Ulog #13: Serious Bagging – The three Munros of Beinn a'Ghlo

We've had weeks of rain recently, so the Serious Bagging has become Fairweather Bagging, and over the last couple of weeks I've done just four new Munros.

The latest ones were Beinn a'Ghlo – a circuit of three Munros in Perthshire, and Sgor na h-Ulaidh in Glencoe.

Beinn a'Ghlo means "Mountain of Mist".

To recap, I'm on a mission to climb all of Scotland's "Munros", or hills with an altitude of at least 3,000 feet (914.4m) or more. There are 282 of them.

For now, my goal is to reach 100 Munros, and I'd like my 100th Munro to be Ben Nevis.

Walking in a group

The last few hillwalks I've done have been organised group walks organised through Meetup.com, although sometimes I just walk on my own or with friends.

I have my own hillwalking group on Meetup, but I also go on walks organised by other Meetup groups – especially if it's to an area or a mountain that I'm not familiar with.

A couple of weeks ago I organised a walk to a mountain called Beinn a'Ghlo. This is a big walk, taking in three Munro summits, and I'd never done it before, so it was a "Bagging" trip for me – I'd be able to tick off three new Munros from the list.

I had researched the route, and I knew that it was a straightforward one with good paths. There was a small hiccup over the meeting point, which was in a very remote area. Not having been there before, I misinterpreted an online map as I was writing up the directions for the Event page.

The start point of the walk is a remote spot near Loch Moraig.

Most people got there anyway, but three people got a bit lost as a result, and arrived 15 minutes late. They tried to phone me to tell me they were running late, but there was no phone signal in the area, so I didn't get their messages. We waited 10 minutes for them and then left.

They managed to catch up with us at the first summit, and they were exhausted and a bit cross!

However things soon settled down, apologies were exchanged, and in the end we all had a great time. It was one of those walks where we were all walking at roughly the same pace, although one man decided to turn back because it was a long distance and he felt he didn't have the fitness to cope with it.

The remaining 10 of us completed the walk in 8 hours, including two lengthy breaks – which was pretty good going, as the online guide I was following suggested 8 to 10 hours. We had some great conversations and great laughs as we walked.

Walking towards the first Munro of the day, Carn Liath.

Beinn a'Ghlo is situated in the central part of the Scottish Highlands, in Perthshire. The scenery was beautiful, but more picturesque than the wild and dramatic views you get in the west Highlands. Most of the walk is spent walking along well constructed paths, rather than scrambling up rocky hillsides.

Summit cairn of Carn Liath, the first Munro of the day.

You wotty?

The walk is also memorable for the almost unpronounceable names of its summits. Beinn a'Ghlo means Hill of Mist, or Misty Mountain. We were lucky and got great views from the first two Munros, but by the time we reached the third, highest peak, the mist had descended.

The name of the first Munro, Carn Liath (975m), is quite straightforward (pronounced Carn Lyath). It means "The Grey Rocky Hill" – quite a dull name for a beautiful hill that can be seen for miles around. This is a photo I took last autumn from Garry Bridge near the town of Pitlochry, showing Carn Liath in the distance.

A photo I took of Carn Liath last autumn. It doesn't look grey or rocky to me!

The second Munro has the most unpronounceable hill name I've ever come across: Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain (1070m). This is gaelic for "The Upland of the Corrie of Round Lumps".

Actually, maybe it sounds better in Gaelic!

Walking towards the next Munro, Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain, or "The Upland of the Corrie of Round Lumps", at the left. The third Munro of the day, Carn nan Gabhar, is on the right, at the back, with Airgiod Bheinn in front.

The third Munro in this round is called Carn nan Gabhar, which means "The Rocky Hill of the Goats". This is the highest Munro in the trio, at 1170m. It is very rocky near the summit, but there were no goats to be seen.

Just southwest of Carn nan Gabhar is a "Munro top" – a mountain that is as high as a Munro but that doesn't qualify as one, which could be because there is not enough of a drop between it and another Munro. This mountain is called Airgiod Bheinn, which I think means "Silver Mountain". We didn't visit it on this trip, as a lot of mist had rolled in, so there would have been no views. Hopefully I'll visit it another time.

Walking towards Carn nan Gabhar, at the left, and by now shrouded in mist. Airgiod Bheinn is at the right.

This walk took my tally to 85 Munros.

Me at the summit of my 85th Munro, Carn nan Gabhar.

Previous Serious Bagging posts:

Ulog #8: Serious Bagging, my mountain mission!

Ulog #9: Serious Bagging, Day One – Creag Meagaidh in threatening weather

Ulog #10: Serious Bagging, Day Two – climbing Bidean nam Bian, a big beast of a mountain!

Ulog #11: Serious Bagging, Day Three/Four – Two beautiful mountains near Loch Treig