We finally managed to get a nice day when neither of us was working (I thought it was illegal to have a Bank Holiday when it wasn’t pouring with rain, but maybe that is only for Scottish ones) so we climbed Beinn Bheula again as the weather was not great the first time we did it. The pictures are all by R because for some reason none of mine took. I have to say that my love affair with Windows Phone is now finally approaching its end. If all the rumours are true and there is really a waterproof iPhone coming out I’m seriously contemplating buying one – the combination of having a phone which you can’t take out in the rain and which doesn’t have your key app (View Ranger) available for it is a bit useless.

First I followed the Cowal way as far as the waterfalls near Beinn Bheula. The going was very uneven and wet, but at least it is a bit better signposted than it used to be. I had been going to try to access the mountain following a track from Walk Highlands which directed to Curra Lochan further up – but I spied a break in the forestry debris and decided to go that way instead. I intrepidly jumped across the burn, climbed over a fence and carefully picked my way over several hundred yards of wet ground to another fence.

Now I was on the mountain itself at about 350m and from here it was actually pretty easy. Beinn Lochain from this direction is steep and simple, with all the craggy bits over to the other side. I went straight up and it only took me about 45 minutes to get to the (tiny) cairn at the top. The view was fantastic, and really made me appreciate what a great wilderness we live in, as particularly to the north there was mountain after mountain, some snow topped, and no habitation or work of man to be seen.

At this point, I looked down, and was a bit concerned to see mist sweeping in at about 500m, obscuring Corra Lochan below. Although I had the GPS I was nervous as this was the first ‘real’ mountain I had ever done on my own. So although I would have liked to have stayed longer, I hurried back down. Looking back from the bottom, Lochain was still largely clear, but Bheula had disappeared into the clouds.

It seemed a long way back after the big climb, and I can tell you I was ready for some food when I got back. Now my feet are aching and I am going to have a nice hot bath.

We’ve been wanting to do this one since we moved in, but it is a bit awkward because it is really too far (9 miles each way) to easily walk out and back, and because the buses don’t run at weekends, it has had to wait for R to be on holiday.

Anyway, it is mostly a nice walk, starting on a very quiet road, and moving on to forestry roads. Very gradually the route rises to about 350m, by which point unfortunately, it has left the good path and hit a mixture of bog and marsh grass. We’ve not had much rain of late, but it was still extremely boggy, to the extent that I wonder if it would be passible after a period of heavy rain. The path runs beside a small lochan (Cura Lochain) situated between Beinn Bheula and Beinn Lochain (how confusing is it that within 10 miles there are two ‘Lochains’ – Beinn Lochain and Beinn an Lochain) and today it was boggy, the clouds were low and it was rainy and cold. So not very inviting and I was glad R was there because the lochan looked like just the sort of place where a each-uisig (gaelic lake monster) might jump out and get you.

We pushed on back down the hill to the forestry path and an hour later were home, rather cold and wet. I really think the Cowal Way needs some serious work – there is not much point in a long distance ‘footpath’ if it is just a general indication of where you might want to walk rather than a track which has actually been properly marked and improved in places.

Tomorrow we are going to Bute.

The picture shows a typical stretch of the ‘path’ near Beinn Bheula.

Anyway, R and I have now decided to have a go at some Munro and Corbett bagging, partially to build more fitness, but mostly just for the fun of it. We are on holiday next week and are having a ‘staycation’ – so the idea is to do as many of the Arrochar Alps as possible. There are five Munros and seven Corbetts (three of the Corbetts we have done already), plus poor old Cnoc Coinnich which as well as having an unpronounceable name, also misses out on being a Corbett by 1 meter (so we have to do that one as well).

Anyway – to cut a long story short, we managed Bheula on Sunday and had a really great day (even though with the insouciance of fate the weather was better on Saturday when we were in Glasgow). I wrote up the trip for Walk Highlands – and you can read about it here Review of Beinn Bheula

It really has been a nice evening and I have been strimming (well brushcutting really because strimming makes it sound like a suburban lawn when it is actually more like a rather swampy, bracken filled wood) in our orchard. Also cutting back the Gunnera, which doesn’t come from around here but, much like rhododendrons, has obviously taken to Argyll as a home from home and had entirely taken over the path by the pond.

Then a break to watch the Bake Off and went back out to get the camera, having to be very quiet so as not to disturb the badger who I saw through the kitchen window was enjoying an early nut snack.

So annoying after the less than stellar views from the Cobbler today, that tomorrow it is apparently going to be lovely and I will be working….