Ben Starav

Arriving in Scotland on a very sunny Friday (17 May 2019) seemed like a good omen for the whole hillwalking trip. But it was not to be so easy. The Saturday, on which we had planned to do the Tarmachan Ridge was a rather dreich and windy affair. We were content with driving from Lochearnhead to Fort William to buy our provisions for the week. There we visited the Costa on Fort William’s High Street, took advantage of the Wi-Fi there, and then found no further excuse for not driving back a few miles to Glencoe Village.

We reached our coveted Laraichean Cottage about an hour too early so the housekeeping was still underway. Soon however we could move into the cottage and settled in quite comfortably. The plans for the next day were of course very much dependent on the weather which promised moderate winds, temperatures of a few degrees Celsius above freezing at Munro level, and clouds. Fair enough we thought.

The next morning saw us heading for Glen Etive to savior its rough and beautiful wilderness which will soon be destroyed by hydro developments on half a dozen of River Etive’s northern tributary burns. Shame, shame, shame!

We arrived at the small layby where the hike starts to find one or two other cars parked there already. A group of three just left for the bridge crossing the river when we booted up. Soon we were on our way followed the path around the perimeter fence of the small Coileitir cottage by the river and crossed the Allt Mheuran to reach the start of Starav’s steep and soaring north ridge. After a few minutes on the ridge, we caught up with the threesome we had met at the cars. From then on our group of three English and two German baggers climbed the ridge together in a loose line of gasping hikers: It was the first Scottish hill for all of us this year. I had only climbed one mountain two weeks before on Crete – the 2000+ hill … [Read More]

2020-09-23T17:06:44+02:00May 7th, 2019|2001, 2012, 2019, 2019 - 2010, Strath Orchy to Loch Leven|

Carn Liath

As i mentioned in the sister post to this one, Cord was on his day off, which did not meant that he was off duty. Having driven me to Balsporran, then shopping in Aviemore, then fetching me up again at Balsporran and then driving us to our cottage for a nice warm lunch was much more than one can expect from a “day off”.

The lunch at home between two Munros was a first in 20 years of munrobagging. After a short rest Cord drove me to the car park at the entry of the Creag Meagaidh National Park, a most scenic area with an excellent approach path which i had to leave too soon. The walk through the birch wood was not really funny as you can imagine. Lots of bogs and water but ok’ish. Soon i reached the summit plateau where i had to navigate carefully in the featureless stony terrain due to mist. After 1h 30mins i reached the summit cairn, touched it and returned.

On the return leg i had some nice views towards Cread Meagaidh – the summit and it’s plateau which we had conquered years ago in zero sights with the help of our trusty compass. Nice. After having reached the path again i felt energetic enough to do a little return run and i arrived at our rental car where Cord was waiting reading a newspaper 1h 10min after i had left the summit. A nice afternoon exercise.

Thanks Cord for chauffeuring me!

 

2001 Clouds, spells of sunshine and strong westerly winds were forecast for this day. The weather was as predicted when I left the car park at Aberarder and vigorously walked along the path into Coire Ardair. I met several other hill walkers on my way into this very beautiful corrie. The cliffs of Creag Meagaidh are truely awesome. At the foot of the steep ascent to the col between Creag Meagaidh and Stob Poite Corrie Ardair I put on my crampons and the rest of my winter gear and headed … [Read More]

2017-09-19T14:15:01+02:00June 2nd, 2014|2001, 2014, 2019 - 2010, Glen Roy to the Monadhliath|

Glas Bheinn Mhor

Only few places in Scottish hillwalking evoke such unanimous feelings of wonder and marvel as does Glen Etive. Glen Coe is grand. Glen Shiel has its looong South and North Ridges. Glen Torridon is second to none and the upper Glen of the River Dee is a class of its own. Yet, Glen Etive has its own very special character of remoteness and loveliness. And it harbours one of the great one-day tours of the Highlands: The round of the Glen Etive Five: Ben Starav, Beinn nan Aighenan, Glas Bheinn Mhor, Stob Coir an Albannaich and Meall nan Eun.

