Carn Dearg and Sgor Gaibhre, 1st April 2017

After our early night previous, we had a fairly decent sleep. The wind had died down and there were a few showers through the night, but we were warm and dry.

Waking up the next morning as it got light was nice, and opening the tent door to see a big red deer stag in the glen not far from the tent is one of those things you should never photograph, only experience.

We got up, brushed our teeth, had a breakfast and coffee, then packed away the tent and stored our stuff around the back of the station house. 

By 8:40am, we were on the road, under overcast skies, with a hint of sunshine:

On the road

We headed along the road, past the Youth Hostel and up to Peter's Rock. We decided we would hit Carn Dearg first, and enjoy the flat walk along Loch Ossian at the end.

About half an hour into the walk, it started to get quite warm and the clouds started to break up, so we decided to dump the waterproofs.

Corrour

From Peter's Rock, it was up to the ridge on Carn Dearg. We found a sheltered spot for a coffee and a bar of chocolate, then it was on to the summit, for bang on 11am. Carn Dearg has quite an impressive Cairn, someone cares about that hill.

Carn Dearg Summit

We took some snaps and enjoyed the views.

Carn Dearg Summit

It looked a fair distance to Sgor Gaibhre and it's quite a drop down to 700m or so, but the clouds were continuing to clear and the company was good, so it was a pleasant walk.

The land still looked soaking from snow-melt and the previous day's rain.

Wet land

It's a straight path from the bealach to the summit of Carn Dearg. Once we hit the summit, the views to the East and South were stunning. We were at the top at 12pm.

Sgor Gaibhre

Schiehallion

Sgor Gaibhre with Schiehallion in the distance

We stopped for a bit to eat and to really take in the views. It was a wee bit windy, but not too cold, and watching the clouds reflecting on the wee lochan far below was a real pleasure.

Nice spot for lunch

We decided to go for Sgor Choinnich on the recommendation of a nice fella the day before who was completing all the Munro tops.

So we did, and then onto Meall Nathrach Mor and then on down towards the lodge via the forest.

We hit the road at Ossian about 2pm, with slightly sore and tired feet. The rain had come on briefly, but we didn't get too soaked.

The walk along the road back to Corrour was long, but the promise of a cold beer at the end was a strong pull.

Loch Ossian

We got to Corrour just before 3:30pm and grabbed a bench in the sunshine and had that beer that we had been looking forward to.

Once we arrived, we met a runner who we had met earlier in the afternoon. Vicky had driven up to Bridge of Orchy and gotten the train from there that morning and had done the walk we'd just finished in 3.5 hours! We sat and gabbed for a few hours about hills and bikes. I had promised myself I'd try and run The Cobbler last year but never quite got round to it, but I think I'll go for it this year. Thanks for the inspiration Vicky!

The train from Glasgow that arrived at 4pm brought a bunch of young lads keen to see the wonders of the great outdoors with some Bucky and Strongbow in tow.  It was someone's 20th birthday and they wanted to celebrate with a visit to the famous Trainspotting location. They certainly added some colour to the day and were nice enough, but we decided to let them get on the train first and shift to a different carriage for the return journey home.

Trainspotting

Just before we left, Corrour treated us to a lovely rainbow over Beinn Na Lap, closing off a fantastic weekend of climbing.

A rainbow to finish the day

Distance: 22.25km
Duration: 6h 41m
Ascent: 1021m
Munro Count: 130