THE STORY

This is the only Munro in Scotland which is best accessed by train.  This adds a bit of excitement to the trip, especially for our children, Calum aged 11, Alasdair aged 8 and Gavin aged 6. 

Our journey began in Dunblane with a drive to Crianlarich to catch the Glasgow to Fort William train.  The 10.19am train was running 20 minutes late but this was soon forgotten as we enjoyed the slow journey into the wild and boggy Rannoch Moor.  On route we passed Bridge of Orchy, Tyndrum, surely the smallest village in Scotland with two railway stations, Rannoch Station and finally Corrour.  The climb from Rannoch to Corrour takes you further into the wilderness into an area with no roads.  Corrour is a one house stop at the highest point on the railway line, 410m.  Our family and a couple were the only passengers alighting.

Walked down the track to Loch Ossian.  The other couple were walking back to Rannoch Station.  They had no map but seemed to be heading in the right direction.  We also passed a family with young children who had been staying at the remote Loch Ossian youth hostel.  One child fired an arrow from his bow, one had a sword and one a teddy bear! 

A bulldozer was busy ‘improving’ the track to Loch Trieg.  We climbed straight up an indistinct path towards the ridge of Beinn na Lap.  This must be one of the few Munros left without a proper path.  It was an easy climb and we soon approached the ridge where we stopped for lunch amongst a carpet of dwarf plants.  We were surrounded by dark blue blaeberries (bilberries), black crowberries and bright shiny red cowberries.  “Are they poisonous?” asked the children.  “Not the blaeberries, but I’m not sure about the rest”, I replied cautiously.  Later I read that they taste bitter, but can be made into a good jelly.

The ridge has a rocky crest, with boulders near the summit which lies above a tiny lochan.  There is a cairn and a wind shelter although the wind was blowing through holes in it despite the children’s attempts to fill the gaps.

The view was a mixture of rugged peaks, the highest like Ben Nevis in the mist, and boggy moorland as far as the eye could see.  Ben Alder is a large lump to the east whilst Schiehallion was a perfect symmetrical cone shape, like Mount Fuji, standing out in a shaft of sunlight.

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We descended straight down towards the loch.  A steeper route than our ascent, but we wanted to find a viewpoint where we could see the entire loch.  In the distance we could hear a logger’s chainsaw unseen across the loch.  We stopped to pick blaeberries and soon had red hands, like dried blood.  We crossed a new stile into a fenced off area where native trees have recently been planted.  An interesting, and perhaps unwelcome side effect for the hillwalker at least, is that within the fenced off area the heather and grasses have grown taller to the extent that my six year old found it quite a battle to walk through, stumbling into various unseen drainage ditches.

We followed the track around the loch to the youth hostel.  It is a lovely setting (midgies permitting).  There is an aero generator to provide electricity.  The hostel was shut with a sign reading “reopens at 5pm, may be back earlier - The Warden”.  We walked back towards the train station and passed a man walking a dog.  I guessed he was the warden and we chatted for a while.  Best place to live in the world he thought - 3 years he has been here now.

The children seemed to have plenty of energy, ‘rock climbing’ on some boulders by the track, however Gavin was tiring on the walk back to the station and Calum helped ‘march’ him on. 

Back at the station we splashed out on a bar meal in the restaurant.  A lovely setting and welcoming interior – wooden floor, eating tables, comfortable chairs with books to read, maps and pictures on the walls, and a warm welcome from the staff, perhaps not surprising as we were the only customers.  Great food; macaroni for the children and venison casserole for myself with a ‘stag beer’.  What a way to end a day on the hill.

Contributed by: Neil Kitching

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