Wednesday 26 April 2023 - Craiganour (4) - Carn Dearg

Carn Dearg summit

After another hearty breakfast, 16 of us drove to Rannoch Station Tea Room and indulged in tea, coffee, cake and postcards before catching the 11.09 train to Mallaig. Except we weren't going to Mallaig,  we were just going to the next stop - Corrour. The conductor chose not to charge us for the short journey.

We all walked up past stonechats to Peter's Rock - a memorial to a young life lost nearby. Then Graham, Phil and Sue took the low level route back past the remans of the Old Lodge sanatorium, to the Rannoch road. The rest of us went up and over Carn Dearg.

The air was clear and mostly warm, the clouds high, - superb conditions for an excellent walk.

Fighter jet pilots were ripping through the sky just above us and were clearly enjoying themselves as well.

Lunch on the summit, then an amble down to the road, where Richard's car had been left to ferry the drivers back to their motors at Rannoch Station. Thus we all got back to base soon after 6pm, in plenty of time for our 7:30 dinner.

Still sunny outside, but a gloomy forecast for tomorrow.

Today's walk was about 17km, with 600 metres ascent, taking 6 hours or so. 

Later - More pictures from today:

Rannoch Station

Group photo, with Leum Uilleim.

Chaffinches hoover up the crumbs.

It's a popular Tea Room and Visitor Centre.

Looking back to Rannoch Station and Leum Uilleim.

Looking ahead to Loch Ossian and Ben Alder.

View towards Ben Nevis.

Loch Ossian Youth Hostel.

Loch Ossian.

Peter's Stone.

The view from Peter's Stone.

Time to climb Carn Dearg, whilst Sue, Phil and Graham take the track past the Old Lodge.

A break on the way to the summit.

View to Blackwater Reservoir.

Carn Dearg summit - 941 metres.

Summit views.

A small lochan on the ridge.

It's a long ridge to come down. Rests were needed.

17km, 600 metres ascent, 6 hours.

Tuesday 25 April 2023 - Craiganour (3) - Schiehallion

Elevenses

On another cold day with occasional flurries, Sue and I were joined by Tove, Richard, Robin and Julie for the short drive through Kinloch Rannoch to the Schiehallion car park.

Pay and display £3, but no need for the overflow car park today, and not too crowded on the hill.

Good visibility found us enjoying the views,  as were ptarmigan and smaller birds, with a bird of prey high overhead assessing his domain.

Elevenses in a sheltered spot, then a rocky plod in a cool breeze to the summit, where Tove celebrated by confirming that this was her 800th Marilyn (hills of relative significance), of which she is very proud. Richard was also very proud, reckoning this to be his fifth Munro summit, whilst Julie and Sue thought this to be their third ascent of Schiehallion and I trumped the lot with my sixth ascent (at least) and Robin admitted to being devoid of records of such inconsequential matters.

On the summit

It was cold on top. I hastened down to wait for the others in a sheltered spot. We reassembled and enjoyed a leisurely lunch before completing this modest 10km walk in around 5 hours.

An excellent walk over familiar ground, and it was good to see that the fine path engineered by the John Muir Trust some years ago is standing up to the heavy use inflicted upon it.

Later - More pictures from today:

Julie and Tove setting off from the car park.

Elevenses (see above as well).

Woolly Fringe Moss

Ascending.

Tove's 800th Marilyn.

On the summit of Schiehallion.

Rock scenery and the view to Rannoch.

Richard, and a vast array of mountains on the clear day.

Descent to a sheltered lunch spot (near our elevenses venue).

10km, 730 metres ascent, taking 4 hours or so.

Then home for more cake...and dinner.

Scotch eggs starter, using black pudding due to a sausage meat delivery failure. Delicious.

Monday 24 April 2023 - Craiganour Lodge (2) - Beinn Mholach

I'm having trouble with postings that aren't from home, and with email postings. And any comments I make seem to be Anonymous, even when I'm signed in to a Google account.

There is also a poor phone signal and slow WiFi here at Craiganour, so please bear with me - I'll try to add more at a later date if time permits.

So postings and pictures will be limited and brief for a while.

Today eleven of our group of 18 set off from Craiganour with the 841 metre summit of Beinn Mholach in mind. The other ten were all intent on climbing a scraggy little hill called Creag a'Mhadaidh on the way. That proved enough for Mike, who promptly turned around and headed back down the track.

The remaining nine nearly caught me up at my lunch break on the slopes of Mholach. But they stopped for their own leisurely lunch a little below the spot where I was perched.

After the 9:30 start, I reached the summit before 2pm. For a long time the top looked deceptively close due to the huge cairn that forms very good wind break.

Black grouse were seen on the ascent, and lizards on the descent. Others saw deer, hares and ptarmigan.
A slow descent had me expecting the others to pass me, but the only person I saw was Bee, our chef, out for a run.

Back at base, excellent tea and cake on arrival at 5pm, with the others strolling in a few minutes later, having taken a different descent route.

The picture above was taken on Mholach's summit. Note the iconic shape of Schiehallion in the background.

21km, with about 700 metres ascent, in about 7.5 hours. Map to follow. 

Later - More pictures (and a map) from today:

Loch Rannoch from our bedroom.

Getting ready to walk from the Lodge.

Through the woods to open ground with a view of Beinn Mholach in the distance.

Looking north from the slopes of Mholach, towards Loch Garry.

Still quite a way to the pimple that is in fact a big cairn.

A view from the summit, to Loch Rannoch and Schiehallion.

21km, 700 metres ascent, 7.5 hours.

Back at base, our dining room.