My friend Maggie and I could see the horseshoe route of the Corbett Streap, Glenfinnan, in the western Highlands of Scotland from our previous day’s bagging adventure on Braigh nan Uamhachan.
Indeed, many people start the route to Streap from the same estate track as for Braigh nan Uamhachan, just off the A830. This is a popular route. However, after looking at the map, we decided to take an alternative route and approach Streap via Glen Finnan from the west.
Cycling to a closed bridge
We planned to cycle as far along the Glenfinnan Estate road as possible. But first we needed to reach the entrance to Glenfinnan. Having parked in parking area east of the larger Glenfinnan car park (it’s about £5 for a day’s parking in the Glenfinnan car park) we cycled our bikes west on a track that runs parallel with the road. A river runs between the track and the road.
Unfortunately, because we were chatting we didn’t read temporary signs that informed us a bridge over the river had been damaged and was closed. It was only as we got closer to the bridge that we noticed this and so we have to backtrack.
Starting again from our smaller car park, we headed along the road this time. It is quite a busy road but we we only need to ride a few kilometres.
We then turned right and head up along a well-laid tarmac road into the Glenfinna Estate. Having just passed under the famous Glenfinnan Viaduct, we met a man dressed in tweed with his collie dog and standing next to a Landrover. He seemed keen to stop us and engage us in conversation.
It turned out that Alistair is the estate manager – soon due to retire – and he wanted to know where we were heading. We said Streap and he offered us some advice on how to avoid a steep crags surrounding the summit. He pointed on the map to where we should be able to see a “grassy embankment” on to the ridge.
As we headed on with a cheery “thank you” we heard Alistair asking other people about their plans and experience. While some people might find Alistair’s questioning patronising, Maggie and I decided that it was great to have first-hand advice and knowledge on what we knew might be a tricky ascent, especially as we were aware a man died a few years ago on Streap.
The cycle to the bealach
Looking at the map, we were not sure how far we would be able to cycle. We were on mountain bikes and we were prepared to get off any walk uphill pushing our bikes where necessary. Our aim was to climb as high as we could by bike, so as to benefit from the ride back down at the end of the day.
I don’t think either of us imagined we could get to an elevation of over 300m though.
Our first aim was the Corryhully Bothy, also known as the Eletric Bothy because, unusually, it has electricity. We reached tis with ease so we continued.
At each steeper incline, whether we pedalled or walked, one of us would say, let’s just see what comes next. This happened many times until, finally, we ran out of track. We stopped just before a river ford and at 335m elevation. We left our bikes at this point.
A steep walk on Streap
Looking up at the very steep western slope of Streap was a bit daunting. We knew we would manage the gradient if we took our time, but we were not sure we could see the grassy embankment mentioned by Alistair. He has said we should look up and back on the slope once at the bealach.
So, with our eyes constantly roaming across the top of the slope, we walked further uphill to reach the bealach between Streap and the Munro to the east, Sgurr Thuilm.
A cairn marked a height of 478m and as we crested this point we were treated to stunning views north.
From the bealach, looking up and south, Maggie and I decided there were two possible grassy entries through crags to the ridge. One was lower down the slope and one was higher. We picked the higher grassy section and headed towards this.
The going was slow and on rough ground. It also required a long stretch of traversing on very steep terrain. All the while, we worried that the grassy stretch, which seemed to be no more than a hint of grass between rocks, would end up being impassable. But we kept going in the knowledge that if it didn’t work out, we could retreat and try again.
The higher we climbed, the steeper the slope became and the more daunting the steep crags looked. We were both grateful for hiking poles and grippy footwear. We skirted around the base of several lengths of crag and then came to the grassy section, like a natural narrow shoot between rocks. Ascending this was steep, too, but our way was straightforward and we did not meet and obstacles or crags.
Finally, we could see our way clearly ahead and on grass and then we topped out on the ridge at almost 800m elevation.
We were aware would need to find this point again for the descent and I decided to place a temporary marker on a rock. I used a piece of pink tape that I carry in my pack in case of injury.
The final kilometre to reach Streap’s summit at 909m (just below Munro height) was relatively easy. There are a few scrambley and slightly exposed sections but nothing too tricky. I am not great with heights and steep slopes but I found this part of the walk much easier than I’d feared.
Summit of Streap
Sitting on Streap to eat our lunch, we looked around at the fabulous 360-degree views. Ben Nevis and surrounding peaks were visible to the east, as well as Loch Arkaig and many high mountains to the north. To the west we looked out across islands including Skye, Eigg and, we think we also made out Mingulay further distant. This was another tip from Alistair, to look out for Mingulay.
The sun shone, the air was warm and calm and Maggie and I were thrilled to be in such a wildly pristine and amazing location.
Return route on Streap
It would have been possible to return along the ridge and walk over a couple of other high summits to the south, however we were looking forward to relocating our bikes.
Instead, we descended the way we had climbed and used the tape to ensure we headed down the right grassy gully. Instead of traversing across the steep-sided slope back top the bealach, we descended in a more westerly direction and returned quickly to where we had left our bikes.
The cycle back to the viaduct and on to the road was superb. We had met no one on our Corbett and it felt like a bit of an affront to the senses to cycle past a very busy car park and plenty of tourists milling about closer to the viaduct.
The short stretch on the A830 passed quickly and we were soon back at our vans. We sat in hot sunshine for an hour or more after the adventure, chatting about how lucky we had been with the weather – and where we planned to head next for a van-and-Corbett-bagging trip.
Streap details
Distance: 30km (including some 4km of out and back on a track to discover a broken bridge)
Total ascent: 1100m
Our route: Strava and OS Map. (Please note that you follow this route at your own risk. There are other ways to ascend to the ridge and this is simply the route we took on the day.)
Corbetts bagged: 144