My plan to to bust past my age (66) in Munros this week, had to take a back seat when, after having two or three different pairs in mind, I found that my sometime walking pal Andy was unavailable this week except for Friday (25th) which didn't work for me. As Andy hadn't done, and was keen to do my choices too, I decided to hold off till we are able to do them together.
As I'm unable to get out next week, (I'm heading to The Kingshouse and The Clachaig for a couple of nights each and a few days in Fort William to make up for a postponed 40th wedding anniversary and 65th birthday celebration which were lost to the 2020 Covid lockdown. Also my wife has a big birthday on American independence day this year. No big walks though, just some gentle exploring ) I decided to do a walk I had put off a few weeks ago, when on the morning of the walk, my sciatica was playing up and despite walking round the house and garden for a couple of hours it didn't ease sufficiently for me to feel confident to tackle. (I headed for a wee circuit of Cort-ma Law and Lecket Hill in The Campsies instead).The hill in question was the Corbett Beinn an Lochain, which sits above Loch Restil at the Rest and Be Thankful. A hill which Sir Hugh originally classed as a Munro, but which actually falls short by about 14 metres at 901m.
On the journey up I wondered what effect the ongoing repair work on the A83 at the R and BT would be. Engineers are trying to shore up the side of Beinn Luibhean and stop it from constantly collapsing on to the road, causing major problems for those wishing to travel to and from the Cowal peninsula, Inverary and beyond. Fortunately, for me, it was only about 5mins in either direction.
I parked in a lay-by just north of Loch Restil.
I hopped over the barrier, crossed a stream, and after an initial 10/15 mins heading north west on boggy ground, I turned south west and began climbing up towards the summit.
This walk has plenty of enjoyable "hands on" climbing, none of which is difficult, but which, on descent, requires a bit of care. I would imagine it also being a bit trickier in wet conditions as you are placing your feet on exposed, sloping rock quite a bit.
This is a really enjoyable climb. WH has 3/5 hours but I think anyone who does it in 3 must be moving constantly, taking no time to take pics or enjoy the scenery or spend time on the summit. I did it in 5hrs and spent loads of time on the summit. Actually running between the summit and it's slightly lower 2nd summit .
Also despite, after about an hour of climbing, seeing another car park beside my car and people seeming to begin the walk, I never saw another soul during the 5 hours. The car was gone when the lay-by became visible on the descent.
I really enjoyed this hill. Short in miles, but long on character. Here are some pics.