KYQ4: Beinn Dorain & Beinn an Dothaidh

Beinn Dorain from Beinn an Dothaidh

Saturday, 2 September 2023

Ascent: 1208 metres

Distance: 15 kilometres

Time: 4 hours 16 minutes

m Beinn Dorain. 1076m

t 993m

m Beinn an Ddothaidh 1009m

After a cloudy, rainy, miserable August, there was hope for some decent weather in September. I had decided to return to some hills on Saturday, Gregor phoned to say he had 7 or 8 hours whilst Emily did a 26-mile charity walk for MacMillan Cancer Support. I would have to find some hills that could be done in 5 hours within an hour's drive. I had wanted to climb the Black Mount but it would probably be too long for me within the time limits and a longer drive. I suggested Beinn Dorain, not amongst my favourite hills but a good viewpoint. This would be my first visit since I had walked these hills with Mark on a gloomy, windy day in September 2010.

The traffic was okay for a Saturday, although the motorbike overtaking was a bit nerve-wracking. We stopped at Tyndrum for Gregor to buy some food, the place was like the Pitt lane for a motorbike race with many older bikers stopping for a morning fag. We drove on to Bridge of Orchy and parked by the railway station. A large walking group from Stirling had arrived and was beginning their walk and had commandeered the path beyond the tunnel under the railway line. Gregor shot off, as is his wont, and I made the best pace I could lagging well behind him as we overtook everyone on the rocky and at times steep path up to the bealach at 744 metres.

Gregor was there 15 minutes ahead of me and after some water we made a charge up to the summit, a 300 metre climb along a ridge with varying gradients. The sun had emerged for a brief interlude but as we reached the summit, 400 metres beyond the first cairn that many assume is the summit, some low clouds rolled across and deleted any views. We could hear the sound of motorbikes as they buzzed along the A84 900 metres below us. The number of bikes made the sound of a beehive but lacked any bucolic images. I was only 3 minutes slower than in 2010 but Gregor wanted some faster action. We agreed to descend to the bealach and for him to then charge up Beinn an Dothiadh and to descend to the east and take the track down Allt Kinglass and the West Highland Way back to the car. It would give him 11 or 12 kilometres of running and I figured we would arrive back at the car at roughly the same time.

I was slowing on the ascent of Beinn an Dothaidh, and there was no visible sign of the direct path to the top which is still shown on the OS maps so O followed the path to the 993-metre top. It was well-used but had several boggy sections. As I reached the 993m top, Gregor was on his way down, we checked the time and agreed to meet at about 3 p.m. I continued to the summit, which had some wonderful views to the northwest over Loch Tulla to the Black Mount and lochs and lochans of Rannoch Moor. After some food, I started my descent and decided to follow the old direct path. It occasionally reappeared but it was mainly a case of negotiating through the grass and rocks and aiming for the bealach. At least there were no boggy sections.

At the bealach, the hard part of the descent began, the path is severely eroded with loose rocks and is braided as countless walkers have sought to avoid the original path. Two walkers whom I had met on the way up were struggling with the terrain and as I passed them I felt I was coping reasonably well. Five minutes later, I took a flier as I slipped on a wet boogy foothold and fell full length on the rocks below. Bruised but determined not to stop, I continued and reached the less stony lower reaches of the path that allowed me to run sections as I attempted to reach the car at the eta. I managed it to the minute and Gregor was waiting for me. He had run the last 11 kilometres and covered 23 kilometres in total. We were back in Callander at 4 p.m. so he could collect Emily and her friends. I was tired from the day and after a bath, beer and tea was ready for bed by 9 p.m.