Doing all of these in one go had become a minor obsession of Frank’s and me since we first read of the idea which is mentioned in Ralph Storer’s “The Ultimate Guide to the Munros – Volume 2: Central Highlands South”. Of course we did not need Mr Storer’s benediction to set about doing this great round but it helped that he mentioned this as a slightly silly extension to an extension to an extension of a great day in Glen Etive.

So hell-bent as we were we left out car at the lay-by of the Glen Etive single track road, crossed the River Etive by the bridge provided and reached Coileitir in no time at all. From there we followed the path across the boggy grass to the Allt Mheuran which we crossed and then followed the path up this burn to the foot of Ben Starav’s famous north ridge. Me having bagged Ben Starav in early spring 2001 at the time of Foot-and-Mouth Disease I opted to skip this beautiful hill. So Frank and I said Good-bye to each other. Frank continued up the great north ridge of Ben Starav. We had shaken hands that we’d meet later in the day and do four of the five hills together. I on the other hand continued on the path by the Allt Mheuran for a kilometre or so and then followed another path beside the Allt nam Meirleach which runs below the … [Read More]

2017-09-19T14:16:14+02:00May 1st, 2012|2001, 2012, 2019 - 2010, Strath Orchy to Loch Leven|

The Cairnwell

2008 This was the only day in the May 2008 “campaign” where we took a break – sort of at least. I had driven Alex to Aberdeen Airport early in the day and had returned to Braemar in mid morning. We drank some coffee, sat in the sunshine and dozed a bit. Then Frank proposed to do the three Glen Shee Ski Centre Munros. Well, I had done them before in late winter a few years before but of course Frank still needed these three.

So at one p.m. we set off from the car park below Bucharts Corrie and headed up the track in the corrie until another scar in the hillside branches off and heads to the ridge of Carn Aosda. We reached the summit, looked at Glas Maol on the other side of the glen and soon headed for the connecting ridge leading to Carn a’Gheoidh four kilometres to the west. The waters of Loch Vratachan (nice name) reflected the sunshine. A good day for very easy hillwalking. We rested on the ridge close to Carn nan Sac and then continued towards the summit of Munro No. 2, the only one of the group not disfigured by ski tows and bulldozer tracks. Then we returned and went back almost to the col between Carn Aosda and The Cairnwell. Shortly before rehing the col we used traces of paths on the western side of the north ridge of the latter to gain the increasingly rocky crest of the ridge (track). After the final steep section we reached the summit of Munro No. 3.

What can you say? We touched the summit cairn, stayed a few minutes and walked back to the car park via the grass in Bucharts Corrie sticking to the line of poles supporting the ski tows. After a little more than three hours we were back at the restaurant’s parking and sat in the grass by the road. Hardly any other hikers on the hills, sunshine, no hassle, no traffic jam, good views. Not too … [Read More]

2017-09-19T14:18:52+02:00March 1st, 2001|2001, 2008, 2009 - 2000, Glen Garry to Braemar|

Carn a’Gheoidh

2008 This was the only day in the May 2008 “campaign” where we took a break – sort of at least. I had driven Alex to Aberdeen Airport early in the day and had returned to Braemar in mid morning. We drank some coffee, sat in the sunshine and dozed a bit. Then Frank proposed to do the three Glen Shee Ski Centre Munros. Well, I had done them before in late winter a few years before but of course Frank still needed these three.

So at one p.m. we set off from the car park below Bucharts Corrie and headed up the track in the corrie until another scar in the hillside branches off and heads to the ridge of Carn Aosda. We reached the summit, looked at Glas Maol on the other side of the glen and soon headed for the connecting ridge leading to Carn a’Gheoidh four kilometres to the west. The waters of Loch Vratachan (nice name) reflected the sunshine. A good day for very easy hillwalking. We rested on the ridge close to Carn nan Sac and then continued towards the summit of Munro No. 2, the only one of the group not disfigured by ski tows and bulldozer tracks. Then we returned and went back almost to the col between Carn Aosda and The Cairnwell. Shortly before rehing the col we used traces of paths on the western side of the north ridge of the latter to gain the increasingly rocky crest of the ridge (track). After the final steep section we reached the summit of Munro No. 3. What can you say? We touched the summit cairn, stayed a few minutes and walked back to the car park via the grass in Bucharts Corrie sticking to the line of poles supporting the ski tows. After a little more than three hours we were back at the restaurant’s parking and sat in the grass by the road. Hardly any other hikers on the hills, sunshine, no hassle, no traffic jam, good views. Not too bad … [Read More]

