My friend Ben and I had long been planning to walk five Corbett summits near Tyndrum in one day. Suddenly the weather looked good and we both had a Sunday spare in late July, so we met at a layby just north of The Highlands village on the edge of Rannoch Moor.
Our aim was Beinn Odhar, Beinn Chaorach, Cam Chreag, Beinn nam Fuaran and Beinn a’ Chaisteil. These Corbetts can be walked in two separate routes or one long day with more than 2100m of ascent and descent over 24km.
The route starts on a short section of the West Highland Way. There is a small parking area here, or you can park in a much larger layby around 1km north on the side of the A82. For a longer walk (if you want one!), start at Tyndrum itself.
First Corbett Beinn Odhar
We were aware that some of the mountain slopes would be extremely steep, but the first Corbett Beinn Odhar offered a fairly pleasant gradient. There is also a track and then a zig-zag path to follow. Many Corbetts are pathless, so it is always a joy to discover a Corbett wiht a path.
After the zig-zags, which eased the gradient of the higher, steeper slope, we gained the southwestern ridge. There is a beautiful lochan at this point.
The final push up the top cone to reach the summit of Beinn Odhar at 901m required a bit more effort but Ben and I took our time because we knew there was still a long way to walk. Thanks to the fine weather – high clouds and some sunshine – the views across the southern Highlands were superb. We stopped at the top – this was our highest point of the day – to have a snack and enjoy the panorama.
Beinn Odhar to Beinn Chaorach
A steep descent easterly took us much further into the glen between the two Corbetts than we cared to think about. The further we walked downhill, the more we knew we would need to ascend to reach the next Corbett summit.
The lowest point was around 440m and, up ahead, we could see our next climb rising precipitously. There wasn’t much in the way of trod to follow so we simply struck a line for what we thought we take us to the top. Looking at our route afterwards, we were fairly accurate with our direction.
The slope was hard on the calf muscles and, again, we kept to a measured pace. We stopped when we each wanted a breather or to rest our legs.
The summit of Beinn Chaorach is at 818m elevation, which is almost 100m lower than Beinn Odhar but, by this point, we were feeling the overall hike (so far) in our legs. We stopped again for more food and to take in the fabulous views.
Beinn Chaorach to Cam Chreag
The descent, north-easterly from Beinn Chaorach was not as steep as previous slopes and, this time, the lowest point between the two mountains was only around 640m. This meant we had only about 240m to ascend to reach the top of Cam Chreag at 884m.
This section seemed to take quite a long time, although we were very grateful for a trod for much of the way. There were some boggier sections lower down and most were easy enough to avoid. We were happy to be doing the route after a spell of dry weather because this sort of landscape could be very wet and boggy.
Having met no-one until this point, we started to cross the path of other walkers. Up ahead, we saw a couple of other walkers making their way up – or down – in the distance.
I didn’t dare to look at my watch to see how far we had walked, nor to check the total ascent, because I was keen to keep a level head. We knew the overall day would be tough but I was fairly sure we were not even halfway.
Still, the weather was pleasant and ben and I had plenty to chat about so we enjoyed a pace that meant we were comfortable.
As we approached the rocky top of Cam Chreag, we met another walker. He chatted to us for a while about how much he was enjoying the walk. He was doing three of our five Corbetts and he wished us well as we stopped at the summit for more food and a seat in the sunshine.
Ben, in particular, was keen to spend longer in the warmth but I said we should push on. I knew the next two Corbetts were going to be a test.
Cam Chreag to Beinn nam Fuaran
It must have been an optical illusion because the slope ahead that rose towards Beinn nam Fuaran didn’t look too steep. As we made our way from the top of Cam Chreag, heading north-easterly, I commented to Ben that the next climb looked “fine”.
However, the further we descended and closed in on the next ascent, the steeper it started to look. We also ended up losing a lot of height and had to start the climb of Corbet number four from 400m elevation.
The air temperature was a lot warmer by this point and while we started the climb to the north together, around half-way up we chose our own pace.
There is often a point in a long hike when I feel the need to push on uphill and get to the summit as fast as I can. My legs were surprisingly strong and I was well fuelled so this is what I did: I just walk up at my own pace. Ben walked at his pace, too, and neither of us minded a bit of solo time.
I was delighted to reach the top of Beinn nam Fuaran at 806m and sit for a while while ben caught me up. The sun was warm and I had food and water. I also had enough 4G to finish the Wordle puzzle that had been nagging at me all day.
Once Ben had also gained the top, we rested while looking across at our final Corbett. Beinn a’ Chaisteil rose to the south and to a height of 886m.
Beinn nam Fuaran to Beinn a’ Chaisteil
The distance between the fourth and fifth Corbett was fairly short but, again, the slope was steeper than it at first looked. We quickly descended south-westerly on a sharp decline to around 540m elevation and then started another uphill.
We adopted the same process as before, walking the first section together and then splitting up to set our own pace. I had a drive to get to the top of that final Corbett as fast as I could. My legs still felt strong but it’s tiring being out all day walking big mountains, however fit you are.
I waited for Ben at the top of Beinn a’ Chaisteil feeling very pleased with the day so far. Five Corbetts bagged in one day is very unusual.
The descent and return to the start
We had plotted a route that took us south along the ridge, more gently descending, until we could see the exit route along Glen Coralan below us. A sharper descent south-westerly took us into the glen and close to a river, where we picked up a wide track heading generally westerly.
I think we were both expecting the walk to be quite easy going after this. It wasn’t difficult terrain and most downhill or flat but the kilometres seemed to go on and on. Rounding the northern base of our first Corbett, Beinn Odhar, we could see the A82 high above us but frustratingly far way.
We were surprised after rejoining the West Highland Way just how far we still needed to walk. We plodded on a little discontented but reminding ourselves what we had just achieved.
Brilliantly, around 1km or 2km from the end of the walk, we met two Munro baggers who were also returning from a day’s hike. Chatting to these women, who live where I used to live near Glasgow, took our minds off our weary legs and feet.
And there it was: The layby where we had parked some nine hours before. Our moving time was les than seven hours but when we added all the stops, we were closer to nine hours from start to finish.
Route and stats: 5 Tyndrum Corbetts
Distance: 24km
Total ascent: 2107m
Total Corbetts bagged: 159.