Ben Tee current parking access ...plus a surprise or two!
Route: Ben Tee, Kilfinnan
Corbetts: Ben Tee
Date walked: 05/12/2023
Time taken: 4.5 hours
Distance: 10km
Ascent: 889m
Looking for a winter hillwalk with the short daylight hours and not too far from home, Ben Tee fitted the bill as a brief window of cold but dry clear weather had been predicted by the forecasters.
The other factor was the Walk Highlands warning about vehicle parking due to the construction work for the Coire Glas hydro scheme. Going midweek would hopefully help and so it proved to be as when I arrived there were no other cars, neither for the construction site nor walkers.
The car park with space for six cars I had used when doing the two Loch Lochy Munros a couple of years ago was very much now part of the construction site.
There seemed to be a single space I could use and whilst getting ready a car appeared with two construction company workers, so I checked with them if it was OK to leave my car where I had parked it. They were very helpful and said yes, as long as I was not staying away overnight as they were planning to resurface that area this week to make some car parking space (but not primarily for hillwalkers I suspect!). I reassured them I had no intention of spending a night in December on the hills and planned to be back before dark.
I chatted to them a bit more and they said that they were in the middle of “Exploratory Works” which were scheduled to finish in February/March 2024. After that it was unlikely there would be any work on site for the remainder of 2024 and even 2025. They said that the total project was scheduled to take seven years.
So, if that all works out, next year and the one after would appear be best for the foreseeable future to do Ben Tee and/or the Loch Lochy Munros to enjoy the hills at their best, free of construction work. That appears to be the current situation but when I got home, I read an article by Helen on the website about the whole Coire Glas hydro scheme in which she gave a similar time frame for the project. The only thing was she wrote this ten years ago in December 2013!!!
As for my day, well the forecast was correct if on the south side of the Great Glen and it looked hopeful for the north side too. After the initial steep climb to my disappointment though I could then see that Ben Tee was hidden by stubborn low cloud with no wind to shift it.
Following the Kilfinnan Burn brought the first signs of the ‘exploratory work’ with three diggers about 400m up the hillside.
Leaving them behind and entering the clag, I wondered whether I had made a good decision to do Ben Tee that day. I even wondered whether to go back and leave it for another time, then thought that would be waste of a road trip plus it was not too cold and it was a good day for a walk and some exercise, even if no views.
So onwards I went, and the first glimmer of hope came at about 800m when the sun started to try and shine through the cloud. Becoming more encouraged, I soon discovered I was above a cloud inversion with clear blue skies above.
It felt like another world with the tufts of grass frosted and a dusting of snow showing nature at its best : especially away from the now out-of-sight heavy machinery below.
Approaching the summit came my second surprise: I looked northeast and with the sun low in the sky behind me, I realised I was probably witnessing my first Brocken Spectre. Not the full shadow effect as I was still mainly in the sun but enough to see a partial halo effect. (I wish now I had walked nearer towards the edge to create more with my shadow, but that is something learnt and I have stored away for hopefully another day.)
Reaching the summit with the excellent visibility and stunning views it was the perfect time and place for lunch.
After half an hour enjoying the views, I reluctantly felt it was time to go back through the cloud inversion to the world below.
Just before reaching the parking/construction site area, the summit appeared out of the clouds as if to say goodbye but come again.
So from a day when the early promise of a clear walk with great views disappeared in the mist to then become another magical day in the hills was one I shall remember and feel fortunate to have experienced.
The other factor was the Walk Highlands warning about vehicle parking due to the construction work for the Coire Glas hydro scheme. Going midweek would hopefully help and so it proved to be as when I arrived there were no other cars, neither for the construction site nor walkers.
The car park with space for six cars I had used when doing the two Loch Lochy Munros a couple of years ago was very much now part of the construction site.
There seemed to be a single space I could use and whilst getting ready a car appeared with two construction company workers, so I checked with them if it was OK to leave my car where I had parked it. They were very helpful and said yes, as long as I was not staying away overnight as they were planning to resurface that area this week to make some car parking space (but not primarily for hillwalkers I suspect!). I reassured them I had no intention of spending a night in December on the hills and planned to be back before dark.
I chatted to them a bit more and they said that they were in the middle of “Exploratory Works” which were scheduled to finish in February/March 2024. After that it was unlikely there would be any work on site for the remainder of 2024 and even 2025. They said that the total project was scheduled to take seven years.
So, if that all works out, next year and the one after would appear be best for the foreseeable future to do Ben Tee and/or the Loch Lochy Munros to enjoy the hills at their best, free of construction work. That appears to be the current situation but when I got home, I read an article by Helen on the website about the whole Coire Glas hydro scheme in which she gave a similar time frame for the project. The only thing was she wrote this ten years ago in December 2013!!!
As for my day, well the forecast was correct if on the south side of the Great Glen and it looked hopeful for the north side too. After the initial steep climb to my disappointment though I could then see that Ben Tee was hidden by stubborn low cloud with no wind to shift it.
Following the Kilfinnan Burn brought the first signs of the ‘exploratory work’ with three diggers about 400m up the hillside.
Leaving them behind and entering the clag, I wondered whether I had made a good decision to do Ben Tee that day. I even wondered whether to go back and leave it for another time, then thought that would be waste of a road trip plus it was not too cold and it was a good day for a walk and some exercise, even if no views.
So onwards I went, and the first glimmer of hope came at about 800m when the sun started to try and shine through the cloud. Becoming more encouraged, I soon discovered I was above a cloud inversion with clear blue skies above.
It felt like another world with the tufts of grass frosted and a dusting of snow showing nature at its best : especially away from the now out-of-sight heavy machinery below.
Approaching the summit came my second surprise: I looked northeast and with the sun low in the sky behind me, I realised I was probably witnessing my first Brocken Spectre. Not the full shadow effect as I was still mainly in the sun but enough to see a partial halo effect. (I wish now I had walked nearer towards the edge to create more with my shadow, but that is something learnt and I have stored away for hopefully another day.)
Reaching the summit with the excellent visibility and stunning views it was the perfect time and place for lunch.
After half an hour enjoying the views, I reluctantly felt it was time to go back through the cloud inversion to the world below.
Just before reaching the parking/construction site area, the summit appeared out of the clouds as if to say goodbye but come again.
So from a day when the early promise of a clear walk with great views disappeared in the mist to then become another magical day in the hills was one I shall remember and feel fortunate to have experienced.
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One Good Decision and One Not So Good Decision!
Munros: Meall GhaordaidhCorbetts: Beinn nan Oighreag
Date walked: 27/08/2023
Distance: 20km
Ascent: 1335m
Comments: 1
Views: 481
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alan54
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