Stob Diamh

The weather man got today completely wrong, not just a bit wrong but waaay off. Had I set off for the hills prepared only for the big sun icon that was stuck over Argyle I would have been in serious trouble. Luckily I'm getting a bit smarter about this Scottish hillwalking lark and prepared for a full winter onslaught. Sure enough the weather had ignored the Met Office prediction and was in a foul mood, we had 50mph wind on the ridge around the lip of Coire Chreachainn swirling in freezing clag multiplied by spindrift that was ripping the skin off the face and were walking on either solid icepack snow, frozen turf or frozen water run-off right from the roadside.

We parked the car at the junction of the minor B8077 (NN 113 282)and headed steeply and up to the 641m point of Monadh Driseig via the obvious col. Onwards to the Corbett of Beinn a Bhuiridh in very low visibility and strengthening winds. Northwards for 2km on the high broad but exposed ridge to Stob Diamh itself, where we stopped for no more than the obligatory photographs, then round the corrie rim clockwise to descend on the broad shoulder that makes up the north side of the corrie all the time fighting the strengthening winds that were now giving us a good beating.

In all an "enjoyable" speedy circuit at 5hrs and although I'd climbed this hill with my dad and the Michelin Walking Club years and years ago, as part of the normal Cruachan Circuit, it was good to revisit it again in very different conditions.