Loch Ossian YH to Chno Dearg and back on the estate road. Click here to see the route map.

Some walks are easy. Others are tiring. Not many get that Epic label, and this was one of them. One of the hardest mountain days I’ve had. In perfect conditions this wasn’t going to be easy. In knee deep snow, I’d bitten off more than i could chew. All i can say is thank god for Jelly Babies.

I awoke to a dusting of snow, this bodes well for the walk i foolishly thought. A few cms at 400m would mean a lot more at 1000m, and i found out the hard way. It was even snowing heavily (as heavy as I’ve seen in many a year but that means nothing) when I started off on the ‘Motorway’ to the Isles. This, so you know, is the new Corrour estate road that’s been built over the old drover’s track Road to the Isles. Some sections of old track are visible, but a bit boggy. The estate road at least lets you plod on without worrying about going chest strap deep in mire.

Follow this for a few km, until the track crossess beneath the railway line. There’s a large bridge here – suitable for landrovers, cross this and head directly uphill towards what’s marked on the map as Bealach an Easain Duibh (strange name for a ridge). It starts off boggy (no surprise there), but soon becomes more heathery and even the luxury of rock underfoot. The ridge is eventually reached after a couple of false summits, not the first of the day.

Snow was pretty deep on top, but being not much higher than 600m was tolearable. Again the main obstacle was snow covered bogs with the impression that the ones the snow concealed here were real boot stealers. The ridge is pretty complex, undulating over many small tops as far as Garbh-bheinn (not a listed top, and one that even the Nuttalls would frown at) where the going got serious, and worse as Meall Garbh (Munro top perhaps?) was ascended.

The snow slopes got steeper and the snow deeper, but it made no difference when the clouds opened and i could see across to the Easains. They looked pretty serious in these conditions, with their summits sporting more than just a sprinking and plenty of cornices for good measure.

The cloud closed in again at this point, and the compass was needed in near white out conditions. In summer, Stob Coire Sgriodain is an easy detour. Today it was out of reach. I even looked down at the Lochan Coire an Lochain and contemplated that as an escape to Tulloch. Thankfully, i continued, but not before starting off in the wrong direction. The ridge of Sron Ruadh descending from Chno Dearg appeared to be the route up, but the Coire nan Cnamh is a deadly obstacle preventing this route. It would be easy for the unprepared to have taken this tack and died in that corrie by falling through a cornice.

Fortunately for me, a trust in the compass and a bearing took me, after much slogging through snow, and mulling over exactly what did constitute a slope that was an avalanche risk, straight to the summit of Chno Dearg. Like a cliche, the clouds that had caused such problems earlier were now gone and hills I can’t name yet lay in all directions. I was prevented from full enjoyment as i knew i yet had to make it to the estate road and didn’t know if it would be bog hopping all the way. To follow that i had the long hard slog back on the estate road.

Taking a bearing, i headed away from the ridge of Meall Dhearcaig as there were steep slopes in the direct line. The route i took (see map) was steep enough, alternating between hard windslab and knee deep drift. I was consoled by the fact that if i did slip, it would only be for a short while then i’d vanish into a bank of soft snow.

Another worry was small lochans covered in snow. Looking at the map, i’m now certain that they were buried and that i passed near one. I’d kept to the higher, rocky ground specifically to avoid this hazard. The route down was, afterall, straightforward. It was rough, with a lot of heather. It was also wet, but nothing that threatened to get my feet wet.

The greasy snow was the biggest hazard. I’d had enough by the last patch and slid down on my arse, without first thinking how to stop. I helter-skeltered around some patches of heather and luckily came to rest on some wet grass at the slope’s base. I think that i was celebrating as the road was now painfully close, and it was. In a matter of minutes i was walking on the hard estate road. Serious looking clouds were now encircling the summit i’d occupied not an hour earlier and despite the two and a half hours that were ahead of me, I was glad to be down.

The walk through Strath Ossian was a highlight of the return, but the road along Loch Ossian saw me too exhausted to care about the view and only about the food that awaited me at the hostel. I’d planned to walk to the restaurant at the Corrour Station House, but even that had been too much to think about. Coupled with the fact that I’d forgotten how bad snow was for reflecting sunlight and now had a face like a Belisha Beacon.

