Beinn a' Ghlo

This was when Chris was staying in Edinburgh for a week and wanted to do a climb. A good forecast came along and we set off at some unearthly hour (for Chris), to reach Blair Atholl and Loch Moraig by 9.30 in the morning. The day was cloudy but with tops reasonably clear, and the climb up Carn Liath was pleasant enough. The tops of the first two were misty, however, and only on the top of Carn nan Gabhar did the mist clear momentarily. Not much of a view, needless to say.

Carn Liath and Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain from Carn nan Gabhar

The day involved a lot of upping and downing, but we did fine. At the top of Carn nan Gabhar we debated whether to return by the same route we had come, that is, back over the other two summits, or to take in Airgiod Bheinn and descend its steep and rocky south ridge. We didn't feel like all the climbing to retrace our ascent, but it was the stalking season, and a sign near the car park had warned us about straying from recognized paths. Both of us tending towards the lazy-but-adventurous persuasion, we quickly decided on Airgiod Bheinn, though coming down was a bit hairy, especially for Chris who had on trainers which by that stage were soaked through.

The view from Airgiod Bheinn

Chris on Airgiod Bheinn

The long walk back round the foot of the mountain was one of those tired but enjoyable late afternoon slogs, and we were back at the car by 4.30, having encountered nothing more dangerous than a group of mountain-bikers. I felt avenged for the defeat I had suffered when trying to reach Beinn a'Ghlo two years before, and Chris had had his first taste of Munroing.