Each winter I organise a trip for a group of long standing BBRCC member friends. I have to admit now in my 60s I am Munro bagging, so the trips are organised around those I haven’t done. I go up a week ahead so I can be alone and bag some in advance.
This year, having travelled up on the 24th Feb, for a week alone I bagged 12 Munros scattered across the Drumochter and Laggan areas. The weather was generally fair with very little snow, though it was very cold with some mornings starting out at minus 12 degrees C.
So to the meetup in Glencoe. A nice little chalet for the six of us about half a mile from the Clachaig Inn. First day out Sat 4th Mar was an easy day up and down Buachaille Etive Beag, bagging both Stob Coire Raineach & Stob Dubh. Again cold but little snow.
Next day, off to the west beyond Ballachulish to bag Sgorr Dhonuill and Sgorr Dearg, very little snow. The weather then started to change with regular snowstorms. The group split up with three of us going on to do Meall a' Bhuiridh and Creise in what was returning to classic Scottish winter conditions with snowstorms and whiteouts blowing through. A more tiring day than expected.
The “Queen Stage”. On Tue 7th Mar we started from the Glencoe valley carpark and walked up the very icy Coire nan Loch- an path with lots of other people heading in different directions to both climb and walk. There were some badly iced up scrambles where we literally had to climb round/over people struggling. From the picture below it was down to the left to the bealach and up the steep ridge to Bidean nam Bian, where we regrouped and had a bite to eat before continuing east along an easy ridge dropping to a bealach before climbing Stob Coire Sgreamhach.
It was then a walk out through the hidden valley where we took the wrong line meaning a lot of clambering through boulders. A long classic day meant a beer or two/three/four in the Clachaig before a return to the chalet.
The last hill of the trip was Sgurr na h-Ulaidh on Thur 9th Mar. Another very cold day with biting winds in great Scottish conditions.
A cracking trip and roll on winter '24.
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