Walk Report: Ben More and Stob Binnein
More of my holiday in Scotland:
Wednesday 20th July
Today was a grueller, a real tester of my powers of endurance ad from start to finish the walk took me ten hours over some very demanding terrain, however other sections consisted of road walking. I was following Ralph Storer's Route 7, which starts from a car park on the A85 five miles from Crianlarich so first thing today I was walking for fives miles to the Coire Chaorach car park along a busy A road through some narrow twisty sections. It was with considerable relief when I finally reached the service road just before the car park and headed off up the road into the forest. Now I had omitted to read Storer's book, I hadn't even taken it with me that day, so I made my way through the forest based solely on the map. So instead of staying on the western side I tried to cross the river and promptly got my feet wet, but that was just the beginning. I then tried to follow a route along a clearing beside the river that was frequently muddy and hardgoing and my reward for all this perseverance was another fence. With resignation I followed the fence steeply up the hillside sometimes using he fence to help me over boggy sections. Eventually I reached the corner of the forest still with the fence in my way; one quick climb and I was onto the hills. Now my problems really started.
Climbing onto the top of the wide ridge I started making my way around the corrie passing over Caisteal Corrach and heading towards Leacann Riabhach, but due to to the strong wind and complex terrain my progress was very slow and very tiring. The hills always looked a long way off and I never seemed to be getting any closer to them but eventually I arrived on Stob Creagach, and after crossing Bealach na Frithe onto Meall na Dige. I was now into the clouds and the bright morning was a distant memory as I headed across the wind-swept col towards Stob Coire Lochain. Quickly losing the main path I in desperation start following a path that took me around the side of the hill without gaining any height. Realising my mistake I started climbing straight up the hill up it's very steep south-eastern side; I have an abiding memory of clinging to the side of the cliff-like slope while the wind battered around me. Slowly I crawled up the cliff face onto the top and was hit by the strongest winds I have ever encountered on a mountain top; it was so strong I couldn't even stand up. Crouching I made my way along the clear path on the top of the ridge to the summit cairn, collapsing behind it when I got there.
After recovering from my exertions I made my way relatively easily along the path to Stob Binnein, the wind quickly dying down. For most of my walk I had had little or no path to follow, now I was blessed with a clear and easy path; it was finally becoming a thoroughly enjoyable walk. After Stob Binnein I began the long descent to Bealach-eadar-dha Bhein and then the equally long ascent onto the top of Ben More, the highest hill in the area. Because of my slow progress during the day I hadn't reached the top of Ben More until almost 5 pm and I still had the long steep descent back to the road, which would take me back to Crianlarich. Following the clear path I descended steeply zigzagging down the hill until the path petered out and I had to find my own way down the to the Land Rover track leading to Benmore Farm and the ¾ hour of road walking to take me back to Crianlarich. It has been a very exhausting and demanding day but I managed it. Eventually.
Wednesday 20th July
Today was a grueller, a real tester of my powers of endurance ad from start to finish the walk took me ten hours over some very demanding terrain, however other sections consisted of road walking. I was following Ralph Storer's Route 7, which starts from a car park on the A85 five miles from Crianlarich so first thing today I was walking for fives miles to the Coire Chaorach car park along a busy A road through some narrow twisty sections. It was with considerable relief when I finally reached the service road just before the car park and headed off up the road into the forest. Now I had omitted to read Storer's book, I hadn't even taken it with me that day, so I made my way through the forest based solely on the map. So instead of staying on the western side I tried to cross the river and promptly got my feet wet, but that was just the beginning. I then tried to follow a route along a clearing beside the river that was frequently muddy and hardgoing and my reward for all this perseverance was another fence. With resignation I followed the fence steeply up the hillside sometimes using he fence to help me over boggy sections. Eventually I reached the corner of the forest still with the fence in my way; one quick climb and I was onto the hills. Now my problems really started.
Climbing onto the top of the wide ridge I started making my way around the corrie passing over Caisteal Corrach and heading towards Leacann Riabhach, but due to to the strong wind and complex terrain my progress was very slow and very tiring. The hills always looked a long way off and I never seemed to be getting any closer to them but eventually I arrived on Stob Creagach, and after crossing Bealach na Frithe onto Meall na Dige. I was now into the clouds and the bright morning was a distant memory as I headed across the wind-swept col towards Stob Coire Lochain. Quickly losing the main path I in desperation start following a path that took me around the side of the hill without gaining any height. Realising my mistake I started climbing straight up the hill up it's very steep south-eastern side; I have an abiding memory of clinging to the side of the cliff-like slope while the wind battered around me. Slowly I crawled up the cliff face onto the top and was hit by the strongest winds I have ever encountered on a mountain top; it was so strong I couldn't even stand up. Crouching I made my way along the clear path on the top of the ridge to the summit cairn, collapsing behind it when I got there.
After recovering from my exertions I made my way relatively easily along the path to Stob Binnein, the wind quickly dying down. For most of my walk I had had little or no path to follow, now I was blessed with a clear and easy path; it was finally becoming a thoroughly enjoyable walk. After Stob Binnein I began the long descent to Bealach-eadar-dha Bhein and then the equally long ascent onto the top of Ben More, the highest hill in the area. Because of my slow progress during the day I hadn't reached the top of Ben More until almost 5 pm and I still had the long steep descent back to the road, which would take me back to Crianlarich. Following the clear path I descended steeply zigzagging down the hill until the path petered out and I had to find my own way down the to the Land Rover track leading to Benmore Farm and the ¾ hour of road walking to take me back to Crianlarich. It has been a very exhausting and demanding day but I managed it. Eventually.
posted by David Keates at 6:58 pm
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