An Caisteal

An Caisteal from Bealach Buidhe

Start of the day

Beinn Dubhchraig and Fiarach from Coire a' Chuilinn

An Caisteal from Beinn Chabhair

Descending Beinn Chabhair

Come Dine with Us

Nuts and Ravens 

Beinn Chabhair

An Caisteal from Beinn a' Chroin

Beinn a Chroin from An Caisteal

An Caisteal summit betwixt Ben More and Stob Binnein

Loch Long from An Caisteal

Monday, 5 March 2012
Time:                                       6hrs 52mins
Ascent:                                    1510metres
Distance:                                 15km


Beinn Chabhair        933m      2hrs 31mins
Beinn a Chroin         942m      4hrs 09mins
An Caisteal               995m     5hrs 16mins

This is what retirement is all about said John as we skirted along the ridge linking the various tops on Beinn a' Chroin. Despite being a veteran of three Munro rounds, he had hardly had a decent day on the hills since retiring almost two years ago and was becoming more reclusive as a cyclist.  We had made plans to walk late on Sunday on the back of the BBC national weather forecast. I collected him at the back of 9am and we drove to Crianlarich and down the A82 to Derrydarroch where we parked in a lay-by.  It was cold, there had been an overnight frost, but it was clear and the early morning blue sky was holding its own against an advancing phalanx of cloud.  We walked briefly southwards along the West Highland Way and then skirted across the hillside to the Allt a' Chuilinn. The ground was saturated and for once I was pleased that I had decided to wear boots and gaiters. It was difficult to cross the river after recent rains and there was a veneer of slippy vegetation on the rocks.

We continued upstream, crossed the river in the corrie and then headed for a bealach to the east of Meall nan Tarmachan on the Beinn Chabhair ridge.  From about 650m we were walking through soft snow and the ridge was in winter condition with a layer of hard ice below the recent sprinkling of snow.  The summit was chilly in the north-westerly breeze with a lone walker circling the cairn as he munched a doorstep of a sandwich. We started the descent down the snow slopes, sledging some of the way down on our jackets to the 619m bealach between Beinn Chabhair and the next two munros.  We stopped for lunch and were joined by a Raven who seemed to enjoy some of my Wensleydale and Geeta's Mango Chutney sandwich to such an extent that he then sat behind me waiting for me to retrieve my second sandwich.  John threw him a few nuts and raisins to distract him and he squawked or choked loudly before taking flight.

The climb up to Bealach Buidhe was long and hard but once on the ridge there was an enjoyable canter on the path which threaded up to the collection of tops that is Beinn a'Chroin. The weather had settled and we had a good walk out and back in the reflected and brilliant light of the snow and ice. We returned to the bealach and started the ascent of An Caisteal during which the views opened up across to Cruach Ardrain and Ben More and the north with even Ben Nevis visible.  To the south Loch Long was glinting in the late afternoon sun and we lingered on the summit enjoying the spectacular views in all directions.

The descent was down the snow slopes towards Stob Glas and then into Coire a' Chuilinn for the walkout. It had been a tiring day with the boggy ground on the lower slopes and the soft snow higher up but walking on winter's days such as this is beguiling.  The last time we had done these munros we had also climbed Cruach Ardrain and Beinn Tulaichean in mid-December. We had made a dangerous descent through the rocky outcrops on Beinn Tulaichean in the mist and dark from which John still has scars. This time it was just fond memories and we had enough light to drive home. A friend on reading the post sent me this linearised version of my friend the Raven. It is less scary than the real thing.

My friend the Raven