Great Mountains: Beinn Liath Mhor

When I was trying to think of another mountain to talk about in this series on great mountains I thought of the range of hills in the Coulin deer forest and I could not think of anywhere better. These mountains lie between the valleys of Glen Carron and Glen Torridon and feature three Munros and four Corbetts, but the finest mountain in the range is Beinn Liath Mhor. There are several reasons why the Coulin Forest is a great place to walk with the highest on the list being the excellent maze of paths throughout the area. I first walked through the area in 2009 when I was merely looking for a way to walk from Torridon to the nearest railway station at Achnashellach and found a well-made path that easily climbs into the Coulin Forest. On reaching Bealach Bàn I had excellent views north towards the Torridon giants, which this is another appeal that all these mountains share. The Torridon giants are awesome mountains that look dramatic with sheer sides that terrify me just to think of them. In many ways they are Great Mountains and deserving of examination in this series, but my heart is to the south of them in the gentler mountains of the Coulin Forest that welcome all without the terror-inducing ridges that rejoice in Torridon. The weather was fabulous when I climbed that path in 2009 so I felt obligated to head up one of the Munros in the area and it was Beinn Liath Mhor that was climbed.

Coming from Torridon, I had passed Loch an Eoin, climbed over Bealach an Lice and Bealach Bàn before I crossed Coire Grannda to the top of the pass into Coire Làir (this pass is unnamed on Ordnance Survey maps, but could be called Bealach Coire Làir). The walk to the top of the pass from Torridon is fabulous through superb ever-changing scenery that is thoroughly enjoyable even if the weather is poor as it was for me in 2019. In 2009 I had planned to turn right at Bealach Coire Làir to climb up Sgorr Ruadh, but instead I turned left towards the captivating ridge over Beinn Liath Mhor where attractive, white quartzite stones abound in stark contrast to the dull red sandstone on Sgorr Ruadh. A stiff climb brought me up to the summit of Beinn Liath Mhor where I had amazing views north towards the Torridon mountains from a summit that is covered in white quartzite stones. From there a fabulous two kilometre ridge was a joy to walk along before the descent begins on an excellent path that took me down to Drochaid Coire Làir. I returned to Coire Làir in 2014 and although the weather was not as good I still could not resist the temptation to climb Beinn Liath Mhor again, this time in the other direction.

This mountain satisfied me again despite the poor weather and when the clouds lifted I was rewarded with the great view again along the excellent ridge that was once again an utter delight to walk along. Coming down to Bealach Coire Làir I took the path into Coire Grannda and over Bealach Bàn into Coire Fionnaraich to the bothy that is in the valley. I had been going through a rough time on that holiday and needed a good walk to lift my spirits, which was precisely what Beinn Liath Mhor gave me. The prolonged traverse and stunning views wiped away all my disappointments of the previous few days as I looked forward in hope to a few days of good walking in the Coulin Forest. However, my ascent of Maol Chean-dearg the next day was marred by a stupidly steep ascent from Bealach na Lice that was relieved by a gloriously rocky descent to the saddle of Bealach a’ Choire Ghairbh that was reminiscent of the rocky ridge of Beinn Liath Mhor. I enjoyed more rock going up the Corbett of An Ruach-Stac from where I had a great view across the saddle towards the Munros of Coire Làir including Beinn Liath Mhor in the distance. The overcast weather failed to mar the walk in an area that is abundant in rock and with stunning views.

The final day of my few days of recuperation in the Coulin Forest in 2014 was spent returning to Coire Làir and it required tremendous effort for me to resist returning over Beinn Liath Mhor despite it being only two days since I was last there. Instead I turned right at Bealach Coire Làir and enjoyed a good path that took me all the way up to the top of Sgurr Ruadh where the views all around continued to be great. All the mountains in the Coulin Forest are great with the paths that link the valleys providing good routes to the mountains, but it will always be Beinn Liath Mhor that I turn to first. However, when I returned again in 2019 I resisted the temptation and kept to the path that passes through Coire Làir without topping either Munro. With hindsight, I wish I’d climbed Beinn Liath Mhor again, not only because it is a fabulous mountain, but also because by the time I reached the foot of Beinn Eighe, one of the Torridon giants, it was late afternoon and there was no time to do anything except put up my tent. I had been influenced by the fact that I’d already climbed Beinn Liath Mhor twice, but that should not have prevented me climbing a great mountain again.

