I met a Graham Bagging friend and we drove up Glen Roy, accessed from Roybridge on the A86. I parked on the grass prior to the ruins at Brunachan (Grid Ref. NM314895) where there was space for a few cars.
The cloud was well down the hillside and there was a cold wind blowing as we set off across the road and commenced the steep ascent which was made slightly easier by following animal trails.
Later we entered the cloud then stayed close to the edge of a snow filled gully before crossing some burnt heather to reach Beinn Iaruinn’s North-East Ridge. Here there were lots of snow patches, some we were able to avoid, as we made the easy approach to Beinn Iaruinn East Top.
We were about to leave the summit of this Sub Simm when the cloud lifted enough to see the route ahead as well as some deer. After a slight loss of height the ground levelled out then we commenced the ascent of Beinn Iaruinn. There were lots of snow patches around but nothing requiring the use of crampons. In low cloud and wind we reached the cairn marking the summit of this Corbett.
Due to the unpleasant conditions there was no point in hanging around so we descended south-west and round the head of Coire nan Eun to the col with Leana Mhor and out of the cloud. There was a fence here so we kept to its east side thus avoiding its crossing. Spring had obviously arrived as we could hear and saw lots of frogs.
It was a steady climb on a pathless hillside to reach the cairn marking the summit of the Graham, Leana Mhor, which was in cloud. We sat at the top for a while listening to a Golden Plover and waiting for the cloud to clear which it did briefly giving us views across Glen Spean to the Easains, Grey Corries and Aonachs.
The descent was via the ridge on the south side of Coire an t-Seilich and was mainly through heather.
A deer fence was crossed then an area of rough ground to reach a gate in the deer fence beside the road in Glen Roy, just south of the bridge over the stream flowing out of Coire an t-Seilich. It was then a short walk across this bridge to my walking partner’s car which had been left on the grass verge.
- Time taken – 4.5 hours.
- Distance 7.75 kilometres.
- Height climbed 800 metres.