A Glen Etive Weekend. Scottish Mountain Photography.

                                                  ALL PHOTOS CLICK FULL SCREEN.

A weekend about five weeks ago saw myself, Alan and Alan's friend Alexander take a trip to Glen Etive, which is a side glen off the more famous Glen Coe. It's been several years since we'd been down it and the main change seems to be more signs up warning visitors not to have fires or park in passing places. You used to be able to wild camp down Glen Etive in several locations but there was a problem with anti social behaviour and rubbish left behind so the opportunity for camping along the glen has definitely decreased. You can still do it but it does look harder to pick a spot. Like everywhere else in Scotland tourism seems to be on the increase and parked camper vans ( very popular nowadays) outnumbered tents by around ten to one in the various laybys. We ended up going right to the bottom of the glen around the head of Loch Etive where we did find a grassy spot for around a dozen or so tents. Buachaille Etive Mor, above. 1022 metres.

The weather was not that great on the day we arrived with the cloud low over the mountains and occasional showers of rain. I used to really enjoy Glen Etive decades ago and it is a spectacular glen if you are just sightseeing or bagging Munros but like most of the Scottish Highlands, unlike the Lake District, there's not that many scenic easy low level walks to be had.

I could only think of one and we did it the next day.  This is the landrover track that crosses the River Etive via a bridge going to Glenceitein House and a couple of man made private fishing ponds. 

 A view taken from the bridge. Some deep pools exist on the River Etive and some fine rocky sections where the river has carved and sculpted the rock, popular with sport kayakers using stubby craft cable of dropping into said pools without damage.

Between rain showers we stuck the tents up at the head of Loch Etive before it got dark. My euro hike tent is around 20 years old so myself and Alexander got fairly wet during the night in our tents as it rained heavily for most of it and water got in. A soggy experience. Alan was OK and stayed dry.

On the plus side we woke to a beautiful morning with clear skies and fantastic reflections. A photographers dream. Ben Cruachan here. A Munro at 1126 metres. The floating pier for forestry log removal.

I was out the tent early getting some shots before the light changed. An hour can make a real difference, or a light wind springing up over the water surface, ruining any reflections.

But our luck held.

Hillside reflection.

A lone kayaker with Ben Cruachan in the distance. Loch Etive view. This is an hour later and the crystal clear reflections have dissipated. 

I was also keen to photograph the Etive Slabs, a former club rock climbing venue from a couple of decades ago. Although they don't look that steep here.... they are when you stand underneath them, requiring ropes and an ability to climb VS or above. Something of a nostalgia trip for me as I thought back to previous visits bagging all the Munros here or ascending Spartan Slab. VS.

This is me soloing the East Coast sea cliffs near St Abbs around 2009 and I can tell you now I'm definitely not the same guy. Back then I was confident in my scrambling ability even though a slip or fall would probably mean hitting the sea and certain death. Approaching 70 years of age I would never dream of doing this now... or of willingly attempting any of the Munros again. I happily accept I've passed that stage. 

And I'm content doing lower level stuff. We did a couple of easy valley walks here but as I said there's not really a lot to do in Glen Etive if you are not rock climbing, kayaking, swimming, cycling or Munro bagging. 

But the scenery is good. A waterfall here on Ben Starav, 1078 metres. Must be 30 years since I last climbed these Munros. Still a glen loud with cuckoo's calling every spring. On another low level walk we passed a couple of mountain bikers wheeling their bikes over rough ground, travelling beyond the pier down the trackless western side of Loch Etive. Unless there's a new track completed not on my old OS map at least 6km of tough trackless walking with bikes until a track appears next/again at Barrs or one high up in the forest. Not a journey I'd pick to do, even 30 years ago. A lot of tough walking... with a bike to manhandle. Then many miles of up and down forestry track to eventually reach  Bonawe and a decent tarmac road again. I did a similar route down a different sea loch  at Glenfinnan many years ago on a bike and had to admit I was bored and frustrated most of the way. Looking down the full length of Loch Shiel from the Glenfinnan Monument to Glen Hurich it always looked so wild and magnificent but the landrover track constant roller coaster reality down the loch shoreline proved otherwise in an age before electric bike assistance and I was very glad when it ended. It was also unexpectedly industrial with a lot of timber extraction going on when I did it .... log lorries and wood piles dotted everywhere along the track.

A silver mountain... or just the way the sunlight is hitting a wet stream bed. I remember a cracking walk up these exposed slabs in the late 1980s and a great deep narrow gorge ascent to reach Stob Coir'an Albannaich, 1044 metres. Two memory episodes that feel as distant and remote as any past life.

Curved Ridge. Another past life memory of dozens of different trips here. Numerous rock climbs in sweaty humid heat. January Jigsaw. Agag's Groove, North Buttress, Or hot sunny bone dry days.... or frost and heavy snow winter ascents. Solo or roped up with various mountaineering partners, most long gone by now. To me at least. A climbers mecca.

Passing place signs. Thanks to Alan for the driving as I was free to take these photographs.

A rock tower in Glen Etive. Been up this one as well.

Swallows on a wire.

Emperor Moth at the campsite. It you ever wondered what the cuckoos feed on when they are over here from Africa it's fat juicy moth caterpillars. I noticed a lot of folk, having motored down the full length of the dead end road to Loch Etive and our campsite only spent five minutes here looking around then headed straight back up the single track road again. a round stop- start trip of close to an hour, depending on volume of traffic/campervans coming the other way. 

Luckily it wasn't too busy when we did it.

Motoring back down Loch Lomond side. Thanks to Alan for the driving and the idea to come here for the weekend.