Ladhar Bheinn

Tuesday 5th June 2012

Upon leaving Loch Ossian I travelled to the port of Mallaig and got onto a small boat to the isolated community of Inverie in the great wilderness of the Knoydart peninsula. Although still on the British mainland, the easiest way of getting to Knoydart is by boat, since there are no roads into the area. A long walk by mountain path is the only other way in. Aside from the small coastal village of Inverie, where I was staying, and a couple of other coastal dwellings, there is little trace of civilisation throughout the peninsula, which has resulted in an area with a delightfully wild and unspoilt atmosphere. Loch Ossian felt even more isolated, though thanks to the railway station it is more accessible. I had a bit of a culture shock when I caught the train at Corrour after such a tranquil weekend away from everything. Thankfully after braving the crush of tourists at sunny Mallaig I was able to get away from it all once again. Inverie can also be quite a busy place at times, especially at the popular Old Forge Inn, but a short walk up a path soon took me into stunning unspoilt countryside.

At the start of my first walk in the area, I took the path that climbs away from Inverie beside the Inverie River past grazing highland cattle until I had almost reahed Dubh-Lochain. Just before reaching the lake I turned off the track and started to climb steep bracken-covered slopes all the way up to Màm Suibheig. This was a difficult climb through tall bracken with no sign of a path to ease my way, but my efforts were rewarded by sights of many wild flowers amongst the bracken that included bluebells, primroses and foxgloves. It is just a pity that the bracken was gradually smothering out all these spring flowers. Eventually I managed to get above the bracken and onto the top of the ridge at the col between the Corbett, Sgurr Coire Choinnichean, and the complex ridges of the Munro, Ladhar Bheinn. Larven (as it is pronounced) is the highest point in the Knoydart peninsula so it was an obvious first target for me during my stay in the area. Turning right onto the complex ridge I began a thoroughly entertaining and challenging walk along the top of the undulating, craggy ridge on a good path that bypasses all difficulties as it slowly climbs towards the Munro.

The ridge narrows and levels off along Aonach Sgoilte, which provided me with easy walking and stunning views of the awesome mountain scenery that was arrayed all around me. The centre-piece of the scene though was Larven, looking dark and brooding under heavy clouds. The weather had started well, but had quickly deteriorated, though it never got any worse than being heavily overcast. Everywhere else in the country that day was being lashed with heavy rain, but by some miracle I escaped it all, so in relatively good weather I turned left at the top of Aonach Sgoilte and followed the path down off the top. With awesome scenery all around me I descended to Bealach Coire Dhorrcail before climbing the fabulously craggy ridge that led me all the way up to the summit of Ladhar Bheinn. An excellent path took me safely up the complex and immensely satisfying ridge, including a little scrambling along the way, until I reached the triple-topped summit ridge.

The eastern top is the most interesting as this was the point where I reached the summit ridge and a complex side ridge branches off to the right at this point which would have been my route of descent if I had climbed Larven from Kinloch Hourn. The scenery to the north of Larven is stunning as it drops steeply down to Loch Hourn and made me wonder how much better this walk would have been if I’d started from remote Kinloch Hourn. The central top of the summit ridge is the Munro, the highest point on Larven. The western top contains an old Ordnance Survey Triangulation Point (known as a trig point) that has now half disintegrated with a big pointed rock stuck in the middle of it. I had my lunch at the summit on the narrow ridge before making my way down the grassy western slopes of the mountain. Larven has two faces; the eastern one is craggy with narrow ridges, but the western face has broad grassy slopes so I was able to have an easy, pleasant descent down the steep southern slopes into Gleann na Guiserein.

While walking along the track at the bottom of the valley I kept turning around and looking back at Larven thinking that my walk over the mountain had been too short. It was a great climb while it lasted but once I reached the summit all the excitement had ended and I was left with a straight forward descent and return to Inverie along forest tracks. It may have been better if I’d started the walk by climbing the Corbett at the start of the ridge that overlooks Inverie Bay, Sgurr Coire Choinnichean. I joined the ridge after this mountain, but maybe a more satisfying walk would have been to have done the Corbett first, but I don’t want to take anything away from the greatness of Ladhar Bheinn. This mountain typifies all that is great about Knoydart: complex craggy mountains amongst beautiful unspoilt scenery.

