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7 hours ago, Big Fifer said:

Had a lazy as f**k summer and haven't managed a single munroe. Going to do Ben Vorlich at Loch Lomond on Saturday though. Anyone done it from Ardlui train station? Few routes online but always trust the P&B massive a bit more.

Yeah, I’ve done Ben Vane and Ben Vorlich from the car park nearby.

You walk up the path to the right of the road then turn right further up and go under a rail bridge. From there it’s quite a wee walk until you can see the dam and you just start heading up Ben Vorlich from a cairn.

Its quite steep to start with but then once you are on the flatter top it’s straight forward. I think having access to a bike would make it quicker to get to the bottom of the hill. 

I would recommend getting a picture of where you turn off up the hill to keep you right. Straight forward from there though even in bad conditions.

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Just spent a week in Kinlochewe staring out the window at gales and driving rain. Absolutely #seething. Tomorrow looks better so it's a likely repeat of Beinn Damh. Next week's forecast for week 2 if this holuday in Ullapool can get into the fucking sea as well [emoji38]

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 21/08/2017 at 23:39, jupe1407 said:

Thanks mate :)

Hard to tell from that where you ended up, but the ascent of A'Mhairchonach from Geal Charn is a steep grassy slog depending on the line you take. As munros go, these are fairly straightforward as you get a decent starting height. The circuit of 4 is a bit tougher as it's around 13 miles, and the descent off the last one Sgairneach Mhor, is a boggy and heathery clusterfuck. 

I did these four yesterday and thought it easier to quote a post than try to type them all.

Other than being able to tick them off, I'd be lying if I said they were anywhere near my favourites. Completely featureless mountains (no trees, just grass gravel and ankle high heather), no real challenge and the A9 in view nearly the whole time so no sense of wilderness. Some decent views in all directions but I've seen better.

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I did these four yesterday and thought it easier to quote a post than try to type them all.
Other than being able to tick them off, I'd be lying if I said they were anywhere near my favourites. Completely featureless mountains (no trees, just grass gravel and ankle high heather), no real challenge and the A9 in view nearly the whole time so no sense of wilderness. Some decent views in all directions but I've seen better.
They're actually a good day under snow. Loch Ericht and the Alder hills look awesome in winter.

Other than that though, yeah they're pretty ordinary. Four munros for less than 1100m total ascent is rarely going to be brutally difficult. Sgairneach Mhor (the heathery fucker) is a pretty miserable descent as well.

Wait till you do the two on the other side. They are utter bollocks.
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Those 4 are a bit nondescript - but it's not a bad walk on a nice day (as it was when I did it).

The only notable thing from that day  was that I saw someone pretty clearly on the 3rd hill when I was approaching but when I got there, they were no where to be seen and there was no way they could have gone anywhere without me seeing them. It was obviously my eyes playing tricks but despite solo camping in the middle of nowhere plenty of times and spending nights on my own in creaky bothies, it was the only time I've been spooked in any way in the hills :) 

On another subject - I'm planning to go to Arran next weekend for (bizarrely) the first time and I can't decide between doing Goat Fell and the Sannox Horseshoe - anyone got experience of the latter? I love a decent scramble and I don't hang about but I'll have some less experienced folk with me on this trip and I'm guessing it might be a bit full on...

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37 minutes ago, Swello said:

Those 4 are a bit nondescript - but it's not a bad walk on a nice day (as it was when I did it).

The only notable thing from that day  was that I saw someone pretty clearly on the 3rd hill when I was approaching but when I got there, they were no where to be seen and there was no way they could have gone anywhere without me seeing them. It was obviously my eyes playing tricks but despite solo camping in the middle of nowhere plenty of times and spending nights on my own in creaky bothies, it was the only time I've been spooked in any way in the hills :) 

On another subject - I'm planning to go to Arran next weekend for (bizarrely) the first time and I can't decide between doing Goat Fell and the Sannox Horseshoe - anyone got experience of the latter? I love a decent scramble and I don't hang about but I'll have some less experienced folk with me on this trip and I'm guessing it might be a bit full on...

Only ever had the heebies once on a hill, Beinn Challuim last January.

You ever stayed at Ben Alder Cottage? Heard a few stories about that place :lol:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Me and my pal did the Glen Lochay pair of Creag Mhor and Beinn Heasgairnich yesterday. The "standard" route is lengthy with lots of ascent and a walk out over horrific bog so we biked in from Loch Lyon dam to do them from the north, thinking it would be a far easier day. We were wrong :lol: I was in absolute ruins last night. Largely pathless ground, lots of strength-sapping long, wet grass topped with soft snow and a descent from hell.

