Ben Tee and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Loch Garry

Loch Lochy Munros and Ben Tee

Hillwalking route up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh, Meall na Teanga and Ben Tee

Driving along the A82 north of Spean Bridge, Sron a' Choire Ghairbh and Meall na Teanga dramatically come into view. These Munros stand high and impossing above Loch Lochy and are accessed by Kilfinnan on the west side of Laggan Locks.



Route outline


Munros

Sron a' Choire Ghairbh, 

Meall na Teanga

Corbetts

Ben Tee

Ascent 1675m (5490ft)
Distance 20km (12m)
Time 7:45hr
Start/finish Kilfinnan
Grid Ref : NN277958
Terrain
easy hard
Nav
easy hard
Effort
easy hard
Scenery
ok fab


From the shores of Loch Lochy, forestry tracks make for rapid and easy progress to the lower slopes of Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh. Fine stalkers paths take over and continue onto mountain crests, from where navigation is fairly straightforward to the Munro summits. Extending the route over to Ben Tee is worthwhile, requiring not much extra effort.

A fine alternative approach to Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh begins from the 'Mile Dorcha' to the south and passes the lovely Eas Chia-aig, though this route leaves Ben Tee rather awkwardly placed for an ascent. This approach was also used for the Loch Lochy Munros hill race.



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Route description


1. Getting to Kilfinnan

Laggan Locks and head of Loch Lochy

Laggan Locks and head of Loch Lochy

On the A82, just south of Invergarry, the road crosses the Caledonian Canal, immediately to the north of which a narrow road, signposted to Balmaglater and Kilfinnan, heads south-west .

Drive down this road for 4km to just before the farm at Kilfinnan and park in a rough area by the road-end just before the bridge over Kilfinnan Burn.

The road beyond the bridge is not for public vehicular access.

Parking can be a bit congested by Kilfinnan at weekends and in summer. Alternative parking can be found at Laggan Locks, which would extend the route by around 1km, or in Clunes Forest near the southern end of Loch Lochy, which would involve cycling or walking up a section of the Great Glen Way to the foot of the Allt Glas Dhoire.

The first 4km of the route is on a forestry road, fine for cycling if only intending to bag the two Munros and returning back down the Allt Glas Dhoire.


2. Meall na Teanga

Looking up Meall na Teanga from Cam Bhealach

Looking up Meall na Teanga from Cam Bhealach

From the end of the public road by Kilfinnan, head across the bridge over Kilfinnan Burn, and on an estate road, uphill then past the access for the holiday chalets. Through a gate and into forestry, the track splits . After taking the right fork, hike for 2km towards a bridge over the Allt Glas Dhoire.

Just before reaching the bridge, a cairn marks the start of a path on the right. Head up on this, steep at first as it heads through dense forest.

The path exits the forest higher up, then follows the northern bank of the Allt Glas Dhoire up to Cam Bhealach , the col separating Sron a'Choire Ghairbh and Meall na Teanga. This peat-bogged col is crossed by a line of fence posts.

On the southern side of the bealach, initially aside the fence-posts, climb up a steep and loose path for 30m or so. The ground levels out with the path taking a sharp turn right to then climb more gently over tussocks and peat to reach the grass covered ground between Meall Dubh and Meall na Teanga.

Ahead, the worn path climbs slightly, then turns to the right (west) and traverses over to Meall na Teanga's northern shoulder . In winter, a cornice forms on the eastern side of this shoulder making the traverse awkward to negotiate, likely requiring the use of ice-axe and crampons.

Once on Meall na Teanga's northern shoulder, the path pulls slightly away from the rocky edge that overlooks Coire Leacachain taking an easier line on grassy terrain. Higher up, a small patch of loose stone is crossed before gaining Meall na Teanga's summit crest, from where a pleasant walk of around 300m southwards reaches the cairn on its highest point.

On Meall na Teanga's summit, looking south

On Meall na Teanga's summit, looking south

Excellent views from Meall na Teanga's summit, particularly looking down the Great Glen towards Loch Linnhe and Lochaber.

On Meall na Teanga's summit, looking south

On Meall na Teanga's summit, looking south


3. Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Meall na Teanga

Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Meall na Teanga

From Meall na Teanga's cairn, about-turn and retrace your steps back down to Cam Bhealach .

At the col, pick up a fine stalker's path heading up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh's southern side. This path climbs at a gentle gradient, zig-zagging its way uphill.

At around a height of 800m, the stalkers path stops quite abruptly. A worn path takes over which in turn gradually fades into the grass-covered hillside on the approach to the crest between Sron a' Choire Ghairbh's main summit and its minor south-eastern top.

On the wide crest, head north-west and follow the edge of the rim above Coire Garbh as it turns northwards for the final approach to the small cairn on Sron a' Choire Ghairbh's flat summit.

