Garbh Bheinn. Ardgour. A Magnificent Mountain.

                                               ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN
I've been out on my bike a lot in recent weeks but here's a mountain trip during the good weather. Stob Dearg on the Buachaillie Etive Mor, 1022 metres, 3353 feet. A group trip of Graeme, Alex, Bob R, David and myself squeezed into one car to save petrol money. It was a trip across the Corran Ferry into wildest Ardgour.

5:00am rise in the pitch black of a cold autumn morning at least had the benefit of a half awake dawn up Loch Lomondside then early morning mist over the iconic Southern Munros. Ben Lui, 1130 metres, seen above.

The Black Mount motoring through Rannoch Moor near Glencoe.

Black Mount Range again from Loch Ba, Rannoch Moor.

On arrival at the Corran Ferry however it was a very different story. Thick murk over Ardgour which came as a big surprise to the keen baggers but not those of us, i.e. me, that had watched the Met Office Forecast the night before. The rest of Scotland, apart from the western edge of the highlands, i.e. here, would be toasting in unbroken sunshine while we enjoyed the shade.

Once across the ferry we motored about 10kms south to Sallachan, where there is a convenient secluded layby, and set off. Alex, Graeme and Bob R headed up into the murk to climb Sgor Mhic Eacharna, 2130 feet, and Beinn Bheag, 2272 feet...Grahams, Donalds, tumps, humps or something of that ilk. This is the hills they climbed here, above David's head, once the mist had cleared on the descent. Lovely rock pavement where the river drains through the glen.

As David had mentioned an interest in Garbh Bheinn, 885 metres,or 2904 feet, I said I would tag along as I fancied climbing it one last time. The mountains of Ardgour get few visitors, having no Munros, but these hills should not be taken lightly as paths are few, the ground rugged, and walkers even fewer. I also knew Garbh Bheinn was well named as it's a very rough mountain of sheer cliffs, broken ground and bare rock where a fall or a stumble could easily result in death. There is no phone signal except near the summit. Better to stick together then. A quarter of the way up the mountain we found ourselves scrambling up long pavements of bare rock which proved very enjoyable all the way to the summit at a very easy grade although slightly harder lines could be found around grade 1 or 2 higher up.

Easy scrambling slabs beside the main cliff. If required, grassy ramps can be found all the way to the summit, avoiding the rock, but we find scrambling takes your mind off the trudge upwards and adds a little bit of excitement to the day.

Classic and Hard Rock gems. The upper cliff on Garbh Bheinn.
 Butterknife, Hard Severe. Excalibur VS, Sgian Dubh S, Scimitar VS, the Golden Lance E2, and Kelpie E6, give a sharp weapons feel to climbing on this remote and hard to reach crag near the summit. Sustained, exposed and committing in a very isolated setting with zero chance of the routes being busy. 
http://www.ukclimbing.com/logbook/crag.php?id=554
 Both Alex and myself have walked in here several times to do rock routes on this mountain in the past. Alex to do Butterknife and the Great Ridge Direct. Severe. Myself to do The Great Ridge twice with two different groups, climbed by two different routes!,  and once to do Pinnacle Ridge, a committing and exposed scramble with Graeme many years ago.

Pinnacle Ridge. Steep at first then enjoyable soloing over the rest. Around a Grade Three exposed scramble at the start then easing off into grade two with less verticality looking down between the toes.

The Great Ridge Direct. A brilliant severe but a long walk in with ropes and gear. Used to be V.Diff when we climbed it over 20 years ago. Still looks as if it receives little traffic. Ardgour really is a genuine wilderness.

Scampering along the ridge line we soon reached the summit which remained firmly in the mist. We waited around for twenty minutes to see if it would clear but both of us knew it wasn't going to happen. We decided to return down the gully just south east of the summit which would take us under the best and steepest face on the mountain. The 3 photos above were taken on this descent line.

Although it was spectacular and easy technically it was slow going underfoot as any trace of a path was inconsistent and frequently obscured under a shattered collection of boulders and loose scree falling from the cliffs each winter. Not hard in any way steepness wise and a reasonable angle but very tiring and it seemed to go on forever with weary legs like ours and every chance of a stumble or fall as many of the boulders shifted as soon as you stood on them. 30 years ago with spring loaded  legs and faster reflexes this felt exciting and easy. I even carried a tent and big pack up here. Now it was just hard on the knees and concentration levels had to stay high at all times. I really enjoyed seeing this mountain again after a long absence but I don't think I'll be back in this lifetime.

Further down the gully looking back at the Great Ridge. Even when we reached the path along the valley floor it was boggy and saturated and not much easier. When we reached the car the others had been back for a couple of hours. A really tough 9 hour day, mostly walking on bare slabs or through boulder-fields and bogs in the gullies then the glen.

A close up of the high arete on the Great Ridge. Garbh Bheinn.
 Ardgour is tough but beautiful. Garbh Bheinn is still a magnificent mountain that can easily match anything higher on the Scottish mainland. Graeme drove us back in the dark with a distinct chill in the highland air. Winter is not far away and the dark nights are here again , knocking at the door. A great trip. A last encounter with a magnificent mountain.

Unlike goats, sheep are not the brightest or most agile of creatures but seem to still think they are. Reading a fellow blogger's post (Carol) about a rescued sheep reminded me of this clip I watched years ago with two sheep on the Idwal slabs in Wales. Filmed by a rock climber, presumably, as I've done routes on the same cliff years ago. I naively thought then that placing gear in cracks and making sure I didn't fall off the route or get hit by a dislodged stone was all I had to worry about. Gripping stuff.