Beinn a'Chrulaiste Wild Camp
First Adventure Post Lockdown
BEINN A’CHRULAISTE - CORBETT 857M
EXPLORE, ADVENTURE WILL FIND YOU!
It had been a long, long time but it had finally arrived! We were being set free to hit the hills. Woop!! It’s been a tough time for many and we’ve patiently waited for this moment. However…BISH, BASH, BOSH - BAM! Lisa had became unwell with labyrinthitis, something that came in from left field, the last thing we’d expected given the obvious world health crisis! The one good thing was she had been through the worst and appeared to be on the mend just as the key was turned in the “unlock” direction. Nonetheless we’d dial down our ambitions a little and pare back any idea of going all out. It would be a little irresponsible to take in narrow ridges, mountain bikes etc. given that Lisa was still a little unsteady on her feet. Scotland will always offer something achievable in most circumstances.
We’d been asked many times what our first adventure would be when lockdown was lifted. The truth is we never planned one. So many times we’d had to change plans, so we thought we’d wing it! Anyway, it was decided, a wild camp on Beinn a'Chrulaiste! It would be a little less strenuous (so we thought) and the risk of falling off the hill was wee!
Okay, lets get going….it’s just nice to be out again!
We packed Hamish and headed up to Glencoe. After all this time I thought we’d have been mega excited, we weren’t, and that was a worry! Had we lost our mojo!! Anyway, we arrived at the Kingshouse Hotel and pulled in for a little look around. It’s definitely starting to blend a little more into the landscape with the ground works now being reclaimed by the natural vegetation. Worth a stop in for a brew.
I’d put a months wages on it that you’ve probably driven past this hill more than once without paying it much attention! (You’re not getting my wages BTW!) Beinn a'Chrùlaiste sits on the edge of the A82 towards Glencoe. You may not have noticed it because you’ll likely have been looking at the magnificent lump that is, Buachaille Etive Mòr. It just so happens that arguably the best place to view said lump is from it’s wee neighbour.
Prepare to Move!
Poo With a View!
Once we’d nosed around the Kingshouse Hotel we made our way to a wee parking spot where we’d leave Hamish overnight. We began to get ready to go up the hill and done some final admin, with a view!
The mojo worry was starting to fade away, thankfully. The weather was looking good for the views we hoped to get. All we needed to do now was get our bodies moving.
**Don’t worry there’s no footage of the “poo with a view” in the video**
Time out for a wee safety moment!!
DEER STALKING INFORMATION - Blackcorries Estate. Stalking between mid Sept and 20 Oct. No stalking on Sundays. For further information you can contact the estate using the following. Phone: +44 1855 851272 Mobile: +44 7876 796739 or e-mail blackcorries@googlemail.com
Contact person: Dave Thomas - Headstalker/Estate Manager
The Summit
As we made our way up what would normally be a straightforward walk for us we realised that those months of lockdown had taken away our hill legs and replaced them with lead legs, despite our efforts to keep ourselves turning over! CLICK here for the Walkhighlands Route, we done this but in reverse..
Walkhighlands describes the route as follows, We aren’t going to rewrite or argue with that!
“Fairly short hillwalk over mostly heathery ground. Any paths are intermittent. Boggy in places - especially descent route given to Kingshouse which can be avoided by instead retracing steps.”
After many stops and much moaning (Dave) the summit trig point came into view. What a place to enjoy the magnificent panorama in all directions, especially looking across Rannoch Moor and towards the jewel, and the reason we chose to come here, Buachaille Etive Mòr!
A Special Pitch
We descended from the summit crossing some rough and in places, boggy ground to look for a pitch that would give us the perfect view of the Buachaille. It wasn’t long before we found it. It didn’t take us long to get up the hill and find a pitch, this gave us loads of time to just sit and relax when we’d set up. Relaxing with the views was just what we needed right now! We’ll let the pictures do the talking for a moment….
What a perfect adventure to celebrate our return to the hills and the end of lockdown. This hill requires little effort for the huge rewards you get back. Choose a good weather day, take your time, put zero pressure on yourself, just set up well and relax. The view will do the rest!
A Moment of Reflection
Personally, we’ve been very fortunate not to have suffered a loss directly as a result of the pandemic but we really would like to offer our thoughts and best wishes to those of you reading this wee blog that have have sadly suffered a loss during this tough period.
To our emergency services that have stoically soldiered on through tough times today and who will undoubtedly be forced to manage the inevitable mental impact of experiencing so much trauma in the future, please be assured we appreciate you! Some of the decisions our emergency services have had to make have been heartbreaking and quite literally horrendous and will more than likely stay with them for the rest of their lives! We owe you all a debt of gratitude that we’ll probably never be able to repay!
It’s because of emergency and key workers that we’re in a position to get out and find the fresh air and open space this adventure has given us.
Please Take Care! It’s good to talk!
Lisa & Dave xxxx
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