My love affair with Beinn Liath Mhor started in 2009 with that walk out of Torridon that also introduced me to delights of the Coulin Forest. Excellent paths are the secret to this delightful area that provide easy access to dramatic looking mountains and will surely draw back to this area in the future. The best mountain walking is ridge walking and this is the secret to the delights of Beinn Liath Mhor, so when I do make a return visit to the Coulin Forest I’m sure I will then divert onto that awesome ridge that has been enthusing me for over ten years.

Lose Hill and Kinder Scout

Saturday 8th August 2009

While we are all stuck in lockdown it has not possible for me to do any new walks, but my old walks have been a comfort to me during the last twelve months as I read the old entries in this blog and look through all the photos I have taken during my walks. When looking through my old pictures I noticed some from a walk that I did in the Peak District in 2009 that had not been described before. If the walk had been done now, it would be surprising that a walk such as this was never put onto this blog, but back then there was a reason for leaving out this walk. In 2009 I had started to describe my earliest mountain walks, beginning in the Black Mountains from 1999, and I knew that I had a lot of walks to write about which would fill the winter months when I had no new walks to describe for many years to come. Therefore, I made a decision that I wouldn’t bother writing about day walks in the Peak District and this walk was dropped, however I had an ulterior motive for this walk. My camera had stopped working and had wiped all of the pictures that I had taken during the first half of the day, but now, with all my walks from before I started this blog described and nothing else to write about, I am going to attempt to describe a walk that I have no record of and with photos that don’t start until lunchtime. This should be interesting!

I have a vague memory of going up Lose Hill at the start of this walk, but I am not sure how I got there or even where I started. The last picture taken is from the slopes of Win Hill looking towards Lose Hill on the other side of the valley, so it is reasonable to say that I started the walk from the valley between Lose and Win Hills, and probably from the village of Hope. A clear path heads towards Lose Hill from the village of Hope passing through several grassy fields before heading up steeper, rougher ground to the top of the hill. I most recently climbed this hill last year and it is always deservedly popular as it lies at the eastern end of the Great Ridge that is the dividing line between the limestone of the White Peak to the south and the gritstone of the Dark Peak to the north. A great walk heads along the ridge and at some point I came off it, but I have no idea where, perhaps at Hollins Cross pass, though I think it is more likely that after passing over Mam Tor I headed down Harden Clough. I certainly crossed the Vale of Edale, and then I think I climbed Crowden Clough as I remember doing that, but my pictures don’t agree. The first photo that I have from this walk, timed at 12.23, is from a wide grassy ridge looking towards the gritstone outcrops of the southern edge of Kinder Scout.

It looks like it was taken from Grindslow Knoll, which suggests I climbed that way, but I am so convinced I climbed Crowden Clough I bet I followed the Pennine Way until it starts to descend towards Upper Booth and took a path along the edge of the rising ground into Crowden Clough where I followed the brook up to the southern edge of Kinder Scout. I remember enjoying this ascent and wishing that I had taken this route before as it was really good, however I have not taken it again since. From there I turned east branching off the main footpath and took my first picture that has survived after the previous pictures had been wiped before heading across to Grindslow Knoll. There I think I had my lunch before heading back to the main footpath following the edge above Grindsbrook Clough. This is fabulous terrain with great views down the valley and across Edale with Lose Hill far in the distance showing how far I had already walked. Keeping to the southern edge of Kinder Scout I passed the top of Golden Clough and Ollerbrook Clough before heading onto Crookstone Out Moor at the eastern end of Kinder Scout.

Many of the (surviving) pictures from this walk are overexposed indicating that the weather was hazy with poor light that was not helped by the best of the views being behind me into the westerly sun. As I came down over Crookstone Hill the distinctive peak of Win Hill was before me and drew me on all the way along the ridge and up to the top. The last picture taken on this walk looks across the valley to where it had started, Lose Hill, and beyond it to the Great Ridge on one side and the Kinder Scout plateau in the distance on the other side. Edale was the scene for many of my earliest walks going back to when I was at University in nearby Sheffield, so I have a lot of affection for the area. This looks like it was a good walk and I have fond memories of the ascent in Crowden Clough, but for some reason it was never posted on this blog, until now.

