[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] Glen Creran - 3rd October 2005   Beinn Fhionnlaidh Map It was a slightly better day today, the cloud looking a bit lighter but still hanging low on the tops. We left Fort William and took the Oban road, following it for about 20+ miles until we reached the turn-off for a tiny settlement called Erlich. At Erlich we parked the car under some trees and set off at 10.55 along a tarmac road which looked remarkably similar to yesterday's approach road. Starting out The foothills of Beinn Fhionnlaidh The route left the woody area behind and wound through some fields for about half a mile until we came to a farm called Glenure. From there a muddy, cow-dunged cart-track led to open countryside and the start of a path up the outlying foothills of Beinn Fhionnlaidh. It was a long, very gradual ascent up the western ridge of the mountain. Mostly grassy but with several erratics strewn about, some quite large. One of them was a huge squareish boulder held completely clear of the ground on 3 small supporting rocks. After cresting the first distinct shoulder we entered misty conditions but found no major difficulties. We soon came to the first lochan, at about the 630 metre mark, and bypassed it to the north. Carrying on through the cloud we reached the rather rockier top at 2.20 - it's marked by a trig point column surrounded by a low windbreak. The long, gradual ascent The happy summiteers It started to rain just before we got to the top so once again we got pretty wet but at least it wasn't as cold as it had been on Sgurr Thuilm. No views again, although we saw a stag on the way up and several long (up to 2 inches) caterpillars - all dark brown and hairy with golden markings on them. An Grianan (near left) and Beinn Sgulaird (right) from the slopes of Beinn Fhionnlaidh We left the top at 2.40 and had an easy descent back the way we had come. The path appeared and disappeared as they do, but navigation was easy - basically just head west. We got back to the car at 5.05 having seen no other soul on the hills all day (or the previous day too, come to that). Drove down to Inverary and stayed at 'Lorona' for £17.50. Visited the George Hotel and the Argyll Hotel that night, getting a reasonable couscous and spicy veg meal in the George. Inside the George Hotel