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Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Thanks for Triffic Tip and Weighty Words. I'll go that way.

The Uisge Labhair path, I now realise, is in the category of 'mockingly vestigial'. Would it be in bad taste to invite nominations for Worst Path in Scotland Shown On A Landranger? My top three would be the UL as mentioned, the mid-section of Loch Shiel-Alltbeithe, and the last k of the approach to Pean bothy from the east.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Rob, A perfectly reasonable route I've used over to Pattack .
From GR416 743 N of Loch Ghulbinn up to 400mt. contour
at GR425 764.Follow around to GR444 765 . If heading along
the An Lairig stay on the N side of the burn until past
the Dubh Loch. After that there is even a vestage of a track
and a really good pitch when dropping down to Loch Pattack.
Follow R.Pattack N and head E to Dalwhinnie. Good pitches
all the way through. Of course you by pass the bothy unless
you drop back. The route along R Pattack and over is much
better than the slog along the Lochside tarmac.


Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Waldo - yes indeed. Avoiding the Loch Ericht track is a major point of the exercise, but it's available as an FWA. The plan after Loch Pattack is to go N along the river to the bridge at 548834, then up Allt Beinn Eilde, have a poke around the Dirc Mhor, pint in Dalwhinnie.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Dirc Mhor is a sensational spot!
Here's Lord Elpus looking at the Challenge ahead in 2005:



You'll need to take your time with it, Rob.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Crikey, they're all out tonight.

Slopes, I agree it looks tricky - and I'm going in February. So discretion being the better part etc I might stick my nose in, think better of it, and go via the wee lochanette beag just to the NW.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Aye, Rob
We abandoned the Dirc halfway along [wimps!] and decided to go north, via the lochan as well: It looked like this:



So we gave that up as well and went round the hill to the north. All good fun!

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Ah. Point taken.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig


Rob.Not wishing to labour the point,follow the LR track on W
side of Pattack,great pitches at 548 855 . Cross bridge
futher up . Good pitches along woodside 566867. Pass the
waterfall (not much)Cross the moorland and go over at
597872.There's not much after 626863.Good ground all the
way .This was always my favourite challenge route over.Cheers

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

New routes are always good, but, hey, don't disrespect Uisge Labhair (try oosh-key lar, chattering water, from the tumbling pebbles in the bed). It's a lovely stravaig along a beautiful burn with lots of super campspots. Loch Ghuilbinn has a few potential meanings, noisy and dirty for starters. However, Peter Drummond's essential "Scottish Hill Names" suggests that like Gulvain in Lochaber, Ben Gulabin in Glen Shee and Ben Bulben in Sligo it is connected to the Fingalian legend of Diarmuid and Grainne. If you moisten Humphrey's wizened lips with a little malt whisky I'm sure he will recite the whole tale, boar, faithful hunting dogs and everything. I'm blubbing at the thought.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Indeed they are exceedingly wizened of late. My faithful assistant, Mango Terrier, worked up a poem about Bran by Maoilios Caimbeul for the Spring '07 edition of the literary magazine Gath and set it in the shape of the hound. Look here if you're in the humour

She (Bran) had a brother called Sceolan. Although she was Finn MacCoul's favourite, she brought a warning to Diarmuid and Grainne when they were taking refuge on the north side of Ben Starav.

Early Challengers, clearly . . . no doubt headed for the Kingshouse Hotel. But alas, would have been disqualified for bringing a dog along.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

I didn't catch much of that poem, Humph, apart from the bit about the chilled Martini.

Quite nice on a warm May's evening, with the sunshine on your shoulders, whether or not on Ben Starav.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

And indeed Bran's Cottage can still be seen in Glen Tromie, now a home for lovebirds, of the dove variety. I'm sure Humphrey will deal with the Cloak of Invisibility aspect of the Legend, as well as Grainne's raunchy behaviour at the river crossing situation. It may have been at the Geldie, but I rather think it was the Loyne! A little minx, that one!

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Oh bottoms!

As a first time challenger I have been planning what I hoped was a straightofrward route across - and had planned to get from Loch Ossian to Dalwhinnie then on to Kingussie via the Uisge Labhair, with a camp at Loch Pattack on the way. Having read the comments re the Uisge Labhair I am now having to rethink. And it all looked so simple on the map!!!

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

David

Ignore the miseries and take your original route! The walk up the Uisge Labhair is quite splendid:



The only slightly snaggly bit is when you leave the stream to clamber up to the stalkers' track from Ben Alder Lodge, but leaving it until the very last ensures that this only is the matter of a few moments.