Great Mountains: Esk Pike

The head of Eskdale is surrounded by great mountains from Scafell and the Scafell Pikes on the west of the valley to the Bow Fell and Crinkle Crags ridge on the eastern side and any of these mountains could be singled out for attention as a great mountain. All the mountains around the head of Eskdale are great, but just one mountain in that panoply of great mountains gets its name from the valley. It is not the highest peak in the area or the most prominent, but it is, nevertheless, my favourite fell in the Lake District. The best feature of Esk Pike is the summit, which is a glorious array of colourful rocks scattered across a top from where the views in all directions are simply superb. It doesn’t scream for attention and didn’t even have a name on early Ordnance Survey maps, it rarely has many people crowding the summit and is all the better for it. In views from the south it is its neighbour Bow Fell that draws the eye, but it is Esk Pike that satisfies a traverse and always leaves me with a big smile on my face. I made my first ascent of Esk Pike in 2003, but it was so hot on that day it failed to leave an impression on me, but the following ascent, in 2006, ensured that I would always regard this fell with affection.

A lengthy ridge descends south off the summit to Lingcove Bridge and in 2006 I climbed this ridge stopping off at many of the crags on the broad ridge loving every moment of the ascent despite having only a faint path to follow. After this ascent I was smitten and when I was fortunate to find myself surrounded by an impressive thermal inversion on New Year’s Eve 2008 I climbed Esk Pike again, even though I hadn’t planned it. There I was able to take in the awesome views that were made extra special by the thick cloud that filled all the valleys. Apart from the excellent south ridge all routes to the top of Esk Pike have to go via the two passes either side of the summit. In 2003 I climbed from Great Langdale around Angle Tarn and up to the Ore Gap and in 2008, although my starting point was in Borrowdale, my ascent was via Stake Pass and Angle Tarn so the final stages were the same both times. My descent route in 2006 had also been via the Ore Gap so when I descended in 2008 it had been five years since my first traverse of the fell and I had forgotten about the excellent path that takes a very satisfying route across a rock platform with views to Great End as you majestically descend to the greatest of mountain passes in the Lake District: Esk Hause.

The path from Esk Pike to Esk Hause left little impression on me in 2003 when my mind was on other things, but in the bright sunshine and stunning thermal inversion of New Year’s Eve 2008 I was in awe of this craggy little path that typifies the pleasures of this mountain. Despite Esk Pike being a timid fell amongst the giants around Eskdale it has often been my sole or main target of the walk and such was the case in both 2003 and 2008. In 2003 I was travelling from Great Langdale to Ennerdale and Esk Pike was the fell that I picked to visit on the way simply because I’d never been up it before. In 2008 I had intended on going no higher than the false Esk Hause until the astonishingly good weather provoked me to climb Esk Pike. The next time I went up Esk Pike was in 2011 when my target for the day, Hard Knott, had been completed early and I was free to go wherever I wanted and where I wanted to go was Esk Pike. From Hard Knott it is the sharp peak of Bow Fell that attracts the eye, but after walking all the way up to the Ore Gap it was Esk Pike that I turned towards.

My descent route on that occasion was the south ridge, which enthralled me in descent as it had in 2006 in ascent. I loved picking my own route down the pathless ridge in awesome scenery with no sign of another soul even though the ridges around Eskdale would have been full of people, especially on Scafell Pike. Esk Pike is, however, usually climbed in conjunction with Bow Fell and the other fells in the area. The ridge between Bow Fell and Crinkle Crags is proclaimed as one of the finest ridge walks in Lakeland, so to include Esk Pike in that walk would make a great walk even better. After reaching Esk Pike in 2006 that is what I did crossing the Ore Gap to Bow Fell before continuing across Three Tarns to Crinkle Crags. Again, in 2015, I did the traverse in that direction climbing up to Esk Pike from Esk Hause, the only time I have done that. In 2018, my most recent ascent of Esk Pike, I didn’t include Bow Fell in the walk, but Great End on the far side of Esk Hause. Copying my walk of 2003 I had climbed from Great Langdale up Rossett Gill to the Ore Gap, which was such a strenuous climb I was thoroughly exhausted by the time I reached the top of the pass, but all my fatigue dropped away from me as I climbed up to the top of Esk Pike and was now ecstatic at being at the top of a mountain.

