Following the ES activity day/weekend the GM5’s, Alex @GM5ALX and Tim GM5OLD decided to escape to Central Scotland and climb Beinn Mholach GM/CS-064 as a fine end to the long weekend. This is a fairly rare summit, last activated in 2016 so expected allot of interest. With a long cycle in, it was good to get it activated in weather that looked ok but changeable.
Alex drove down from Aberdeen and we met at Fraser @MM0EFI’s crafty cut the corner parking spot before continuing to the start near Dalnaspidal Lodge a couple of hours later. Fraser had kindly loaned me a bike for the trip.
We cycled along Loch Garry to the pump house at the end of the gravelled track without any problems. At this point, after careful
Planning, Alex insisted we should continue with the bikes across about a kilometre of what looked like bog in order to reach a short section of track further on.
It was indeed bog.
In theory this was a shortcut. In practice it took about the same time and required about three times the effort, involving a lot of pushing and carrying of bikes over bogs and burns.
Eventually we abandoned the bikes and started the climb. GM5OLD did not quite manage to keep up the GM5ALX pace, but the summit cairn soon appeared out of the clag.
Alex operated on 20m while I operated on 40m and had a big pile-up. Thanks to all the chasers, conditions were ok.
On the descent the cloud lifted and we finally saw the surrounding hills including Schehallion GM/CS-005
Many thanks to Fraser MM0EFI for the loan of the bike. It will be returned via Alex, who has kindly volunteered for the cleaning duties after its encounter with the bog.
A good outing and a nice way to finish the ES weekend.