Cracking summit views though. 

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Given that I've been in pretty much every part of scotland with any sort of mountains, it's a bit of an odd thing that I've never been to Arran. That changed on Saturday as I took some mates for a wander up Goatfell by the Corrie route and a night on the (Lam)lash - and now I feel a bit daft for having (unintentionally) avoided it before. 

Weather was perfect - and the bitter northerly had cleaned up the atmosphere very nicely as Ireland was clearly visible and Jura looked weirdly close. Won't be long until I'm back for a bigger day... 

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6 hours ago, jupe1407 said:

Me and my pal did the Glen Lochay pair of Creag Mhor and Beinn Heasgairnich yesterday. The "standard" route is lengthy with lots of ascent and a walk out over horrific bog so we biked in from Loch Lyon dam to do them from the north, thinking it would be a far easier day. We were wrong :lol: I was in absolute ruins last night. Largely pathless ground, lots of strength-sapping long, wet grass topped with soft snow and a descent from hell.

I did these two as late as I could without making them my last munros as they looked pretty bad - but actually had a decent day in the snow. I cycled along the "top" hydro track and dumped my bike 2/3rds of the way along and after doing the hills, dropped back down to the bike before I hit the dreaded peat bog. I remember wondering why it wasn't the standard route, bike or not...

Route from my GPS log:

hears.thumb.PNG.571b3c3c2c50365ccbadcbe90041af7d.PNG

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4 hours ago, Swello said:
I did these two as late as I could without making them my last munros as they looked pretty bad - but actually had a decent day in the snow. I cycled along the "top" hydro track and dumped my bike 2/3rds of the way along and after doing the hills, dropped back down to the bike before I hit the dreaded peat bog. I remember wondering why it wasn't the standard route, bike or not...
Route from my GPS log:
hears.thumb.PNG.571b3c3c2c50365ccbadcbe90041af7d.PNG

Aye I don't know either. The standard route looks horrific. A few years back a guy went into the bog up to his chest through the rotting carcass of a sheep [emoji38]

ETA: Arran looks sensational, I've avoided it so far out of sheer laziness. Great photos 

Edited by jupe1407
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  • 1 month later...
On 10/29/2018 at 14:21, Swello said:

I did these two as late as I could without making them my last munros as they looked pretty bad - but actually had a decent day in the snow. I cycled along the "top" hydro track and dumped my bike 2/3rds of the way along and after doing the hills, dropped back down to the bike before I hit the dreaded peat bog. I remember wondering why it wasn't the standard route, bike or not...

Route from my GPS log:

hears.thumb.PNG.571b3c3c2c50365ccbadcbe90041af7d.PNG

Same route as me a couple of years ago, minus any kind of bike.

The bit from Heasgarnich back down to the track may have been slightly different, but it was a slog and a half nonetheless. Doubt I'll be back unless someone asks me to take them there.

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I've been doing some local Borders stuff over Xmas/NY break - but nothing exciting (unless you think following the John Buchan Way from Peebles to Broughton is exciting :) ).

I'm planning to make a small dent in the Corbetts this year to try to see if I really want to aim to do them all - and I'm currently trying to work out what to do this weekend as a starter for 2019..It all depends on the weather but Beinn Dearg in Torridon has been calling for a while, as has Cul Mor in Inverpolly....

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Weather was looking too shite to bother with a long haul north today, so went for a fairly local leg stretcher despite the high winds. Decided to walk along the top of the Devil's Beeftub nr Moffat as far as Whitehope Heights to see if it was a decent route to Hartfell, the only Corbett in these parts that I've not climbed (short answer is that it isn't IMO, despite the walk out to Whitehope being pretty good going).

With the wind about 50 - 60mph, the weather changed stupidly quickly - sunny one minute and a few minute later, the world had gone black and white as showers zoomed through. Better than sitting on my arse in the house....

(only had my phone, no camera)

IMG_20190113_112715-2.thumb.jpg.a045b1a850386c437a5c177430a766d1.jpgIMG_20190113_115123.thumb.jpg.25ef29589d11bbb59f3849b1a2367934.jpgIMG_20190113_120142.thumb.jpg.be1622da2a4362680f3b408362a6b26b.jpgIMG_20190113_123415.thumb.jpg.2978d4f71271cf12d0cacd55d2e48b73.jpg

 

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