10 April 2014 with no rain but always rough ground to negotiate once off the approach path.
In the company of Nigel (Thackrak or Thackerek?) of New Mills in NW Derbyshire. We met up in the car park at the end of the long, hummocky, twisting road along Glen Dessarry, at the W end of long Loch Arkaig*.
My stunning day to visit the summit of Bidien a' Chabair, 867 m included a long cycle ride, a long walk and then all repeated to get back to base and safety. A very long day: 6.5 hrs to the summit; 4.5 hrs to return. (My longest day, in old age and 11 years later, was 13.5 hrs to clinch my last three Donald summits in 2025 and then to do two more to find an easier path to walk back on. (As rightly advised by a great guy a year younger who was also climbing Donalds but NOT ghastly Trump!)
Looking at the map, just now, why didn't we come out of the forest at Grid Ref: NM 91886 93449 at 159 m? It seems more direct to take the SE steep slopes of the broad ridge diagonally which I don't think we did! I'm sure we stayed on the NNW path and went over Meall na Sroine 674 m to eventually get the Corbett clinched. Longer in distance by taking in the full broad and tricky ridge of over 3 Km, as we did.
MY DIARY NOTES made on returning:
The broad ridge was one rocky obstacle after another to get round or down, up again and over, with half a dozen lochans also in the way. Then the final grand assault on the rocky summit pinnacle, with rucksacks left at the base and an easy climb up to touch the very highest point!
A great relief and some views, too for our reward.
Diary entry: "Chicken sandwich bought on 7 April for eating on the 7 April but discovered on the 9 April and had for breakfast on the 10 April - with no injurious health consequences." Thank goodness, for the long day in store for me!
*Located in the Highland region of Lochaber, Loch Arkaig is a deep glacial loch running 20km from west to east.
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