees to let me stay on for an extra couple of minutes. She asks if I need any luggage from the boot.

"No thanks...I actually lost all my luggage on that hill yesterday..."

She looks confused. I'm not surprised.

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I head back on the pavement for a few minutes, then find the Sustrans cycle route towards South Ballachulish. It passes Ballachulish Ferry Station, another casualty of Beeching's cuts. :silent:

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I swear to god, if my car isn't there, or it's towed, or clamped, or vandalised, or.........

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At 9:41am, nearly 26 hours after leaving, I'm reunited with my car. Reader, I hugged my car.

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I'm not a petrolhead (quite the opposite, actually), but after losing our car for five months in the winter due to a ludicrous legal dispute with A Very Famous Car Provider, we've grown attached to this new car, nicknamed Lucky. I never thought I was going to be separated from it. It's been a long 26 hours.

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N.B. In terms of actual financial damage, it's difficult to tell really. My wife had to miss a half-day shift and the bus was £50, so it's probably three figures from that alone. But my camera (bought by my wife in 2016) was another £200. At least I got seven years out of it, but I really want another one for the zoom photos, so that's going to be pricey. House keys are cheap, but electronic car keys....I shudder to think? But I spoke to some friends yesterday who suggested trying the Contents Insurance section of my Home Insurance policy. I obviously didn't lose my bag in a river *in my house*, but they said lost bikes have sometimes been claimed back using this policy, so it's worth a go. The worst they can say is no.

In terms of the rucksack, I actually had two £50 vouchers for outdoor shops - one of them for Highlander, after picking up a WalkHighlands award in January. So I used that one to buy a new rucksack, hat, gloves, water bottle and whistle. The Tiso one can be used for a first aid kit and anything else I can think of. A rare example of a major crisis (getting lost and having an accident) actually solving a smaller dilemna (what to do with my vouchers). Thanks to Paul and Helen! :clap:

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Lessons Learned:
1: NEVER put your house /car keys in a rucksack. ALWAYS keep them on your person, however sharp they are.
2: ALWAYS check the GPS on a misty summit, however 'confident' you feel.
3: NEVER throw your bag across a river to 'make it lighter'. In hindsight it wasn't worth the slight loss in weight.
4: DON'T take a pathless shortcut across a river if there's another route with a path. Just don't.
5: DON'T climb Munros when it's tossing it down. One or two light showers, ok, fine. But weather like this, turn back early.

I emailed Scottish Forestry when I got back home, regarding the rucksack. They were very helpful and polite, but said the forest actually belongs to Forestry And Land Scotland. So I emailed them instead, and got completely ignored. Quite the double whammy, after they screamed at me in the forest while I tried to avoid dying. :?

We went to North Wales for the first time ever this week. The Snowdon Mountain Railway was fully booked every day, but we got tantalisingly close to it (taking the Llanberis Lake Railway in the end).

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Got to see Tryfan for the first time, and even set foot on the great mountain for about four minutes. I think if I'd gone any further my wife would have harpooned me.

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On Monday night we saw a great sunset over Llandudno, so it tempted me to go up Great Orme on Tuesday. It would have been fun to get the tram or cable car, but it was really windy (also this month has been *quite* expensive already :crazy: ), so we just drove up in the end.

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My first ever Welsh Marilyn! Does it count if you drive like 95% of the way up?

I guess that's it for the next six months then? I'm grounded now, and even if I wasn't, I never climb Munros in winter. Beinn a' Bheithir was supposed to happen in September, but because of work I kept having to delay it, then it accidentally got mangled up with the stag do. If I'd just stuck to the original plan and got the bus on the Tuesday, none of this would ever have happened. Wouldn't even have gone that route. Wouldn't even have *brought* my car keys, for a kick-off.........


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A massive rainbow appears over Rannoch Moor, so I pull over at the big layby above Bridge of Orchy for a photo. It's quite apropos, really - the "storm" still continues for me, with all the financial fallout from my accident, but picking up my car is a great moment psychologically, as it signifies I'm through the worst of it.

What was it Del Boy said? "It's only money, bruv." 8) And there's always the hills. Well, after a six-month hibernation...............

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Comments: 14



No Hurt Groin on Beinn na Sroine

Attachment(s) Fionas: Beinn na Sroine
Date walked: 01/10/2023
Distance: 3.39km
Ascent: 446m
Views: 265


Munros vs. Donalds: Clash Of The Titans

Attachment(s) Munros: Ben Chonzie
Donalds: Blairdenon Hill
Date walked: 30/08/2023
Distance: 20.9km
Ascent: 1040m
Comments: 1
Views: 700


King of Singapore

Attachment(s) Date walked: 26/07/2023
Distance: 5.58km
Ascent: 205m
Comments: 1
Views: 273


Corserine? Course I Will!

