Scotland

Beinn na Lap, Rannoch Moor

Character: A short boring trudge to a featureless summit

Ascent: ~1700 feet

Time: 3 hours

Map: Ordnance Survey Landranger Sheet 41, 1:50,000, Fort William

Transport: Trains from Fort William or from Glasgow Queen Street via Crianlarich. Some times for 26/09/99 to 27/05/00 are given here.

Sources: Irvine Butterfield "The High Mountains"

Accomodation: Loch Ossian (Corrour) Youth Hostel. No phone.

Sources: Irvine Butterfield "The High Mountains"

It seems mean to describe any walk on a Scottish hill as "boring", but this walk is probably as close to that as you can get. The plus points are the marvellous Youth Hostel at Corrour, right on Loch Ossian. Its only source of electricity is a small wind turbine. There is no running water. It does have a fair few beds, and an excellent fire to dry all those boots and jackets in the inevitable rain. And a very hospitable German warden.

Quicktime movie of the walk (3.9 MB)

 

 

Starting from the Youth Hostel, you skirt around the Western end of Loch Ossian on the forestry tarmaced road. Once around and heading North East, you can just pick your way (any way!) to the North and the whale-backed ridge that is Beinn na Lap. The ground is steep, and particularly lower down was very boggy and quite hard going through all the heathery grassy tussocks (well Beinn na Lap means Boggy Mountain so what do you expect!). There are one or two rocky outcrops, particularly as you near the ridge, but of no significance. Even in descent with no visibility they would be no obstacle unless you decided to run down the slopes! Once the ridge is gained you have done the hard work. The ridge is a lovely gradual slope to the North East. As you near the summit, more crags are seen, but these merely rise a few metres from the gentle slope. A cairn is seen, and you are above the small crags that drop to the South of the summit. There is some sign of a run down stone shelter. You need to head to the North slightly, over some little crags; spot a tiny lochain (maybe this was just here due to the heavy rain), and the summit lies just beyond this.

You can see a long way from this little top. Perhaps the most interesting thing I spotted was Buchaille Etive Mor at the head of Glen Coe, quite a few miles to the West.

The return simply reverses the ascent. The cunning little riverulets that bury themselves in the peat and under the long grass with occassional gouges to let you see the torrents beneath are great for twisting those ankles on the way back down. Watch your step!