As I was heading up to the Central Highlands for Alison’s Munro completion weekend, I decided to make the most of the long drive by tagging on a couple of days’ holiday beforehand to go backpacking from Glen Feshie over four remote Corbetts.
I drove up from Kendal on the Thursday morning, and set off walking from Auchlean at around 3pm for the shorter ‘half’ of the expedition. A few heavy showers passed over as I ascended to Carn Dearg Mor and then traversed to Meallach Mhor, but they weren’t long-lasting so I didn’t get seriously wet. As expected, these proved not to be particularly dramatic hills, but did give good long-distance views over the Gaick Pass and Speyside, and south to the hills I would visit the next day.
I descended into Coire Bhran and found a good camping spot beside the river for the night on flat, dry and soft grass. As I cooked my dinner, I enjoyed a double rainbow up the corrie.
A double rainbow in front of Leathad an Taobhain
The next morning started greyer, with the cloud base just below the hilltops at around 800 metres. It stayed dry-ish as I had breakfast and broke camp, but the light showers almost merged together for the next couple of hours as I ascended to Leathad an Taobhain and began the long, rough traverse to Beinn Bhreac. To be honest, I think this terrain was so indistinct that I’d have referred to the compass for reassurance even in good visibility! By mid-morning though, the cloud lifted and the showers became few and far between, and I was able to enjoy views south to Beinn Dearg and southeast to Beinn a’ Ghlo as I continued east.
The summit of Carn Ealar, looking towards Beinn Dearg
Having reached Beinn Bhreac, the going was a bit easier over short grass to Carn Ealar (a repeat visit to this remote Munro), with views north to the highest Cairngorm peaks now. This was followed by an easy descent to the River Feshie and a very long walk out on the tracks down the glen. The sun came out though, and the forests and crags in the upper glen were very attractive.
Overall, it was great to get out backpacking for the first time in 2019, to explore some unfamiliar remote country, and to tick off these four Corbetts bringing my total to 202 – just twenty remaining now!
As usual, Ruth and I headed to the Highlands for a week’s bagging over Spring Bank Holiday week, focussing mainly on the Northwest Highlands. Also as usual, the trip started with a long, long drive north through the evening, our first destination this year being the comfortable campsite in Cannich – with the damp weather over the first two days of the trip we were particularly glad of the lounge and drying room!
Saturday’s objective, in persistent but very light rain, was Beinn a’ Bha’ach Ard above Glen Strathfarrar. Sunday’s, in persistent heavier rain, was Sgorr na Diollaid, above Glen Cannich. Both proved to be more interesting hills than expected, the former having a pleasant high level traverse between the tops, and the latter having a pair of dramatic rocky tors at the summit, and the relatively short walks suited the conditions.
Ruth at the summit of Sgorr na Diollaid
The next two days were drier and brighter, so we moved a few miles north to tackle two pairs of Corbetts in Strathconon, using the Riverside Campsite in Contin as a base. On Monday, Meallan and Uan and Sgurr a’ Mhuilinn offered attractive ridge-walking and excellent views north to the Fannaichs. Tuesday’s long walk to Bac an Eich and An Sithean was less dramatic in the foreground, but had a real sense of remoteness, with excellent views of the surrounding Munros north and south of Loch Monar. We also enjoyed more distant views of Glen Carron, Torridon and Fisherfield both days.
Loch Coire a’ Mhuilinn, from Meallan nan UanLooking south over Loch Monar from An Sithean
With more good weather forecast for the next couple of days, on Wednesday morning we headed over to the west coast to collect a few dramatic Corbetts in the Fisherfield area. First on our list was Beinn Airigh Charr, a superbly-situated rocky peak near Poolewe, with stunning views south over Loch Maree to Torridon and northeast over Fionn Loch to A’ Mhaighdean. Definitely a contender for my favourite Corbett, and we enjoyed it in perfect conditions, the excellent visibility also giving views of Skye and the Outer Hebrides. To make the most of the day’s fine weather, in the late afternoon we summoned the energy for a second walk, up beside the Ardessie Falls onto Sail Mhor, another fine peak with great views into the heart of Fisherfield Forest and north to Coigach.
Looking over Loch Maree to the Torridon hills……and looking over Fionn Loch into Fisherfield. What an incredible view from Beinn Airigh Charr!
Thursday was cloudier and dry for another long walk, this time in to Beinn Dearg Bheag and Beinn Dearg Mor from Gruinard. Although the long track approach was a little tedious, the northwest ridge of Beinn Dearg Bheag proved to be a very enjoyable route of ascent, with easy scrambling in places, dramatic crags and gullies, and some sections of narrow arete. A short traverse down and back up took us to Beinn Dearg Mor, its summit sadly just in the cloud, before the long walk out along Loch na Sealga and back along the track to Gruinard.
Approaching the summit of Beinn Dearg Bheag, with Ruth for scale
The rain returned on Friday for our final, shorter walk in the Fisherfield area, this time up the boggy and much less dramatic Corbett of Creag Rainich above Loch a’ Bhraoin. Not one I’m likely to revisit, although I dare say the low cloud deprived us of good views of the many surrounding Munros!
For the final weekend of the trip, we headed back east to Inverness, where a friend of Ruth’s had kindly offered us accommodation. Gavin also joined us for Saturday’s walk up Carn na Saobhaidhe in the north of the Monadhliath, perhaps the flattest-topped Corbett but not an unpleasant place to spend a bright and clear day. Then on Sunday morning we nipped up Geal Charn, a foothill of the northern Cairngorms, before the long drive back to Kendal and Derby.