Much easier walk for tomorrow!

The long road home...

’Click here to see the route map in new window. Arriving on the sleeper at Corrour, i had managed to sleep much better this time thank you. An easy walk was all i wanted though, and the easiest walk left was that up Carn Dearg (and Sgorr Gailbhre). I was particularly keen for a straightforward walk as there was a sprinkling of snow at the station, which would be surely much deeper at Munro height. After the usual bimble to the Youth Hostel where i managed to offload most of my gear, the path sets off ominously across some boggy ground directly opposite.

After my previous experiences, this worried me. It needn’t have. This is as boggy as the track gets as you pull up past a couple of other muddy bits to the memorial stone known as Peter’s Rock. This is apparently a memorial to a local lad who tragically fell through the ice according to someone i met in the hostel last time.

Ahead, there’s a not impressive grassy slope. It’s wet, but not so much that it’ll suck off your boots like the opposite side of Corrour Station. There’s no path, or at least, I didn’t see the path (definately not the same thing). Just head on a rough bearing to the wide ridge across rough ground that becomes a pleasant high walk once the ridge is attained.

Today there was knee deep snow on the ridge. This was heavy going, but infinately more pleasureable than the greasy slush lower down. There was even the need (barely) for the crampons to get some snow time, especially on the nicely packed summit snow. Feeling lazy, i decided that one Munro is enough in one day and headed on back in roughly the same direction i came from. Newly armed with crampons i decided to follow the snow, most of which was grippy and ideal for crampons. Further down, the snow became deeper and softer. I kept losing lower limbs in deep drifts, which wasn’t bad in itself. It was the combination of knee deep snow with knee deep water/bog beneath that was worrying. Peat grikes were full of snow drift, so you never knew how deep you’d go and once you’d gone, if you’d stop or keep on sinking into a different substance. I regretted not plodding on over Sgorr Gailbhre.

After many a sinking, i arrived back at Peter’s Rock thankful of only one bootful of ice cold bog water. It was too early, but i was still welcomed at the hostel. Talking to the warden, Nick, and his dog (Tomrigg – named after a previous warder). I’d only been here six hours and i was already talking to dogs. There were only a few of us in the hostel that night. Including a snoring Frenchman who was pelted in the night with socks by those he kept awake. Some More pics of the day.

Spot the Hostel?

The "Ben"

to view the new route map. Click here The weather forecast had been eagerly anticipated the previous night. And it shaped the next day ‘s walk as it was anticipating not just foul weather, i can cope with that, but lightning. That i don‘t really fancy. So Carn Dearg and a couple of other nearby Munros would wait till next time, and i‘d instead get a lower level walk done. Seeing as the original plan was to visit the bothies, it was only natural then to make one of these the target of a low level walk.

Meanach bothy was a bit too far, as was Lairig, so Staoineag was the logical choice. It was also the favoured bothy to Meanach on the original plans, so it all fell into place.

The road to Staoineag, for it is a road, is a bit of an eyesore. It used to be the ‘Road to the isles‘ but it is now a bulldozed track for the estate owners to be able to drive to Loch Treig to go sailing. That said, it was a lot easier underfoot than yesterday‘s walk and i was soon at Loch Treig. This was a bit disappointing at first as the water level was extremely low. Then i realised that you could see the stumps of the old forest in the mud, along with rivers streaming over vast areas of bare rock and i warmed to it. I could have visited the old lodge at the end of the lake, but the bridge wasn‘t as sturdy as the first one i‘d crossed and i took no chances!

From there, the 2 km to the bothy along a muddy path seemed to take ages! And it was muddy, but in a comforting way. You just knew that you weren ‘t going to go much deeper than the knee and that gave you confidence. The path follows the river Abhainn Rath and if you were staying in the bothy, there were plenty of opportunities to pick up deadwood for the fire. You also get a feel for the scale of the place. The river was very large, something that you would not be walking by in the hills in Eryri. Even the towering peak in front of me, Creag Ghuanach, was probably overlooked but would be on everyone‘s list if it were back home. Next time, i ‘ll climb it - i don‘t care if it‘s not a Munro or a Corbett, but i suspect it‘s a Marilyn. Whatever it was, it dominated this walk. Whether because it was a sheer 400m above me, or if the ‘real‘ mountains were obscured in cloud, who can tell.

