KYQ4: Beinn a' Chlachair

Beinn a' Chlachair summit, cornice collapsing

Saturday, 19 April 2014
Ascent: 1325 metres
Distance: 24 kilometres
Time: 6 hours 58 minutes

Creag Pitridh 924m 2hrs 21mins
Gael Charn 1049m 3hrs 10mins
Beinn a' Chlachair 1087m 4hrs 57mins

The car was frosted over, but the air was still, and the sky was blue; days like this are made for walking. I left home at 6:30am for the two and a half hour drive up the A9 to Dalwhinnie and from there to Luiblea by Loch Laggan. I was walking by 9:00am, and it looked like I had chosen the hills with the least cloud cover. It is a long walk in from Luiblea along a well-graded track towards the cobalt blue waters of Lochan-na-h-Earba. Behind me were the southern flanks of Creag Meaghaidh and Beinn a' Chaoruinn, a wonderful long ridge walk over 5 munros when combined together. To the west, the Easains and Grey Corries rose above the nearby plantations and were easily distinguished, as was the conical peak of Stob Ban.

In front was the massive northern slope of Beinn a' Chlachair, which would be the third of the munros today. As always, I reflected on my previous visits to these hills; all of them with walking friends, today would be my first solo excursion on these hills. They are a good sample of how my previous Munro rounds have progressed, with round 4 compleated in 80 days over three and a half years.

1990, I climbed the three munros with John on a gloomy November day before staying at the Glen Roy Hostel and then Beinn Teallach and Beinn a' Chaorainn the next morning and Stob Coire Sgriodain and Cno Dearg in the afternoon after hearing the seismic lunchtime news that Michael Heseltine was to stand against Margaret Thatcher for the Tory leadership.
In 1998, it was a weekend excursion over these three munros, camping just below the summit of Creag Pitridh after leaving work on Friday with Gregor, Alan and Peter Geddes. The next day we climbed the three munros and then the 4 munros on the Aonach Beag ridge and camped below Ben Alder before climbing Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil the next day. Peter and I ran back to Luiblea to collect the car whilst Gregor and Alan walked out to Dalwhinnie, from where we collected them.
In 2003, I collected Mark from Dalwhinnie Station on a Friday evening in September. I had given a talk at a conference in Pitlochry in the morning, and climbed Gael Charn in the Monalaidhs in the afternoon. We walked in and camped below Beinn a' Chlachair, climbed the three Munros the next morning before climbing Bynach Mor in the Cairngorms in the afternoon and then heading up to the Torridons to climb Beinn Eighe and Beinn Alligan the next day and then Slioch on the way home after ten Munros in the Stirling long weekend
2007, another after-work excursion with Mark on a glorious May evening; we drove up to Luiblea, climbed the three munros and intended to bivvy by the burn in An Lairig; the midges were ferocious, so we climbed to the summit of Carn Dearg, arriving at midnight. The slight breeze kept the midges at bay, and the next day we climbed the 4 munros on the Aonach Beag ridge and nipped over to Beinn na Lap and then decided to add Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain before walking out to Moy lodge and hitching a lift back to Luib with three inebriated fishermen, a lot more dangerous than the ten munros in 24-hour adventure.

On none of these three occasions had I witnessed conditions anywhere as good as today. It would be a relatively straightforward excursion, and I was equipped in summer gear, including a pair of Gore-Tex trainers. I even had room for an SLR camera in the small rucksack.

After curving round and crossing the outflow of Lochan na-h-Earba, I began the climb up a good path to Bealach Leamhain before cutting off at 470 metres to begin a long but direct climb over heather-strewn ground to Creag Pitridh. It was certainly a lot easier than it had been when I had last taken this same route on a September day with Mark. The cool air persisted despite the sun, and a breeze was providing a pleasant climate for the ascent. On the summit, it felt cold, and I put on a jumper and had some food and drink whilst soaking up the views.

It is an easy descent of only 110 metres before a steady climb to the long summit plateau of Gael Charn. There were several snow chutes on the north-facing slopes, too steep for my trainers to gain any purchase, but needs must. The cairn on Gael Charn is at the end of the ridge and one of the largest cairns; it provides good shelter from the winds. The high stratus cloud cover had blotted out the sun. I hunkered down and feasted on some cold roasted root vegetables left over from last night.

The walk over the ridge plateau from Gael Charn is easy going, and despite a line of low cliffs to be descended, it is a relaxing walk to Bealach Leamhain. I regained the path to the bealach and eyed the route up the north-east face of Beinn a' Chlachair. There was a lot of snow remaining, and it was a bit of a puzzle climbing up the steepish rocky slopes. I found a small burn gurgling with pure, perfect-tasting water that reminded me how tap water has lost its purity and taste in the quest for 'purification'. The long but gentle climb to the summit was accompanied by perfect views of the Aonach Beag ridge to the south and beyond that the snow-loaded Ben Alder plateau. Nearing the summit, the corrie was hosting a massive cornice that was peeling off in the early afternoon sun.

I was on the schedule that I had set myself and took 15 minutes to eat, photo and chat to a couple from Bridge of Allan who were embarking on a munro round. They were still at the stage of being in awe of their surroundings and slightly agog at the length of days that were needed to access so many of the hills - wait till they get to Fisherfield and Knoydart. I decided that a direct descent to the north would be preferable to retracing my steps to the bealach and set off over the convex edge of the summit. I was in luck; there were three or four snow chutes to speed progress down, and the grass and heathers were largely rock-free. Nevertheless, it took almost an hour to descend the 700 metres to the track by which time the afternoon sun was beginning to scorch me. Then another hour of walking on the meandering track to get back to Luiblea. I stopped at the bridge to take some photos for a Japanese couple framed against the magnificent scenery.

The drive home down the A9 was less busy than I expected, and I decided to continue rather than take the more scenic but slower route through Trinafour. It was a mistake. There had been an accident, and we were held up by two crashed vehicles on the southbound carriageway whilst the Police took statements and left the traffic to fend for itself. As usual, the A9 was a nightmare; I should have gone via General Wade's road to Trinafour. However, I had enjoyed a superb day on Easter Saturday and had topped up my memory with past adventures on these hills.