Attachment(s) Corbetts: Corserine
Donalds: Carlin's Cairn, Corserine, Meikle Millyea, Milldown
Date walked: 09/07/2023
Distance: 21.13km
Ascent: 1135m
Views: 373


Windlestraw-Man Argument

Attachment(s) Fionas: Windlestraw Law
Donalds: Whitehope Law, Windlestraw Law
Date walked: 07/07/2023
Distance: 12.49km
Ascent: 779m
Views: 466


Post-Mànran: The Dalwhinnie/Pitlochry Bucket List

Attachment(s) Munros: A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, Càrn na Caim
Fionas: Blath Bhalg
Date walked: 02/07/2023
Distance: 27.19km
Ascent: 1114m
Comments: 2
Views: 479


Pre-Mànran: First Ever Mamores

Attachment(s) Munros: Mullach nan Coirean, Stob Bàn (Mamores)
Date walked: 01/07/2023
Distance: 13km
Ascent: 1155m
Views: 407


Stob Binnein? Stop By Nine!

Attachment(s) Munros: Ben More, Stob Binnein
Date walked: 26/06/2023
Distance: 14.75km
Ascent: 1425m
Views: 433


Climbing Up On Salisbury Crags

Attachment(s) Date walked: 11/06/2023
Distance: 3.8km
Ascent: 160m
Views: 210

Craiging619


User avatar
Location: Glasgow
Occupation: GIS Technician
Activity: Hill Bagger
Mountain: Goatfell
Place: Arran
Camera: iPhone / Canon PowerShot
Walk wishlist

Munros: 70
Tops: 18
Corbetts: 33
Fionas: 40
Donalds: 39+9
Sub 2000: 22
Islands: 21



Filter reports


Statistics

2023

Trips: 12
Distance: 180.76 km
Ascent: 10746m
Munros: 10
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 4
Donalds: 7

2022

Trips: 9
Distance: 146.88 km
Ascent: 6730m
Munros: 3
Fionas: 6
Donalds: 18
Sub2000s: 1

2021

Trips: 9
Distance: 80.34 km
Ascent: 5438m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 1
Fionas: 3
Sub2000s: 4

2020

Trips: 6
Distance: 45.86 km
Ascent: 3390m
Munros: 3
Fionas: 2
Donalds: 2

2019

Trips: 10
Distance: 80.9 km
Ascent: 3955m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 1
Sub2000s: 4

2018

Trips: 10
Distance: 79.54 km
Ascent: 5326m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 3
Donalds: 5
Sub2000s: 2

2017

Trips: 10
Distance: 106.8 km
Ascent: 5258m
Munros: 9
Fionas: 4
Donalds: 2
Sub2000s: 1

2016

Trips: 5
Distance: 51.25 km
Ascent: 3540m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 1
Fionas: 1
Sub2000s: 1

2015

Trips: 12
Distance: 158.71 km
Ascent: 8798m
Munros: 12
Corbetts: 5
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 3

2014

Trips: 14
Distance: 160.37 km
Ascent: 10020m
Munros: 6
Corbetts: 6
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 2

2013

Trips: 16
Distance: 225.4 km
Ascent: 14105m
Munros: 8
Corbetts: 7
Fionas: 7
Donalds: 2

2012

Trips: 4
Distance: 63.9 km
Ascent: 4580m
Munros: 4
Corbetts: 1
Fionas: 1
Donalds: 1

2011

Trips: 11
Distance: 132.59 km
Ascent: 9050m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 5
Fionas: 6
Donalds: 1
Sub2000s: 2

2010

Trips: 8
Distance: 138.7 km
Ascent: 4690m
Corbetts: 2
Fionas: 3
Donalds: 4
Sub2000s: 2

2009

Trips: 2
Distance: 16.9 km
Ascent: 590m
Sub2000s: 1

2008

Trips: 3
Distance: 37.95 km
Ascent: 3515m
Munros: 3
Fionas: 1

2007

Trips: 2
Distance: 37.5 km
Ascent: 2090m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 1

2003

Trips: 1
Distance: 11 km
Ascent: 420m
Corbetts: 1
Donalds: 1

2000

Trips: 6
Distance: 77 km
Ascent: 1710m

1999

Trips: 2
Distance: 21.35 km
Ascent: 535m

1998

Trips: 1
Distance: 4.83 km
Ascent: 245m
Sub2000s: 1

1997

Trips: 2
Distance: 34.78 km
Ascent: 920m

1996

Trips: 1
Distance: 8.2 km
Ascent: 500m


Joined: Jul 21, 2009
Last visited: Mar 18, 2024
Total posts: 308 | Search posts