I was glad to reach the bothy, the walk had been harder than i expected. It‘s a well looked after bothy, reasonably clean inside - but some had left some obvious items of junk there. I was in no position to carry them out, and they may have been left there by someone so i had to leave them. What had definately been left was a 2 hour log, a sort of instant fire! I was cold, and damp and morale was lifted with this little item. I‘ll just redress the bothy karma when i next visit Dulyn and i‘ll leave some there. Someone had also left some firelighters and some, essentially, matches. There was plenty of wood, and i'd found a couple of fallen branches too, which i left for someone else as they were too damp. So the next visitors would be able to light an emergency fire if needed. Someone had obviously been using the logbook as a firelighter, or something. I would have left a note, but i had no pen - so next time i visit a bothy i‘ll make a note of taking a pen and pencil and leaving them if they‘re absent from the bothy.

These 2 hour fire logs are quite impressive items. The heat thrown off was much higher than you‘d have expected. I dried off a treat. The only problem was that it was burning only too well! I had an hour at the bothy before i had to return. So i had to poke the log occasionally, upon which it‘d burn even hotter. Eventually, after i‘d finished my soup and the sun had come out, the fire was out.

Of course, the moment i left again the sun vanished and i had a bit more rain! This was all the way back to Loch Treig, and back up along the road to Corrour. And, it was uphill at the end of the day, straight into the strengthening wind. It was in this worsening weather that i passed some camping, looking quite uncomfortable. They enquired where i was staying and they were not far behind me getting into the warm hostel. Fortunately not before me as i needed to bagsy the clothes airer.

Still, it had been a satisfying yomp out. The whole trip had pleased. I‘d done a Munro, a Corbett and a Bothy; so something different every day. Better still is that there are so many hills around here that I‘ll have to come back in the spring as the hostel shuts till then, unless I can get a group together.

Info on Rentahostel http://www.rentahostel.com/web/site/home/home.asp

Info on the Mountain Bothy Association. http://www.mountainbothies.org.uk/

Click here for route map

The next day saw much the same sort of weather. Rain and wind, with very little sun forecast. Had i been home, i’d have stayed in bed. So i waited in the hostel till i was thrown out, and had a cup of tea with one of the guys who’d camped in the wood last night. His mates were on Beinn nan Lap and he really couldn’t be arsed running up there before the train.

So i set off, not expecting much. It was generally windy and wet, and i was a bit rough from the brandy the previous night (which really didn’t help). Had the station house been open, i’d probably have found my way into there, but fortunately it wasn’t open for another couple of hours. So across the railway and straight into knee deep mud.

The landrover track was all churned up, and apparently the path that follows the ralway line to Loch Treig is impassable for the last 500m at the station end. Beware, the stories i heard during my stay of people being pulled out of the bog were legion. From men up to their armpits, blokes getting pulled out in their St Andrews boxers with their trousers and boots remaining in the bog, to muddy dog stories. So i really didn’t fancy that. Though my mate Mark did sound keen to join me next time ;-)

I followed a very faint path once off the landrover track and this was pleasant walking. Bit soggy, but that was more down to the weather than anything else. Soon i was at the river, and had to find a crossing point, which wasn’t easy - but there was a ‘ford’ of some description a bit downstream of where it shows on the map. Then the path disappears!

Fortunately, it did lead me first past the worst of the valley base bogs and to the slopes of Beinn a Bhric, which were really a case of slogging up. And i really don’t like slogging up. Had i known there was such a clear path on the ridge, i’d have been much more positive, which i was once i reached it.

