It's unusual for me to make it up to Scotland outside the summer window but a conference in Dunblane left me a chance to take in a weekend in the Southern highlands. Sad to say the weather had other ideas and the camera left my bag for only three snatched photos.
Day one: Beinn Dorain - Beinn an Dothaidh
A minor miscalculation on the weather saw me was 90 dry minutes in favour of a lie in not that it would have made any difference. Parking in Bridge of Orchy the track from the railway station heads straight in for a boggy walk up to the bealach. The track shown only half wayn on older OS maps now pushed right on to the summit of Dorain and is a welcome friend as the cloud closed in. Returning to the col the next climb is less clear cut with the track taking you a long way right before climbing up. Return is the way you came but keeping a 100m left of the track avoids the worst of the peat.
Day two : Beinn Achaladair - Beinn a'Chreachain
No improvement in the weather, nor conditions underfoot setting out from the car park at Achallader the track makes its boggy way into the valley and up to the bealach about 2 hours later. Underfoot things now easy but the weather worsened with the wind picking up making the ridge walk over both Munros and tops hard work. The final summit saw me link back up with the grup I had leapfrogged up earlier on before they made a direct climb for the first top and a short chat left us walking back out together. Here a work of caution is needed two parallel ridges run NE from the summit area the first from the cairn itself soon deteriorates into a nasty challenge with no easy way off while the second starting about 200m NNW of the cairn is like the northern ridge of the beacons.
Back in the valley there are a few challenges left following the woodline does give a crossing under the railway but only a ford on the river. higher up two stiles close together over the deer fence cut back to the car park and I assume eventually reach a bridge that we saw later on the walk back. and finally just by the car park the last ford may be impassible it was for me. If so dont panic just walk upstream and use the farm bridge round the corner.
Day three : Beinn Chablair
Another damp day and with rivers up plans for the final day in orchy were put on hold. Instead it was another initial climb long bog trot gain the ridge and hit the summit. All via the only break in the cloud and a very weak 30 second glimpse of a brocken spectre and a chance encounter with a colleagues husband. The return was far more pleasant a simple trade of a couple of hundred metes extra climbing over the three lower summits on the western "ridge"avoided all the peat and dropped me out just above the waterfalls.
Day four : travelling to Guildford
Typical a clear crisp day b£^^%r
Thursday, 1 November 2007
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