On that occasion I described Esk Pike as ‘a queen among kings. A magnificent mountain humbled by its presence among some of the greatest mountains in the Lake District’. All the mountains at the head of Eskdale are truly great mountains, but one in my eyes is extra special. It is not the highest or the most picturesque, but what it lacks it makes up for in character and humility. It has a fabulous ridge on its southern slopes that is rarely visited, it owns the best mountain pass in Lakeland and it has a delectable summit with views that are some of the best anywhere. For all that it is most definitely a great mountain and is in no way subordinate to the other great mountains that surround the head of the greatest valley in the Lake District, Eskdale.

Snowdrops in Blaby

I love wildflowers, so autumn and winter are depressing seasons for me as the native wild plants react to the reducing sunlight by going to seed and shutting down for the year. However, this all changes in January when the first snowdrops appear and suddenly there is a feeling that spring is coming, which finally lifts my spirits. The first snowdrops I see are usually those in the church of All Saints in Blaby, a village just outside Leicester. They are larger than the usual snowdrops and come out a few weeks earlier, usually by the middle of January. They are a welcome sight and the smaller, more common snowdrops are not far behind with most being out by the beginning of February. I have snowdrops in my garden, but the best displays require decades to establish with a particularly stunning array in Leicestershire at Dimminsdale Nature Reserve. I visit the reserve every year to witness the awesome snowdrops that can be seen and last year was no different, but this year lockdown has meant I can’t travel and have to stay local. Fortunately I know there are some snowdrops in Blaby, but when I started looking for them a couple of weeks ago I was astonished to find abundant displays that were more extensive than I’d remembered.

I started at All Saints Church, but the large snowdrops had been crushed by footfall during the recent snowfall so moving on from there I headed onto Mill Lane and soon found a rich spread of snowdrops on the high banks beside the road mixed amongst the undergrowth. These were fabulous to see after the long, miserable winter and served to lift my spirits at a time when all else is dull and dreary. More snowdrops could be seen as I made my way along the narrow road that sees little traffic, but is popular with walkers including me. Mill Lane has provided me with much comfort over the last couple of months when I have only able to walk locally and has provided me with a lovely walk past trees in the Sence valley and has become my first choice place to walk. On this occasion, when I reached Blaby Cemetery I turned right between the modern cemetery and an old cemetery where I found more snowdrops. A couple of years ago this old cemetery was overgrown with a mess of weeds until a team of volunteers tackled the jungle and cleared the weeds enabling the snowdrops that must have always been underneath to bloom.

The snowdrops are all near the path and provide me with a great encouragement as I walk up to the Peace Memorial Garden at the upper end of the cemetery. This is where the greatest density of snowdrops are with gorgeous coverings spread out amongst the tombstones. During the unseasonably warm weather at the end of February I was encouraged to get out for many invigorating walks that have been an immense benefit to my mental health at this time when I have otherwise been stuck at home all day. Earlier in the year the ground was saturated following huge amounts of rain over the winter, which has made walking in the countryside unappealing. Therefore I have largely been keeping to the solid ground of pavements on my local walks and fortunately the path past the Peace Memorial Garden is tarmacked so provides me with a good walk through the refreshing countryside just outside of Blaby without getting my feet covered in mud. On reaching Hospital Lane I turned right heading back into Blaby and after passing Thistly Meadow Primary School I turned right onto Welford Road.

When I reached Bouskell Park I turned into this public space to walk along the path and wondered whether there would be any snowdrops and to my surprise I found an abundant display near an old ice house that is being restored. I don’t remember snowdrops being beside the ice house before and you would have thought the building work would have prevented them appearing, but instead the turned earth has encouraged an abundant covering of snowdrops that I was frustratingly unable to get close to because of the barriers that keep people away from the building work. Snowdrops are not a native plant and only grow where people have planted them, but they require many years to establish into the extensive displays that I have seen in previous years at Dimminsdale, and on this short walk from Blaby. The most likely places to see snowdrops are long established, like churchyards and old cemeteries, while Bouskell Park has snowdrops thanks to its previously being the grounds of Blaby Hall. At a time when we are stuck at home and can only walk locally these snowdrops have provided me with a boost and have helped me get through these dark days.