Maintaining Mountain Fitness (4)

On 5 August I got another chance to slip the leash and head off into the mountains on my own. We were now at Loch Morlich, so I decided it was time to go up Bynack More ... the Munro which I could so easily have diverted to on the 2004 Challenge, but decided not to for fear of running out of daylight.

My route this time was to go past An Lochan Uaine (beautiful as ever ...), up Strath Nethy (I now understand why the route vetters always advise against this particular route ...), over A'Choinneach (one of Munro's Munros, but deleted in Brown & Robertson's 1980 revision of the list), and up by way of the Bynack Barns (one of which is pictured). I then descended the North ridge to the site of the Bynack Stables (now, alas, no more) and came back in by way of An Locahin Uaine and Glenmore Lodge again.

The top 200 metres or so of the North ridge of Bynack More are stunning! I think this is probably the most breathtaking descent I have ever made. The dictionary simply does not have enough superlatives to describe it. If you only ever make one Munro ascent, make it this one on a fair day ... and then marvel at the views which open up before you as you come back down that ridge!