Ben Alder

Sunday 3rd June 2012

At the start of this day the weather was so gorgeous with clear blue skies and bright sunshine that I was looking forward to another fantastic walk in the Loch Ossian area as my walking companion and I set off alongside the southern shore of Loch Ossian to the Corrour Shooting Lodge at the eastern end of the loch. There are a lot of rhododendrons near the lodge with various colours and shapes and some with quite a strong smell, but we were in no mood to linger as we passed the shooting lodge, crossed the river and went completely the wrong way. Instead of turning right immediately after the bridge we continued along the landrover track as it climbed up the hillside. Eventually my companion realised we were going the wrong way (I knew he’d come in handy eventually!), so we dropped back down to the river and found the path that follows the river upstream. The Uisge Labhair joins the River Ossian just before Corrour Shooting Lodge, and we followed it up the wild, deserted valley for what seemed like forever.

Our goal was Ben Alder, one of the most remote mountains in Scotland, so a long walk-in was always going to be needed just to get to the foot of it, even though from Loch Ossian Youth Hostel it doesn’t seem to be that far away. Ben Alder is one of the mountains that can be seen from the hostel either side of the col at the head of the valley above Loch Ossian. The pass between the mountains doesn’t look too far away, but it is ten miles away and took us over three hours to walk all the way to the head of the valley at Bealach Dubh. In order to get there we had to cross the river as the path we were on didn’t seem to be going all the way up to the col, so we had to climb tough heather-covered slopes to reach an excellent path that goes through the pass on its way to Benalder Cottage, on the shore of Loch Ericht. This path was a joy to walk along and took us up to the top of the pass, Bealach Dubh, where the wind was blowing a gale and dark clouds had come over spoiling the good weather that we had started the day with. Fortunately there were still stunning views back down the valley all the way to Loch Ossian and east through the pass across the Ben Alder Forest. From the windy pass we climbed the southern slopes onto the small hill of Meall an t-Slugain and up the stony slopes of Coire Labhair and Coire na h-Eiginn.

We were soon in the clouds and as we set our compasses for the summit the weather threw a surprise at us: it started snowing. I couldn’t help thinking ‘four seasons in one day’, and started humming Crowded House songs. It is quite fun trying to go up a high mountain in bad weather, when it’s sleeting, and hailing, and snowing, and you can’t see a thing, especially if you are prepared for the weather and know what to do. Eventually we reached the big summit cairn and found that despite claims that Ben Alder is one of the least frequented mountains in Scotland (due to its remoteness) we saw quite a lot of people coming and going as we had lunch. We were told that the bothy on the other side of the pass had been packed the previous night with many more people camped around about. After we had been at the summit for a while the clouds cleared and gave us the opportunity to see the stunning views that this mountain has to offer, especially the awesome crags that line along its eastern edge. My companion and I had come up from the west which is arguably the dullest side of the mountain (every mountain has a dull side). An approach via Culra bothy would have taken in the ridges of the Long Leachas, and the Short Leachas, routes that I’m sure would have been delicious, if I’d taken them.

After tiring of the stunning views and the ever-changing weather we set a westerly direction on our compasses and crossed the broad summit plateau with views towards Loch Ossian ahead of us. A steep descent down the broad grassy slopes brought us back to the Benalder Cottage path near to Bealach Cumhann. Reluctantly we crossed the excellent path and descended the steep heather-filled slopes back down into the valley where we crossed the river and rejoined the path that would take us all the way back to Loch Ossian. This is a good, narrow path but seemed to be endless through a never-changing scenery, so I was never really able to enjoy it. After passing the point where we’d joined this path on our outward journey we reached some nice waterfalls and since the weather had come good again we sat beside the river and took in the wonderful surroundings. When you are on your way up a mountain you’re in less of a mood to appreciate valley-bottom scenes like this as your eyes are only on the mountain you’re heading for, but now that we’d been to the top of the mountain we were in a better frame of mind to just relax and enjoy the scenery. When we reached Corrour Shooting Lodge my companion decided that he wasn’t ready to go back just yet and declared that he was going to climb the stupendously dull Munro to the north of Loch Ossian: Beinn na Lap. I didn’t feel the need so I let him go off on his own.

Slowly I walked along the north shore track of Loch Ossian taking my time and enjoying my surroundings until I eventually reached the youth hostel at the other end of the loch. Justin eventually turned up two hours after me having climbed all the way over Beinn na Lap. This did make me wonder what I would have done if he hadn’t turned up. Would I have had to call out mountain rescue for him, or gone looking for him myself? As someone who usually walks on his own this was new territory for me and made me start to worry. Thankfully he did eventually turn up. This was not a great walk mainly due to the very long, dull walk along the valley either way; I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised my companion wanted to do something else! My original plan for my stay at Loch Ossian was to do a second walk up to Bealach Dubh and go up the hills to the north of the pass but it’s bad enough doing that walk once, I wouldn’t have wanted to do it twice. Ben Alder is not a bad mountain and I enjoyed my time on its slopes, but its best side is to the east, and I was just on the wrong side.

