Over The Hill

For the second time in a week Alan was taking the twisting, turning descent down Gleann Mor from The Rest and Be Thankful en route to Lochgoilhead; on Wednesday we were setting out to climb Beinn Bheula; today, we were destined to join up with nine of our group for a days walking on Beinn Reithe and The Saddle.

Beyond the cottages of Lochgoilhead we picked up the good forest track which gradually climbs from shore-level, up through the forest to around the 300m height; although we were to leave it shortly before its high point, and head up through a break in the forest on a lesser, but obvious track, crossing over onto the open hillside on the western slopes of Beinn Reithe.

A steady climb up through a great deal of dormant bracken - easy enough to walk through now, but not advisable for mid summer when in full growth - and then we set too weaving our way between a few rocky sections aiming directly for the Trig Pt marking the southern top of Beinn Reithe. On our ascent, the intermittent rain we had been experiencing since setting off, turned to blustery snow showers, and for a time, it looked like the weather was going to turn quite severe, as visibility dropped and the snow fell.

Thankfully, by the time we had taken a sheltered break just below the Trig Pt, the snow had eased, although we were still left with a dull, grey mist, as we departed the summit and set off on a steep descent and mini-scramble down the southern crags of Beinn Reithe. The transit from Beinn Reithe to The Saddle was over rugged ground, which twists and turns, up, over, and around a series of crags and gullies before eventually crossing a flat area of heather and climbing to the small bealach between the two mounds that give The Saddle the shape and outline from which it takes it's name.

We lingered a little as we approached the summit to take in the views southeast over Loch Long and Gare Loch before heading over to the top where the obvious feature is the cairn, which takes on a "Leaning Tower of Pisa" effect, it's base being on a rock that is anything but horizontal; although we didn't loiter here very long, as the temperature took a sudden dip, and, with the increasing wind, the weather was once again taking a turn for the worse.

A short, westerly descent from The Saddle brought us nicely back to the forest boundary where we re-joined the track now at its highest point, at around 330m height, from where we had a pleasant, if somewhat wet walk back to Lochgoilhead and some welcome refreshments at the hotel.

Great days walking Mike - Thanks