Returned Sunday night from another wild and wind-blasted trip to the Highlands. With forecasts for
Firday and Saturday of gusts up to 90mph on the summits, and a cold NW blast on Saturday, things
didn't look exactly promising. Well, the typical visitor-from-down-south mentality prevailed, and we
went up the hill anyway, when any self-respecting Scot would have stayed in bed!
Friday: Attempt on Beinn a Chlachair, Glen Spean. Cycled in as far as Lochan na h-earba, thanks to
advice from this group. I have to say the cycling option ain't an easy one in winter, with the track
running with water, and the wind buffeting you as you go. Add to that the rear wheel nearly coming
off one of the bikes .... ah well, it helped on the way down anyway! Swollen burns to be crossed,
[censored] terrain, then soft, fresh wet snow above about 2000ft, and then the wind really got going.
Foolish decision: trying to do Chlachair at all. Should have turned left, and gone for Geal Charn
and Pitridh, with the SW/W wind behind us. As it was, we got up to about 200ft short of the summit
ridge, and the wind was whipping over the rounded summit and accelerating as it came, so far from
being on a leeward slope, we were facing its full and gusty blast. Demoralised and exhausted, we (I)
couldn't even face attempting the eastern 2 hills, and we retreated down the glen to the waiting
bikes. Ah well, experience.
Saturday: Attempt on Meall na Teanga (Loch Lochy). This one is left over from a previous year when
we climbed its neighbour, but conditions became too extreme to attempt Teanga. As before, we walked
in to the Cam Bealaich, with fitful sun and heavy snow showers now falling down to Lochside level.
Much colder than Friday. A long pull up to the wind-blasted bealach, and then up into the cloud, now
with persistent near-blizzard conditions. After toiling up an ever steepening slope on Teanga's NE
ridge, we were getting into trouble again. We were actually out of the wind, but of course here we
were on a lee slope during and after heavy snow, and avalanche thoughts began to be concerning, as
well as the difficulty of wading through the stuff, thigh-deep in places. Attempting to cross to
possibly easier ground, I set off a small avalanche, watching a sizeable balcony of snow slide
beneath my feet, although it didn't actually go very far, and I stayed where I was. I won't say I
saw my life flash before my eyes, but my immediate thought was "I'm outta here!" and after a couple
more unsuccessful attemtpt to find an easier route, we decided that our safety was more important
than any summit, and we aborted this one too! Ah well, experience!
Sunday: Going home tonight, so drove from Glen Spean in loads of fresh snow, down to Loch Tulla.
Beinn a Chreachain was in our sights, together with Achaladair, though we were aware it is a long
walk for a February day when you have to drive back to Manchester. It was still windy, but clouds
were parting as we drove over Rannoch Moor with stunning views over to the Black Mount, sugar-coated
in fresh snow, and pinkish in the early sun - glorious. We parked at the excellent car park by
Achaladair Farm, and walked up the glen along the Water of Tulla. It's a long way through Crannach
Wood, but very pretty, and the snow was down at glen floor level, so there was plenty of scenic
interest. The plod up into the northern corrie by Loch a'Chreachain was tiring with tussocky
country, and knee-deep snow between the tussocks. The pull up onto the NE ridge looked like more of
the same, so seeing a steep gully at the back of the corrie, windward so well scoured of excess
snow, we decided to give it a go. An exciting snow "climb" ensued, with crampons and axes in good
use. Really frozen stuff near the top of the gully, and a demon if a wind funnelling up over the
crest, and whirling the spidrift round our faces - free exfoliation treatment to any exposed part of
the anatomy! My exit onto the level plateau was seriously inelegant, but when you slithered away
from the edge, the wind eased enough to allow standing up, and the panorama was just awesome!
So the final pull up the dome of Creachain nearly killed us both, but revealed a rime-covered summit
cairn, and a 360 degree view to savour. The Ben and the Mamores still held some cloud, but
everything else was clear, snow-plastered, and pin-sharp. Back down the ridge to Achaladair looked
superb, then more distantly, the white vastness of Rannoch Moor, Ben Alder and the Lawers range
looking glorious, and the Crianlarich group and Ben Lui "downsun" - sparkling and golden.
Well after two days of defeat we couldn't claim total victory, because looking at the time, it
became obvious that pressing on to the second Munro might be cutting it fine, and would end up with
one of us asleep behind the wheel on the driv home, so we cut our losses and descended the NE ridge,
then back the way we had walked in. The evening sun over Loch Tulla bathed us in benign light - an
awesome winter's day to finish an eventful weekend.
Paul Leigh Lancs
PS 3rd stay for us in the Tulloch Station Bunkhouse - usual high standard of accommodation, and we
treated ourselves to one of their in-house evening meals - highly recommended. Great crowd of
people there too.