The Easains

Saturday 2nd June 2012

Over the last couple of years I have coincidentally found that the walk undertaken on the middle Saturday of my Scottish holiday has been the highlight. Last year, the middle Saturday walk was up An Cliseam, the highest point in the Western Isles, and I had a fabulous walk in great weather. The year before I once again had great weather this time for a walk up Suilven, one of the most iconic and distinctive mountains in the North-west Highlands. You can go another year back to a fabulous walk on the middle Saturday over the Five Sisters of Kintail, but before then for a couple of years I took only one week holidays in Scotland. However, a highlight of my two week holiday in 2005 was a walk on the middle Saturday over the Mamores, my first ever visit to that great range of mountains. This year has followed suit with another fabulous walk over a pair of fantastic mountains that provided me with truly sensational views.

First thing in the morning my walking companion of the day before and I caught the sleeper from London, which was a bizarre experience. I had caught this sleeper to Fort William before, fifteen years ago, actually sleeping in the berth, but I had never before caught the sleeper as a sitting passenger. There is only one carriage for normal passengers and it was full. Fortunately we got off at the next station, Tulloch, where we walked along the main road for a short distance before taking a narrow winding side road off to the left. After a couple of miles I was pretty fed up with walking along the road so at the first hint of a path, just before the small lake, An Dubh Lochan, I wanted to get off the road and onto the bracken-covered hillside at the northern tip of the Easain ridge. Eventually we reached the main path, which we probably should have waited for, at the foot of the steep crags of Meall Cian Dearg.

These were really steep, and at first I tried to climb them at a fair pace, though really just to try and keep up with my companion, but I just couldn’t keep up the pace and eventually collapsed into a heap. Just as earlier in the week, when climbing a mountain I didn’t have enough energy to maintain the pace that was being set by my fitter companion. After a rest I went into the lead and climbed up the hillside very slowly, one step at a time, saying to myself that it was not a race. Methodically I plodded my way all the way up the mountain until eventually we reached the top of the cliffs and across to the summit cairn of Meall Cian Dearg. Although I found this climb difficult I was still able to appreciate the fantastic path that had made it possible, that zigzags up the steep cliff-face. At the top, despite warm sunny weather, a cold wind forced us to put on our cagoules before continuing along the ridge. This was an easy walk along a level ridge with great views all around us until another hill loomed ahead, though not as daunting as the cliffs below Meall Cian Dearg. The eastern edge of the ridge had steepened into awesome cliffs, which afforded us with stunning views down to Loch Treig far below as we climbed up to the summit of the Munro, Stob a’ Choire Mheadhoin.

The views west were now clear and awe-inspiring. The full length of the Grey Corries were arrayed before us in all their splendour as a fluctuating ridge of white quartzite stones with the taller, darker mountains of Aonach Mòr and Ben Nevis behind. Even when looking away from the Grey Corries the views were amazing; all around me were mountains forevermore in awesome abundance and splendour, but the best views were always towards the Grey Corries. I had a memorable walk in 2006 along that splendid ridge, and seeing them now from such a perfect viewpoint made me long to be walking over those mountains again. After lunch we crossed the col to the neighbouring Munro of Stob Coire Easain that required a steep descent down loose, granite stones and an even steeper ascent up white quartzite stones to the summit. An excellent path zigzagged up the steep sides of the second and higher of the Munros to a tiny summit, especially when compared with the wide summit plateau of the neighbouring Munro.

With steep cliffs in all directions, this summit made us feel like we were at the top of a real mountain. The easiest route off the mountain is to continue south and descend all the way down the south ridge of Stob Coire Easain over Creagan a’ Chaise. Now I was in my element and left Justin behind as I leapt like a gazelle from crag to crag and ran down the steep grassy slopes. My companion may have been quicker than me in ascent, but I was never going to be beaten in descent. This was a gorgeous ridge that I enjoyed with every step as we slowly dropped down towards the river at the bottom of the valley. The valley we dropped down into was the Lairig Leacach, which is really quiet and isolated, where orchids grow in abundance and I felt like I was truly in a wilderness. A faint path took us beside the river and through a spectacular dry gorge to the shore of Loch Treig. The lack of rain in this part of Britain had severely depleted the lake revealing the old field boundaries that were flooded when the lake was extended to provide water for the aluminium works near Fort William. Beside Ceaguaineach Lodge we joined a track that took us all the way back to Loch Ossian climbing wearily up beside the railway lines. This was a fabulous walk over a wonderful pair of Munros, with awesome terrain underfoot and stunning views. Truly, a walk to remember.