All in all, a thoroughly enjoyable week despite mixed weather that was worse than the excellent average we’ve grown used to at this time of the year. I ticked off 13 new Corbetts, taking my total to 198. Only 24 to go, and I’ve pencilled in completion for Spring Bank Holiday weekend 2021, so there’s plenty of time to fit in the required trips to Jura, Harris and the Far North (among other less far-flung places) in the meantime.
As usual, Ruth and I spent the Easter long weekend Corbett-bagging in the Highlands. With Easter being late this year we’d opted mainly to camp, a decision that was well justified by the excellent warm and dry weather throughout!
As I’d been out running with friends on the preceding Wednesday evening, I made an early start on Thursday to drive up to Loch Voil via Ruth’s, arriving around noon with plenty of time for an afternoon walk up the impressively steep and craggy Stob a’ Choin. We then continued north to Tyndrum to set up camp at By The Way for the first two nights. Friday’s walk was the biggest of the trip, taking in the five Corbetts east of the A82 above the pass to Bridge of Orchy in 21 kilometres packed with over 2000m ascent. This is the only place where five Corbetts can readily be bagged in a single walk.
After breaking camp on Saturday we drove around to Glen Lyon for a couple of days. Saturday’s walk took in two rounded hills above Innerwick, Cam Chreag and Beinn Dearg. The former was grassy and the latter heathery, with both offering hazy views south to Ben Lawers and north to Loch Rannoch. With no campsite nearby, we chose a semi-wild camp by the very quiet roadside just below the dam of Loch an Daimh. Sunday’s walk at the very head of the glen proved more interesting, with Meall Buidhe and Sron a’ Choire Chnapanaich offering excellent views of Beinn Heasgarnich, Beinn a’ Chreachain and Loch an Daimh.
For the final night of the trip, we enjoyed the relative luxury of Loch Voil Hostel, the spectacular lochside setting of which was just about worth the slow and very rough four-mile drive along gravel tracks on the south side of the loch to get there! This remote base gave us the opportunity for an unusual but attractive route to Monday’s hill, Beinn Stacath, ascending via Bealach Griseach and returning via the forestry tracks below Coire Odhar.
11 Corbetts over the course of the trip took me to 185 down, 37 to go.
I joined Dave and Jo (+ baby), Ruth and James for New Year week in Crianlarich, where I enjoyed re-visiting six Munros (including three with baby thanks to the calm, dry, non-snowy conditions!) and bagging four new Corbetts.
I spent another week Corbett-bagging, starting with two solo days around Rannoch and Corrour, then joined by Ruth for two days between Loch Ericht and Drumochter, and three days in the southern Cairngorms. Definitely the snowiest October walking I’ve done, with over a foot at the summit of Lochnagar!
For the final three days of the trip, we headed to Glen Dessarry at the head of Loch Arkaig, ticking off three more Corbetts with a bothy night at A’ Chuil and a semi-wild camping night by the lochside. Sunday morning was particularly rewarding with a fine cloud inversion around Sgurr Mhurlagain.
After four consecutive days’ backpacking, we fancied an easier day, so opted for a half-day walk up the moorland Corbett of Carn a’ Chuilinn, above Fort Augustus.
With the great weather continuing, we continued straight into another backpacking expedition, traversing five very fine Corbetts and Grahams on the fringes of Knoydart, including the impressive and highly prized Ben Aden.
We then spent a couple of days backpacking on Rum, traversing all the major peaks of the Rum Cuillin to camp near Harris on Sunday night, and returning to Kinloch via the lower Marilyn of Orval on Monday.
This year’s Spring Bank Holiday week in the Highlands started with an excellent day on the three Corbetts south of Glenfinnan, the highlight being Sgurr Ghiubhsachain with its excellent views over Loch Shiel into Moidart.
Ruth and I spent the Easter weekend ticking off a few of the less inspiring Corbetts in the Eastern Cairngorms. Luckily it was snowy to make them more interesting!
I spent a long weekend in the Southern Uplands to visit Will and Annelies and explore some of their local hills, including three Grahams and a Marilyn.
Ruth and I spent a long weekend in the southern Higlands around Crieff, ticking off three Corbetts and a Graham, and re-visiting a couple of Munros. We also enjoyed the first underfoot snow of the winter!
I took a solo autumn trip to the Southern Highlands to bag a few Corbetts, spending three days on the magnificent hills of the Isle of Arran, then three days on the mainland around Arrochar and Glen Lochay.
With Ruth suffering from a knee injury, much of my trip to the Highlands for Spring Bank Holiday week this year was solo. I therefore opted to focus on collecting some of my unbagged Munro Tops around Glen Affric and Glen Shiel, then relocated to Glen Shiel for the final couple of days to bag Corbetts and Grahams in Glen Suileag and Glen Roy. In the middle of the trip, I met up with Ian and Emma for a wet day on Beinn Fhada and a glorious sunny one on The Saddle.
This year’s Youngish Duffers’ New Year Trip went across the sea to the Isle of Mull, where we stayed in the comfortable Salen Pier House. Reasonable weather, for the most part, allowed me to visit eight of the island’s nine peaks over 2000ft.
Ruth and I once again headed to the Highlands for some bagging over Spring Bank Holiday week. This year we were treated to excellent, dry, sunny weather in Torridon, Applecross, Glen Elchaig and Glen Coe. Fourteen new Corbetts for me: 117 down, 104 to go!
For this year’s Duffers’ New Year trip we returned to the Post House in Kingussie, where we had previously stayed three years ago. We managed a few good walks in the Drumochter Hills and Monadhliath despite the usual damp, windy weather!
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