Beinn nan Imirean

Another week of hard work, another Sunday where I had permission to bugger off for the day. I had spied Beinn nan Imirean for a while being one of the closest Corbetts to the house (about 75 minutes drive). However, most books and accounts suggested it was very boggy thus I waited for a cold day to head over from Auchessan. While there had been a good drop of snow, I would find that the ground was still boggy underfoot and this made for quite a slog to the top. I arrived at Auchessan, not quite remembering the etiquette about parking. I decided to park well away from the exit, just off the road and on to the verge. Rather than hill running gear, I had decided to take plenty of gear and boots so this would be more of a fast hike.

The approach was exactly the same as for Sgiath Chuil and I vaguely remembered it. I think it may have been 7 years since I had been here. Once up past the farmland fencing, I struck off more or less West-North-West and ploughed through the snow-fields and bogs. The snow began to fall but there was no issues of navigation and when it did at last stop, the view up to the summit was grand. I stopped before the last pull up on the ridge beside the lochain and had a mince pie - sublime. Views over to the Munros were fantastic with wee pockets of sunshine penetrating the Winter grey. I re-embarked upon the ascent and found the wee summit cairn with a great view into Glen Lochay. I had also considered coming at this hill from that approach as part of a 20K run but that could wait for the 2nd round of Corbetts! At 849m, the wind was stiff and I set off back home. Uneventful until a slip on the wee grassy mound just behind the farm, with a 5-yard skite on shitey grass. A quick wash in the burn and a skip back to the car in just under 3 hours for this 11km hike. This might be a boggy affair but one that saw nobody on the Corbett except me, while the Munroists were in evidence across the hills.