The first walk of the second book and it seems fitting for me to begin with Sgorr na Ciche, the Pap of Glencoe. I look out on the gritty summit of the Pap from my study window in Onich. Although surrounded by higher mountains its steep sides, shapeliness and proximity to Loch Leven give it a wonderfully rugged character and creates a fitting book-end to the north Glen Coe ridge. In winter the locals use it as a barometer to asses conditions ‘on the moor’. If the Pap has a dusting of snow on its summit there will be snow on the road over Rannoch Moor…
No such trouble today, just a keen breeze blowing up from the south west bringing the threat of showers to spoil the warm sunshine.
Nearing the summit of Sgorr na Ciche, looking back at Loch Leven
For the purposes of this blog I have described the walk directly from my notes, which can be sketchy at best, so there might (indeed will) be mistakes. If included in the second book these walks will be refined and re visited then thoroughly tested. This being the first draft, please don’t take them too literally…
The walk begins from the car park at Glencoe Lochan:
The display board at Glencoe Lochan, showing the waymarked mountain trail
From the north end of the car park (where the display board is) turn right and follow the blue waymarked trail (the mountain trail) uphill for approx half a kilometre to a viewpoint with a picnic bench. It’s far too soon for sandwiches however so carry on just past the bench and turn right, off the mountain trail, onto a small path which meanders through the trees to emerge at a logging road.
Turn right and follow the road for approx 1/4 km then turn left onto a narrow footpath which follows the line of power cables uphill. The path is very wet in places as it climbs gently through the plantations before descending to the edge of the forest at a metal gate. Pass through the gate to the open hill side and turn immediately right (pathless and very wet) to follow the fence line to its highest point on the shoulder of Sgorr na Ciche. Turn sharp left here and head steeply uphill through grass and heather to the crest of a broad shoulder where the summit can be seen ahead. Follow the broad grassy shoulder towards the summit across pathless terrain to the base of the summit cone. At the base of the screes an old path can be found which weaves an ingenious route through broken crags to the summit cairn.
Traces of an old path on the final slopes
Loch Leven and Ardgour from the summit
I returned the same way, with a little detour to follow a burn which I fondly thought might have made a better ascent route (it didn’t). A much better way would be to follow the well worn path back across the flanks of Sgorr nam Fiannaidh back to Glencoe Lochan.
Weather blowing in from the west, as it so often does. Now where did I put my waterproofs?
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