It's a wonderful walk. Enjoy!

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

I'm 100% with Alan: Uisge Labhair is a fine walk. Pick your crossing point from the track coming down from Bealach Dubh carefully, then the path on the NW side will gradually appear. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

David

As Alan said, it's a great walk. You can see the stalkers' path round Ben Alder from the SYHA at Loch Ossian, and you're following a river, so there's no navigation involved, which means you can give all your attention to the bits of bog you do meet, so they're no big deal. I made this walk, my first multi-dayer for over 40 years, in the wet September of 2010 - I loved it. My only reservation on this route is the the long slog up the loch to Dalwhinnie which is not very exciting if it's raining.
Good luck.
Chris.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

David,

As the others have said, just go for it- although occasionally a bit rough, it really is a fine route up to the Bealach. On the top look out to your left at roughly NN478731 for the remains of the WW2 Wellington wreck and at Loch Pattack do be mindful of the antics of the estate white garrons (if in residence) at the stable at NN548787 which had a reputation for chompimg car mirrors when car were allowed to be driven there. No doubt an appetising, scrummy Akto would be deemed a delicious alternative!!

cj

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Thanks Alan, Chris and Colin. I must stop noticing every bit of comment that might relate to my route and other plans. From now on I shall try to be as chilled as a polar bear sitting on a very cold iceberg drinking cold cans of beer.

Having said that I had wondered about the wisdom of the plod along Loch Ericht from Ben Alder Lodge to Dalwhinnie. I assumed this was a Landrover track but on Google Earth it looks metalled, which would not be great. One of my earlier plans missed this whole area out altogether with me going NE from Loch Arkaig to Fort Augustus then taking the Corrieyairack pass to Garva Bridge and then on to Kingussie.

It is so exciting when you have never walked these places!

My 2013 sign-out point: Mallaig

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

David - noticing comments is fun! That's what it's all about.

Coming directly along the shoreline from Ben Alder Cottage (Haunted by An Unpleasantness, so the story goes) there's one point to watch out for. It's at around NN 507 681 - just below Price Charlie's Cave to the SE.

The track narrows and then completely disappears, and you're faced with a 5 or 6 metre scramble to your right over some slabs, which could prove greasy in wet conditions. There's a moderate amount of exposure - worst comes to worst you'll fall into the loch and the ospreys will pick yr bones come summer.

NNE over the Bealach Breabag (Kick-ass Pass) and on to Loch Pattock via Bealach Beath (Birch Pass) and the Allt a' Chaoil-reidhe (The stream that flows through flat ground with no grazing for cattle - great descriptive name as this is a particularly sodden piece of ground) will, as Colin says, see you right and is a more sporting route.

Garrons, by the way, are Clydesdale/Highland-pony crosses. Think scaled-down Chinooks or Landrover Defenders in horse form. Strong and aimable.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

HMP3,

"Strong and amiable" -a pretty accurate description of the average vetter one could say, and perhaps also enthusiastic, magnificent, encyclopaedic, dependable, caring, modest, understanding,determined, vastly experienced, reliable, modest, kind, utterly and absolutely safety concious, trustworthy, tactful, full of spunk and grit, oozing humility and totally, totally inscrutable, but perhaps above all,.. utterly modest.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Thanks Humphrey and Chris who eats outdoorsgrub.

I hadn't planned to cut down to Ben Alder Cottage so I can avoid the dice with a swim in the Loch scramble that you mention. My current plan after Uisge Labhair is to ford (?) the stream somewhere near 461722 and then head approx NE to the path that goes across Bealach Dubh and down to Loch Pattack, where I shall, apparently, be eaten by those garron pony thingies. I have had the bothy at Culra Lodge recommended as a potentially sociable camping spot but that might give me too long a walk the following day when I need to get to Kingussie and a real bed. Still, I shall have to see how it is going after the Uisge Labhair....

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Rob,
Probably a bit late to be any help as others have covered this, but are you sure you were on the path when you found it so disgusting. The first time I did this I strayed onto an argocat track which is, indeed, pretty horrible. I am also aware of a couple of challengers, names withheld, who made the same mistake and had a hard time getting back down again. The path on the map is actually quite nice and well defined - there are many worse.

If you are heading for Dalwhinnie it is easier not to cross where shown on the map - carry on until about NN468725 where the water splits (divide and conquer) - this is shown on an Explorer map but not Landranger.

Colin.

Re: Strath Ossian - An Lairig

Thanks Colin. I have marked that GR on my map!