'Corbett collecting'
Beinn Leitir - Hill of the Slope
Saturday 5th November
What better way to start a hill day than with a good cup of coffee.
Ok, we do take it to extremes sometimes,
but Mhor in Callander is a favourite.
The main street does not have many parking areas and to find one outside the cafe meant we just had to stop.......
It was a spanking day
Part of the path has a well engineered staircase section, far better than the wide scar on the slope that had developed in past years. Sheer weight of numbers makes proper path creation inevitable. It wasn't that long ago we would have been up in arms at the thought of a managed route. Times change and you have to adapt; there is still plenty of wild trackless land.
For such a fine day the hill was empty and we had a quick ascent.
The upper slopes can be a challenge, boggy after rain, wind blasted and covered with sheet ice in the winter. Today they were dry - perfect underfoot.
Turning onto the summit ridge proper you can see we were strung out......Jack Crosbie used to say, 'like a wee washing' ....which shows that tumble driers weren't in vogue when Jack used to walk with us! Seems we haven't changed our group habits.
Do you think Roni & Dee bought their tops in a sale?
Loch Vennachar stretched under the south slope,
while Jim sweated up the south slope.
Looking south west we should have been able to see wee Dumgoyne,
but a low cloud stubbornly refused to move.
We all donned warm gear on the summit as a northerly wind whipped away the sun's warmth.
Graham raced along to catch the main party.
The northerly ridge from the summit is a fine one,
with extensive views way into the central highlands.
Hard to believe how few people were out on the hill.
Jim was delighted that he was still able to get his leg over.
....the fence that is!
Stank Glen as been given the Forestry Commission's 'access for all' treatment over the years.
It's no longer a tiny path but well surfaced and way marked.
The view of late November sun on the larch covered Creag Bheithe above the Pass of Leny, gave strong contrast to our sunless glen.
It's no longer a tiny path but well surfaced and way marked.
The view of late November sun on the larch covered Creag Bheithe above the Pass of Leny, gave strong contrast to our sunless glen.
You can't help but feel Ben Ledi has been tamed below the 400m contour line, however on a day of relatively few people out and about or under winter snows it still is a fine wee hill.
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