2021-11-07T08:49:18+01:00March 1st, 2001|2001, 2008, 2009 - 2000, Glen Garry to Braemar|

Carn Aosda

2008 This was the only day in the May 2008 “campaign” where we took a break – sort of at least. I had driven Alex to Aberdeen Airport early in the day and had returned to Braemar in mid morning. We drank some coffee, sat in the sunshine and dozed a bit. Then Frank proposed to do the three Glen Shee Ski Centre Munros. Well, I had done them before in late winter a few years before but of course Frank still needed these three.

So at one p.m. we set off from the car park below Bucharts Corrie and headed up the track in the corrie until another scar in the hillside branches off and heads to the ridge of Carn Aosda. We reached the summit, looked at Glas Maol on the other side of the glen and soon headed for the connecting ridge leading to Carn a’Gheoidh four kilometres to the west. The waters of Loch Vratachan (nice name) reflected the sunshine. A good day for very easy hillwalking. We rested on the ridge close to Carn nan Sac and then continued towards the summit of Munro No. 2, the only one of the group not disfigured by ski tows and bulldozer tracks. Then we returned and went back almost to the col between Carn Aosda and The Cairnwell. Shortly before rehing the col we used traces of paths on the western side of the north ridge of the latter to gain the increasingly rocky crest of the ridge (track). After the final steep section we reached the summit of Munro No. 3. What can you say? We touched the summit cairn, stayed a few minutes and walked back to the car park via the grass in Bucharts Corrie sticking to the line of poles supporting the ski tows. After a little more than three hours we were back at the restaurant’s parking and sat in the grass by the road. Hardly any other hikers on the hills, sunshine, no hassle, no traffic jam, good views. Not too … [Read More]

2017-09-19T14:18:53+02:00March 1st, 2001|2001, 2008, 2009 - 2000, Glen Garry to Braemar|

Lochnagar

2008-05 Apart from being a very economical way of adding almost two percent of the total tally of 284 Munros to our tick list this tour is also an interesting and entertaining long plateau walk. Since we wanted to do them all in one go we started our tour at the Spittal of Glen Muick. As described in my tour of spring 2001 we climbed the landrover track beside the Allt-na-giubhsaich in fine weather.

At the col above Glen Gelder we took the well engineered path which within maybe half an hour brought us to the col between the Ladder and Meikle Pap. There Frank and I sat on some rocks and looked at the cliffs of Lochnagar. As said before by many people: Great cliffs and a beautiful Loch. Then we and quite a few other people climbed the boulders of the Ladder, crossed some flatter terrain, climbed the final steepening and reached the wide summit plateau. At the summit tor we took a break and checked the indicator. After having bagged this first Munro we turned south west, descended form the summit and headed for the rounded lump of the White Mounth aka Carn a’Choire Bhoidheach whose summit is marked by a small cairn. Easy walking but nothing exciting.

From the top of this second Munro we descended more steeply to regain the path leading over from the Stuic. It skirts Carn an t-Sagairt Beag and in due time lead us to the path that climbs Carn an t-Sagairt Mor our third Munro. At the cairn we sat in the sunshine and in strong wind and took another well-deserved break. Soon the wind chill drove us on and we retraced our steps heading south east over the grass and moss to Cairn Bannoch. This summit is not much more than some fairly big rocks in a sea of grass. With another Munro ticked our last top of the day was Braod Cairn visible a few kilometres away.

With a little descending and re-ascending this hill was finally reached. Five … [Read More]

2017-09-19T14:18:53+02:00March 1st, 2001|2001, 2009 - 2000, Glen Shee to Mount Keen|
Go to Top