Leum Uilleim and Carn Dearg

Friday 1st June 2012

Some of the guys in Loch Ossian Youth Hostel where I was staying were well acquainted with the area and recommended walking up the hill to the west of Corrour Station. This was the very same hill that the boys in the film Trainspotting started to climb. It is a prominent landmark in the area, so I and one of the other guys in the hostel decided to go up the hill together. First thing in the morning we set off past the station and across the boggy slopes slowly climbing towards the craggy ridge of Sròn an Lagain Ghairbh. A landrover track was a help to begin with, but it was soon obvious that this track was heading south towards the Blackwater Reservoir, so we came off the track and made our own way climbing steeply up the craggy slopes. Eventually the gradient levelled off and left us with an easy walk across the broad top to the cairn at the summit of the Corbett, Leum Uilleim. There is supposed to be good views from the top but when we got there we found that the ridge was so wide the views from the summit were restricted. Moving to the sides of the ridge afforded us with better views of Blackwater Reservoir to the south and the Grey Corries to the north, but grey, overcast skies spoilt the overall picture.

During the ascent we were constantly turning around to see the view behind us towards Loch Ossian. The view west may have been spoilt by the shape of the hill, but during the ascent there was nothing to spoil the view towards the picturesque loch and its stunning surround of mountains. While descending to the col above Coire a’ Bhric Beag I couldn’t keep my eyes off the Grey Corries to the north. I had a memorable walk there six years ago and consider it one of my favourite ever. The mountains of the Grey Corries are a complex network of ridges, almost as delightful as their neighbours, the Mamores. Picking a landrover track, we traversed the eastern slopes of Beinn a Bhric onto the north-eastern ridge over Tom an Eòin and down An Diollaird. As ever on these hills it wasn’t the hill itself that drew the eye, but the views around with the Grey Corries continuing to attract attention and when Loch Treig came into view we were entranced by the stunning views along the entire length of the nine kilometre loch. I wasn’t impressed with this walk, and didn’t feel it deserved the praise heaped on it by the old men in the hostel. I suppose therein could lie the problem. The men who recommended this walk saw it as a maximum gain in views for a minimum of effort under foot, but I like to have good rugged terrain under foot as well as good views.

At the bottom of the ridge the ground was horrendously boggy and we had a difficult time trying to make our way around all the bogs, but eventually reached the railway line where we had a much easier walk alongside the tracks. It’s a good thing the single track line is not very busy. After a look at the map while at the station we set off past the hostel and along the route that I’d taken the day before below Meall na Lice to Peter’s Rock where we stopped to have lunch. Continuing up the hillside across pathless grassy slopes, we climbed all the way up to the top of Carn Dearg, a Munro. I was only now beginning to realise that the hills in this area are drearily rounded and grassy and so don’t really appeal to me as I prefer my mountains to be more rugged. The mountains to the west, including the Grey Corries, are much more rugged with rock in abundance and are therefore much more appealing to me so I found myself often looking longingly in that direction. Those mountains are more challenging, more interesting, more appealing, and more mountainous.

Carn Dearg does have some appealing qualities. The summit has a fine cairn, (as has Leum Uilleim), a tall, solidly built structure, that are not simple piles of stones; someone has used a lot of skill and spent a lot of effort in constructing these magnificent monuments. The weather by now had improved considerably since we’d been at the top of Leum Uilleim with the clouds breaking and lifting to reveal a gorgeous sunny day with hardly any wind. The views in the clear air were stunning, especially towards Ben Alder and the other mountains east of Loch Ossian. But the best feature of Carn Dearg is the south ridge which was an absolute delight to walk down. I hate ascents, especially on this holiday where my energy levels seemed much lower than usual, but I adore prolonged descents where I can enjoy my surroundings with a minimum of effort. This was a fabulous ridge with lots of things to see, some craggy surfaces to play at scrambling on and pools to cool baking foreheads. I had been so lucky with the weather on this holiday.

At the end of the ridge we started to drop down the western slopes until we saw a cairn half way up the hillside a short distance to the north of us. This seemed too tempting to miss out, so I persuaded Justin that we ought to visit it, and we headed across the steep slopes of the ridge until we reached another finely built cairn, apparently in the middle of nowhere. After dropping down the steep grassy slopes to a track at the bottom, we could see that although the cairn is halfway up the hill it stands out against the horizon when seen from the track. At some time in the past this cairn must have played a significant role in the lives of the people who used to live in the area. Slowly we made our way along the muddy track all the way back to the hostel. The hills in this area may be uniformly rounded, but it is a very beautiful, tranquil area. Any walk in this area is good if the weather is this good.