Now i’ve complained about the weather enough. But, it was clearing. I could see to Loch Treig and down Loch Ossian from the ridge and i started to think it was worth it. Great, endless mountains to one side and the flat expanse of Rannoch Moor with it’s numerous glistening lochans to the other. This was why i came up here, for the views were much larger than back home. More remote, closer to nature. Then i cursed as i could only send texts on my mobile.

The walking was much easier now. The hangover was clearing, but i still wanted to be in front of a fire with a hot coffee. So instead of following the main track to the summit of Beinn a Bhric, i contoured around with a faint landrover track and hit the col directly. This is one of the few high cols i can think of that has a stream to cross, look on the map and it does look unusual. Probably a testament to the rainfall they have around here.

Finally though, the ascent of Leum Uilleim started to reveal some proper mountain terrain. It was stonier and the ground undferfoot drier. To the right i now had the unexpected view of Blackwater Reservoir. A vast, strangely shaped loch, with a backdrop of what i later found out to be the Glencoe peaks. Then, just before the summit, i came across a long line of red stone that i thought was brick at first glance.

Finally i was on top. It was bitterly cold now, and i knew i wasn’t to stay up here too long. I spotted the distinctive summit cairn. Walked to it and yet another pleasant surprise was to be found. There’s a sheltered seat inside the cairn. Fortunately, the wind was blowing in the right direction or it may not have been so sheltered. So i was able to rest a short while and look at the summit mist.

Today i realied that tracking skills are much more important than map and compass skills on occasions. I mananged to follow a very faint pair of tyre tracks, though it took a rather wetter route than i’d like. It even included the obligatory large, impassable bog when in view of the walk’s end. A precarious leap saw that out of the way, but not without some loss of grip and a momentary fear that i was to go arse first into the bog i thougt i’d so cleverly avoided. The greatest fear was that at this point, such an event would render me too dirty to go into the Station House and i’d miss out on my food. That shouldn’t have been much of a problem as i heard later that their dress code includes boxers for those who fall foul of the bogs.

http://www.corrour.co.uk/index.php for info on the Corrour Estate.

The Station House has two websites, but ISN’T open mondays - despite what the website says. If in doubt, give them a ring. http://www.corrourstationhouse.co.uk/ http://www.mini-webs.com/bethsbit/

Click here for route map.

On leaving the train, it was a quick walk to the Youth Hostel where I was greeted by Nick and told where i could store my gear till the evening. I took a quick look at the composting toilets and wasn’t keen but decided it was better than the bothying equivelent of a size 10 heel hole. I popped into the hostel for water and was well impressed with how warm it was, I was looking forward to getting back here this evening.

I felt rather rough too due to the poor night’s sleep, so a shortish walk was probably the best bet. The weather didn’t look great either. I followed the new estate track before an obvious but faint path led up the boggy slopes of Beinn Nan Lap. Once the main slope was cleared, the wide ridge gave good walking and i regretted not bringing my other map so I could carry on over the summit and down to Strath Ossian before returning along the loch. So i dutifully took my own summit photo on top of my first Munro, looked at the lack of view and returned the way I’d come. There was barely a path, but it was easy walking until the boggy bits were reached again and then i spared my boots by travelling most of the way down on my arse. I met my first and only walker on the descent of the hill, a guy called Ian whom i would meet later in the hostel. I saw nobody else on the hills for the entire trip, something unheard of further south.

Walking was civilised today, with a proper lunch stop at the Station House where i was served some proper food too. It’s a new building, with all the facilities, but unusually for a new building it fits in to it’s suroundungs. Apparently, it was built to serve the hoarde of workers who were building the huge lodge at the far end of the Loch. But today it was quiet here, with only a couple for company. Before i left though, it did fill up with walkers waiting for the next train.

Once i’d dragged myself away from the real fire at the Station House,it was then a ‘quick’ ‘round of the Loch that i most definately underestimated in distance. If nothing else, i managed to get a decent leg stretch in on the first day, and definately much more of a walk than i’d expected this morning. Some guys were camping in the forest, so i stopped to rest my feet and chat to them for a while. The first of many Munro baggers I’d see this weekend. One was also a Munro virgin, so we celebrated a bit and then i was on my way to the Youth Hostel.