Day 7
Glen Nevis to Fersit
Daily Distance 25.7k, Time Naismith 9.02, Daily Ascent 1732m, Daily Average Altitude 492m
The map shows our actual route in Blue, and the intended route where it was different in red. The blue numbers on our route are highlighted in the text. The red squares are Munros.
We had a quiet night but as soon as we got out of the tent and got above the sheltering bank it was clear that the wind had not died down. The Grey Corries seemed unlikely. Still we struck camp and climbed straight up the hill to the bealach 1 between Sgur Choinich Mor and its little brother. When we reached the bealach the wind became even more impressive. We struggled to the summit of Sgur Choinich Mor 2 and looked along the narrow ridge joining it to its rockier neighbours, then descended towards the River Rath to take our Foul Weather Alternative. Now for the first time on this trip we came across boggy riverside meadows and rivers too deep to cross with dry feet.
We forded the Rath 3 without socks, dried our feet on our little towel and put on our socks and goretex socks again. It was so boggy by the Rath that we left the path and cut a corner to hit the path to the Lairig Leacach higher up the hill. The path was good, when we found it, and we followed it to the bothy 4. At that point we met our primary route again, but it was still very windy. We had planned on climbing Stob Coire Easain and the ridge to Stob a Choire Mheadhion but instead we continued on our FWA down Coire Laire. It was so windy that the rocky cone of Sgurr Innse 5 was whistling.
We found a sunny sheltered spot, had a rest and listened to the mountain. We followed a disused tramway to Fersit, where we found a bin to discard our rubbish. We camped in the shelter of a little woodland south of Fersit. We met 2 people at the bothy that day.
