Lochy Munros and Ben Tee

Looking back to Ben Tee from near the Kilfinnan Falls

The path up the Allt Glas Dhoire

Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from the flanks of Meall na Teanga

Meall na Teanga summit with the Grey Corries looming behind

Ben Nevis shedding its clouds

Meall na Teanga from the stalker's path up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Meall a Choire Ghlas and Ben Tee

Looking north west from Meall a' Choire Ghlas

The ascent of Ben Tee through near vertical heather

Leacann Doire Bainneir and the erosion clefts

Head of Loch Lochy at Kilfinnan

Sunday, 25 August 2013
Ascent:       1610 metres
Distance:   20 kilometres
Time:        6 hours 48 mins

m     Meall na Teanga              947m      2hrs 21mins
m     Sron a' Choire Ghairbh    935m      3hrs 31mins
c      Ben Tee                            901m     5hrs 17mins

I was awake early in the hostel at Invergarry and after a pot of tea, I did not have any breakfast with me,  I decided to make an early start on what promised to be fine day. I was away by 7:30am and walking from Kilfinnan at the head of Loch Lochy before 8am. There was an August peace about the day and, apart from two joggers on the track that runs alongside and above Loch Lochy, I saw no one all day. Despite the walking over the past two days, I felt strong and calculated that I should be able to do the walk in six or seven hours. It normally takes me about five hours for the two munros. As I began the ascent of the Allt Glas Doire by the well marked path I could see that the cloud cover was down to about 400 metres but it looked as if it would burn off as the morning progressed. I was almost at the Cam Bhealach before the cloud lifted although it remained on Meall na Teanga.

There is a boggy section on the bealach which you need to cross before climbing steeply for 50 metres up the steep side of Meall Dubh. The path then contours round to Meall na Teanga across some more boggy ground. Finally there is a the steep climb up the north east flank of the hill before the gentle ridge to the summit. As I arrived the cloud over the Aonachs, Grey Corries and Ben Nevis began to lift. It was a tranquil day with the sky increasingly blotted in blue with white clouds looking benign. I was in a T shirt and felt comfortable, there was not a whisper of wind. After a short break I retraced my steps to the bealach expecting to meet walkers on their ascent but there were no takers.

The ascent of Sron a'Choire Ghairbh is greatly assisted by a stalkers path which zig zags through 8 bends before launching you on the final 100 metres of ascent over the accommodating short grass of the summit ridge. I tidied up the cairn at the summit and then enjoyed the beguiling promenade around to Meall a' Choire Ghlas. The views were quite staggering with the entire western highlands on display to the west from Mull through Ardgour, Morvern, Knoydart and on to Glen Shiel and beyond. Yesterday's peak of Ciste Dubh and Sgurr na Ciche in Knoydart stood out. And beyond the curving ridge was Ben Tee, looking like an extension of the ridge but in reality separated by a massive drop of 400 metres.

I began the descent of Meall a' Choire Ghlas to the north west to avoid the rock faces and as I did so three eagles soared above, my third sighting this year. The ascent of Ben Tee will not be easily forgotten, a steep jumble of heather and rocks which was only relieved by the occasional blaeberry. The summit of Ben Tee sports a large cairn which again I tidied up before finishing my sparse supply of food and water before beginning the long descent to the east.

I followed a path for the first couple of kilometres but it disappeared as the gradient lessened and boggy ground predominated. I made for the Allt a'Choire Ghlas above the waterfall but seeing the deep gorge I decided to stay north of the burn.  Progress was by a series of deer paths above the rocky slopes that fall down to the burn. Eventually I came to a deer fence with a decrepit stile beyond which a path descended by a circuitous route down to Kilfinnan.

I was mesmerised by the to deeply cut clefts in the ridge of Leacann Doire  Bainneir on the other side of Loch Lochy which looked as if they had be gauged out by a giant chisel. Loch Lochy was shimmering below and a dozen or so boats were moored as they waited to go through the Laggan Lochs. It was not yet 3pm and the sun and heat over the past couple of hours had given me a sun tan. I  had survived on an apple, banana and a couple of oat biscuits and I felt all the better for it.