More hills..! 16 10 7 (9) 25 1 23

My next port of call was to be the town of Fort William just 12 miles about 20 km north of Glencoe village and another hostel I was familiar with from previous visits, the Bank Street hostel in the town centre which gave ready access on foot to all the supermarkets and climbing shops in the town: everything in a word needed for the itinerant hill walker. I chose this place because I had been in texting contact with a nephew-in-law D who was to join me there next day at the start of a 3 night stay in the area to climb as yet 1 2 or 3 unclimbed peaks. 

On this occasion I was allocated an all-male dormitory which would be additionally occupied by a young German man and a Scot born in the area who was visiting from his home of 54 years standing Australia. I exchanged a few pleasantries with our German inmate but with Duncan who arrived late afternoon soaking wet got to hear much of his life story especially the part of it to do with growing up in the FW area and the background to his family emigrating to Australia with a £10 passage because future work possibilities were deemed to be so much better down under. In connection with it was mentioned how much work went into the building of the British Aluminium operation in FW and how this was now on the market with potential buyers interested in converting it to a Hydroelectric facility. In turn I was able to relate how in the 1960s I had had lived myself in the town for a winter when British American Tobacco built a Pulp & Paper Mill in nearby Corpach and I was sent up as part of the commissioning team. Sadly this project too was shut down: first the Pulp Mill half of the plant followed some years later by the photocopying paper half, to be replaced by sawn goods warehousing…Duncan was also from his stories an experienced hill walker so we had much in common to talk over…

Next day then D duly arrived after driving his big Audi up from England in maybe 5 h to arrive early afternoon so we could shop for food before getting back in our cars, mine a Fiat 500, for our journey to the western end of Loch Arkaig and Glen Dessarry where our original plan was to involve camping in D’s bigger 2 - 3 man tent with a second tent for storage purposes but which thankfully we abandoned in favour of staying instead at my suggestion of the A’Chuil bothy. Our walk there entailed taking a less direct route north of its nearby river to determine whether it was accessible by a bridge for our hill walk the next day. After  almost 2 h we arrived to the area, used the bridge, but because the ground was so boggy I managed to get my first pair of boots thoroughly wet before reaching the dryness of the bothy, our 2 night stay there being D’s first such experience. Next day we breakfasted between 6 and 7 and the bothy left at 7 32

for our first hill Sgurr nan Coireachan (peak of the Corries) which we climbed by midday in fine clear weather:

thereafter we were not so fortunate because although for the most part it remained clear with but little mist as we first descended a few hundred metres before ascending the slopes and rocks of Garbh Chioch Mhor (big rock place of the breast) our next peak it had started to rain heavily. Then we were something of being in a quandary because the third peak on the ridge, Sgurr na Ciche was almost on top of us maybe a climb of only ¾ h away once we had reached the bealach between the peak we had just climbed and the new one beyond, but our good sense ordained we should descend the bealach or pass to the glen below and return to our bothy as the day was wearing thin and I for one was getting tired. As we reached our bothy in now more torrential rain when the streams had become rivers we had had to cross at 19 45 with perhaps 15 minutes of daylight left we were confirmed in our decision to come off the ridge when we did and leave this fine peak for another day hopefully when we should enjoy it in dry and also clear weather..?

That we achieved 2 of our 3 objectives meant we could celebrate in high spirits no matter that I now had no dry footwear left nor sufficient dry kindling to light a fire as the evening before in the bothy kitchen grate so with bottles of real ale D had carried in plus bottles of wine we each had brought we had more than enough for our needs and slept in our sleeping bags on D’s self-inflatable sleeping mats we each reinforced this second night with air from our lungs. Next day in rain we took the more direct route through the forest south of the engorged river to arrive back at our cars in 1½ h and thankfully had no more streams to wade although my feet were thoroughly wet from donning either pair. Thereafter we stayed for our last night in the Russell’s 4-Star Guest House and Restaurant thoroughly enjoying being pampered and dined in high style. Have a good day everyone, maybe next time I’ll get to tell you about meeting the lovely Anna..? hahaha

Pics: the A'Chuil bothy 16 9 22; 7 35 as the sun rises into our Glen Dessarry; 11 25 not quite on the summit of Sgurr nan Coireachan; 11 40 from its summit looking towards l to r Garbh Chioch Bheag, Garbh Chioch Mhor and the unclimbed Sgurr na Ciche dead centre and finally our desert of different cheeses at our guest house 16 9 23.