KYQ4: Carn Mor & Bidean a' Chabair, Glen Dessarry

Carn Mor from east ridge

Friday 5 May 2017

Ascent: 1920 metres

Distance: 22 kilometres

Time: 10 hours 34 minutes

Carn Mor 829m 2hrs 26mins

Bidean a' Chabair 867m 5hrs 41mins

We parked at Strathan and walked in to the A' Chuil bothy in Glendessary. It was being refurbished but we were going to camp in any case and we walked another 400 metres before finding a suitable site. As always it was impossible to find a flat patch of ground but the dry soft grass provided a comfortable mattress. It was another sun-basked morning and we managed to get away before 8am, climbing straight up from the tents to the 5 kilometre long east ridge leading to Carn Mor. The first 550 metres of ascent was a stiff climb, I took the left ridge and John and Keith went up the right ridge and once on the broad summit ridge the vistas opened up. We were treated to that rare event in this part of the world, a sunny day with the cool easterly wind making it pleasant for walking and ensuring excellent visibility. We took a longish break at the summit, which we reached just after 10am. Three retired seasoned walkers with over 6000 munros climbed between us, we deserved a rest, so many outings in the past had been during long days when time was the essence and weather conditions not conducive to stopping.

The OS map does not provide the best of detail in these remote parts but we found a feasible route down the north east ridge and then by following a burn that dropped steeply to the glen below. We had lost almost all our height and had another longish break at the burn whilst we topped up our water bottles and viewed the grassy ramps leading to the summit ridge of Bidean a' Chabair. Keith started at his usual steady pace and made the summit 10 minutes before John and I. We passed an elderly couple on their descent near the summit, they were staying at Strathan in a camper van and had watched us arrive the night before. They were envious that we were about to complete our second Corbett of the day and described themselves as 'one a day walkers'. Bidean a' Chabair was about the limit of their range and they had cycled up Glendessary for the first 5 kilometres.

The final 100 metres of ascent was a delightful walk through a group of small lochans with a steepish scramble to the splendid rocky summit. With Knoydart to the north and Rum and Skye to the north west, we were spoilt for views and this was further extended when an eagle appeared over the twin summit of Sgurr na h-Aide. We had hoped to be here by 2pm but had made it with some time to spare so we celebrated with a good half hour stop. John and Keith were getting close to finishing their round of Corbetts, or third round in the case of Keith. They had a palpable sense of being 'nearly there' as this was possibly the most remote Corbett.

Our descent was by a series of grassy ramps back to where we had started the climb and then we had a 2 kilometre walk along a glorious sinuous valley that bisects the two corbetts. There was a steep final climb before dropping to the edge of the conifer plantation and the trail back to Strathan. We entered the forest through a broken gate and followed a boggy path alongside a burn for a kilometre until we reached the river. The dry weather meant an easy crossing of the river to reach the track on the other side that continues through the forest for a couple of kilometres until it emerges near the A Chuil bothy. We met a young German walker heading towards Inverie, he was ecstatic about the conditions and the fact that we had left our tents whilst we went for the walk without any fear of any theft. He loved the values of collective honesty and the freedom of the Scottish wild places. We persuaded him to take a diversion up Sgurr na Ciche in the morning as he said that he was ahead of schedule and had time to spare and looked to have the energy to tackle the best of the Knoydart munros.

We packed the tents and walked back the final 5 kilometres to Strathan along the good track. It was a perfect evening although still chilly in the easterly breeze. We met several walkers heading into Knoydart for the weekend and reached the cars before 7pm. The drive out along Loch Arkaig was, as usual, both frustrating and slow but the drive home was in the best of May conditions. The views of the grey corries and then Glencoe were quite sublime but hunger drove us on so there were no stops for photos.