Heading up the stalkers path on Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Heading up the stalkers path on Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Sron a' Choire Ghairbh's summit cairn stands above significant drops overlooking Coire Glas and Coire Garbh. In winter, wide cornices are likely to form on these upper edges, which in the past, people are known to have fallen through. Just saying !

Heading up the stalkers path on Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

Heading up the stalkers path on Sron a' Choire Ghairbh


4. Ben Tee and return

On Ben Tee looking back to Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

On Ben Tee looking back to Sron a' Choire Ghairbh

If only intending to bag the two Munro summits, about-turn and retrace your steps to Cam Bhealach to head back to Kilfinnan. The ascent and distance for bagging Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh taking this route, come in at 1300m and 16km, with an estimated time of just over 6 hours, less if using a bike for the approach and return on forestry roads.

Continuing onwards to Ben Tee, leave Sron a' Choire Ghairbh's cairn behind and follow its crest north-west. Although pathless, terrain is grass-covered and makes for delightful progress.

The crest gradually turns north, then north-west to climb up the minor summit of Meall a' Choire Ghlais . Head along this hill's broad shoulder for 1km to its eastern end overlooking Bealach Easain, with Ben Tee towering ahead.

There are a few options for descending to Bealach Easain - I headed further eastwards from Meall a' Choire Ghlais's eastern end and dropped around 100m on the ridge-line, before turning northwards to descend a grassy trough.

At the bealach , the route ahead to Ben Tee begins by climbing through heather. Higher up, grassy lines through boulderfield and rocks can be found for most of the way to Ben Tee's summit .

Beginning the descent down Ben Tee

Beginning the descent down Ben Tee

To return to Kilfinnan, follow a faint path along the crest of Ben Tee's eastern shoulder as it descends gently. The path turns south-east and drops through heather to soggy moorland below. Further on, above the gorge holding Kilfinnan Burn, the path crosses through a gate in a deer-fence , then zig-zags down steep ground to end at the roadside close to Kilfinnan.

Beginning the descent down Ben Tee

Beginning the descent down Ben Tee


5. From the Mile Dorcha, the Loch Lochy Munros hill race route

The Eas Chia-aig

The Eas Chia-aig

If not intending to head up Ben Tee, a fine alternative route to bag Meall na Teanga and Sron a' Choire Ghairbh begins from the Mile Dorcha, the short stretch of wooded land between the heads of Loch Garry and Loch Arkaig.

To get to the Mile Dorcha, from Spean Bridge, head to the Commando Memorial, then drive a couple of miles down the narrow B8005 to Gairlochy and its locks on the Caledonian Canal. Over the canal, the road heads up to Loch Lochy's southern tip, then turns westwards along the mossy Mile Dorcha towards Loch Arkaig.

The beautiful waterfall of the Eas Chia-aig flows under a bridge at the western end of the Mile Dorcha, close by is a small picnic area with parking. There is more parking by a forestry track around 600m east of the falls.

By the picnic area, a marked path heads up the eastern side of the Abhainn Chia-aig and climbs steeply through forestry. The path meets with a fine track which is followed as it levels travelling northwards through the forest.

Just over 2km further on, the track ends above a dam on the Abhainn Chia-aig, from where a rough narrower track takes over and continues to the edge of the forestry.

Out of the trees, through a deer fence, a defined but wet path is followed to a bridge over the Abhainn Chia-aig. The path now, indistinct and soggy, travels around the base of Meall na Tagraidh to the ruins of Fedden 1.5km further on.

After crossing the burn below Fedden, a grassy line through heather can be found for a relentless slog uphill and directly to the summit of Sron a'Choire Ghairbh .

Continue to Meall na Teanga in the reverse of detailed above, then turn south-west to drop down to a narrow bealach, followed by a short climb up to Meall Coire Lochain.

After following the crest heading north-west from Meall Coire Lochain to Meall Odhar, drop down grass covered then heather-clad slopes to the track by the Abhainn Chia-aig to retrace your steps back to the Mile Dorcha.

Heading up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Gleann Cia-aig

Heading up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Gleann Cia-aig

This route climbs 1365m over a distance of 20km and was used for line of the Loch Lochy Munros Hill Race, which was last run in 2011.

Heading up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Gleann Cia-aig

Heading up Sron a' Choire Ghairbh from Gleann Cia-aig


6. Ben Tee from Invergarry (Hill Race route)

Ben Tee from the Invergarry shinty pitch

Ben Tee from the Invergarry shinty pitch

Ben Tee can be bagged on its own by heading from the forestry car-park by White Bridge, a couple of miles west of Invergarry.

Tracks lead through forestry to the foot of Ben Tee below its north-eastern shoulder, where a climb up the route described above in reverse leads to its summit.

A hill race used to take place in August using this approach. I ran it back in 2007, when the route it took climbed 450m over a distance of 8km and actually won it !





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