Beinn a'Chliabhain & Goat Fell

Friday 13th April 2007

I returned to Goat Fell on this walk for the last day of my holiday, but I first tackled a couple of tops that I had missed earlier in the week. The first of these was Beinn a'Chliabhain which I approached by retracing my steps from Wednesday in walking along Glen Rosa to the confluence with the Garbh Allt. As an alternative I took a path, towards the end of the glen, up to a weir over the Garbh and discovered why this path is no longer in use as it is dangerous in places. With some care I reached the weir which itself proved to be interesting to cross and climbed back onto the main path.

Upon leaving the enclosed gully I headed out across the hillside to Cnoc Breac and the start of the ridge up to the top of Beinn a' Chliabhain. My progress up to this top must have been rather slow as it was past one o'clock by the time I reached the summit so I decided to stop for my lunch. I think I was feeling rather low in energy and just didn't have the drive to go any quicker. Lunch should have remedied that situation but events soon worked against me. Crossing the col I took the lower path below Beinn Tarsuinn traversing a narrow ledge high above Coire Daingean. This was a fun little route but unfortunately over far too quickly as it soon brought me to Bealach an Fhir-bhogha.

Now ahead of me was A'Chir which I should have bypassed, just as I did on Wednesday, but I had seen someone else go over it, so why not me? Because it is very dangerous, it requires rock climbing skills that I don't possess, as I found out. I got so far using only medium scrambling skills and I was feeling rather proud of myself until I came to a point that I couldn't overcome. Rueing my arrogance I backtracked till I found a heather slope that I could use as an escape route. After following this for a while I noticed that the grass slope above me led all the way up to the summit. I couldn't resist the temptation and dashed up the very steep slope to the top. After feeling rather smug with myself for reaching the summit I continued along the top of the ridge until once again I was stuck and this time I was really stuck. I couldn't go up and I couldn't go down. I was cragfast.

After a moment of thinking about the embarrassment of having to call the mountain rescue I tackled the rock above me again and after some terrifying moments I managed to get back up. Once again I retraced my steps and found a heather-clad slope that I could possibly use to escape. After a prolonged and agonising descent I eventually reached the bypass path just as it was climbing back up to top of the ridge. By now the weather was really hot with the same blue skies of the day before but without the cold wind, so by the time I reached the path I was seriously overheating and the climb back to the top of the ridge didn't help. I paused at the top for a rest and to have something to eat but I was so worn out it would take me a long time to recover, and the next climb, to the top of Cir Mhór, was not going to help.

I think the lesson to learn from this is 'rock climbing skills required' means a rope is needed. I deliberately don't take a rope with me in order to stop me going to places I shouldn't be going. So why didn't that stop me on this occasion? I'm planning on going to Skye in the summer and I mustn't get similar ideas about the Inaccessible Pinnacle (!). Even if it is possible to scramble up it (which it isn't as it is usually described as a very difficult rock climb), a rope would definitely be needed to get back down. A'Chir was a lesson for me to not get any stupid ideas, I can't rock climb, especially not on my own. Even Cir Mhòr proved very challenging for me and I don't recall the scrambling being this bad on Wednesday! When I reached the top of Cir Mhór I didn't linger but immediately started the descent on the other side.

With my legs still shaking I found the early part of the descent very tricky. I don't know if there was an easier route but I had to scramble down some rather tricky sections, or maybe it was just me. The descent to the Saddle is very prolonged, but it got easier as I descended and also as I recovered from my ordeal on A'Chir. Upon crossing the Saddle I began the long climb up the narrow ridge all the way up to North Goat Fell. Near the top the terrain became very rocky and yet loose (part of the local rock is very crumbly) and so it was rather tricky to get a grip, but by now I had regained my strength and I was able to get up to the top where I had previously been in very different weather conditions.

When I reached North Goat Fell On Tuesday  I was faced with very strong westerly winds and low cloud that forced me to stay on the eastern side of the ridge and keep away from the stacks. Now with very little wind and bright sunshine I was able to walk along the ridge right over the top of each and every stack. On Tuesday they had seemed so intimidating, but after A'Chir they were a piece of cake and I was soon at the top of the highest hill on Arran for the second time in a week. The views this time were actually not much better because of a heavy haze that was surrounding everywhere all day, which is ironic really. Just as on Tuesday I descended Goat Fell by the manufactured tourist path to Cladach and I enjoyed every moment as I said goodbye to the fabulous mountains on this beautiful island. I went home the next day with some happy memories, even of A'Chir!