Munro Diary: September 2022

249, 250. Ben Cruachan (31, P600 55), Stob Diamh (143). 22/09/2022

The cloudy weather was due to lift through the morning from the NW, so we gambled on this applying more to Ben Cruachan than some of the other options.

Starting at 8.30am, the first part of the walk was up a steep wooded path still damp from the overnight rain. Gradually this levelled off and the Cruachan dam appeared and we climbed some metal stairs to get onto the top. There was then a flat track-walk around the reservoir for a quarter of an hour (past one of the many hydroelectric tunnels that bores through the mountain) before the 700m pull up to the summit. By the time we reached the small summit, the clouds had managed to lift off and we had clear views.

The descent along the ridge had a couple of short scrambles, but they looked harder than they were (in particular a traverse of some slabs which was quite exciting. There were several small extra bits of ascent, which added time to the ridge walk, but there was a lot to recommend about the ridge.

Despite a small shower at the start, the descent was a fairly comfortable one back to the dam and then retracing our steps through the woods. All in all, a classic circuit and a great ridge. The 15km and 1500m of ascent took us 5h45.

The reservoir from near the summit of Ben Cruachan.

At the summit, with the ridge beyond.

Approaching Stob Diamh (on the left)

Halfway down with Ben Cruachan in sunshine

Dam and summit from below.

248. Gulvain (161, P600 54). 21/09/2022

Forecast was for cloud everywhere across western Scotland, so we chose this hill so as to at least stay below it for the long walk in. The weather turned out better than predicted, with the cloud base around 850m, but we were certainly still in mist at the top.

The 6km yomp along the valley floor to the foot of the mountain was perfectly pleasant, although we were air-bombed by dozens of deer keds along the way.

The climb of the hill itself was described as relentless in the book, but there was a good firm path the whole way, so this passed relatively easily. Lots of mist and a chilly breeze meant that the ridge between the north and south tops didn't live up to its potential, but we got an impression of what it could be like.

Apart from one other couple we met on the ascent, we had the place to ourselves and the 22km walk with 1400m of ascent took us a shade under 6h - an hour less than suggested by the guide.

Looking back along the glen of our approach.

Celebrating the views at the top

A moment almost without cloud when we returned to the track

246, 247. Stob Coire Sgriodain (174), Chno Dearg (86, P600 53). 20/09/2022

Compared to the crowds of the previous day, this walk felt like proper Scottish wilderness. Although there were a couple of extra cars in the car park upon our return, we didn't meet a soul whilst on the hills. We were told afterwards that this is the area that the Hermit of Treig chose to live after searching for the most remote place in Scotland.

After a couple of kilometers of track and path, we were making up our own way to the top of Stob Coire Sgriodain, guided by the apocryphal "obvious grassy ramp" that our book described. We narrowed it down to three potential ramps and chose the middle one. This turned out to be fine, but it wasn't obviously correct. As we climbed, the cloud began to lift and from the upper slopes we had sunshine until well into our descent.

The walk around to Chno Dearg was gentle, as was the descent along squishy grass slopes. I imagine this could be quite wet at times though. Overall, this was a fairly easy walk for two munros and the 15km and 1050m ascent took us exactly 5h.

Approaching the first munro in the sun!

Looking north on the summit ridge of Stob Coire Sgriodain

Loch Treig from Stob Coire Sgriodain

Chno Dearg from Stob Coire Sgriodain

The summit of Stob Coire Sgriodain

244, 245. Bidean nam Bian (23, P600 52), Stob Coire Sgreamhach (65). 19/09/2022

Due to the Queen passing away, I needed to find a new walking partner (long story). Fortunately, a willing victim was found in Matt for a four day tour of the highlands.

For our first climb on the way north, we chose the conveniently placed Bidean nam Bian. Arriving at 11am, we needed to be a bit creative with parking in Glen Coe, but a solution was found and we were soon on the well-made trail up the Corrie nan Lochan. There's no walk-in on this hill, you're straight in to the 1000m of ascent to the subsidiary top of Stob Corrie nan Lochan. The last part of this is quite steep and includes some easy scrambling and much of it was in atmospheric conditions (i.e. swirling mist).

Not exactly clear at the top, but most of the time below about 1050m was. After heading along the ridge to the second munro, we made our way down into the sheltered Lost Valley. This unusual geological feature is a hanging valley, but with very sheer sides. Lots of people were walking up just to see this and we crossed paths on our way back to the car. 12km and 1350m of ascent took us 5h15.

The ridges of Glan Coe taken before the last pull up to Stob Corrie nan Lochan

A pre-expedition snap

A glimpse of the summit from part way along the ridge to Stob Coire Sgreamhach

Above the Lost Valley on the top of Stob Coire Sgreamhach

Looking into the Lost Valley before descending

243. Beinn Sgulaird (237) (P600 49). 16/08/22

Hamish's first Munro!

Staying in Appin, we started walking around 11am. This was initially along a track, before following a narrow path along the crest of a ridge to the south top. From there it was a fairly straightforward walk along the ridge, over another subsidiary peak to reach the summit. There were quite a few snack stops, but Hamish was walking virtually as fast as I was and we made good time. The views were panoramic, although the cloud started not a lot higher than the summit, so some taller peaks were hidden. We saw deer and long-horn goats, which was quite exciting. We only saw one other walker though, which was unusual given the time of year.

In hindsight, we should have retraced our steps, but instead we followed the recommendation in Cicerone and came off the West side of the hill. This was steep grassy slopes to start with, which is fine (although Hamish was a little unaccustomed), but it deteriorated into boggy plantation near the bottom, because it turns our the whole topography has changed since our guide was written. There's now an artificial loch and a lot of new trees and the going was arduous to say the least.

After some huffing and puffing, we got to a track which took us out. Hamish was still very positive about the experience, which is great. The 14km walk with 1100m of ascent took us around 6h15.