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Access: The Car Park is on the west side of Loch Slapin, in the corner of the forest
at NG561217 on the A881, immediately after (south) of the bridge over the Allt na Dunaiche.
It is up a track with a gate and an information noticeboard beyond.
Route: This is a half day walk.
The ascent path starts from the road on the north side of the bridge,
although there is (or was) a connecting path from the top end of the car park.
Once on Blaven, some points of the path are difficult to find in cloud:
note particularly that the path up the E ridge takes a sharp right from
the end of the Coire Uaigneich path marked on Harvey's map
at about 450m, immediately after the east-facing cliffs relent.
It is easily identified as being the point at which the path is level
with Loch Fionna-choire on the col opposite.
The first few hundred yards from here are unclear, but then there are a couple
of paths which soon connect up. If in doubt ascend diagonally rightwards.
The path is easy to find on descent.
There is a very good constructed path as far as Coire Uaigneich.
In the corrie the path is mainly stone slabs, small rocks and fine grit, but not steep.
Thereafter, above about 500m, the walking is mostly over steep, loose, small scree.
The path south from the south top is entirely of this type.
However, once the east ridge is reached on the route to the summit,
the terrain becomes firm and rocky, with a short easy scramble at one point
(which might be avoidable).
The walk can be done in either direction, although the traverse between the two tops
is clearly easier in the anti-clockwise direction, and so I recommend that.
The path between the two tops involves some minor exposed scrambling
from the col to the south top, and is the only difficult part of the whole walk.
So, in the anti-clockwise direction from the summit to the south top, the very short scrambling
section is an ascent and the ledge to follow is easily seen head on.
Moreover, for this direction if the scrambling proves too much, at least one has conquered the Munro.
Remark: This is Route 103 in J. Wilson Parker's
"Scrambles
in Skye", Cicerone Press, 1983 with grade 2W and a diagram on pp. 130-131.
Weather 15/8/04: Cloud down to below 1500' (450m).
Weather 5/5/07: Relatively cool with cloud down on the tops.
15/8/04 | 5/5/07 | Description | Ht. | Asc. | Dist. | Grid Ref. |
1700 | 1050 | Car Park by Allt na Dunaiche on A881 | 14 | 0 | 0.0 miles | NG561217 |
1115 | Path W up Allt na Dunaiche to (first) burn crossing | 195 | 180 | 1.1 miles | NG545216 | |
1135 | Path SW up Coire Uaigneich to path split level with Loch Fionna-choire. Continue straight on for clockwise direction, sharp right for anti-clockwise. |
450 | 435 | 1.8 miles | NG537213 | |
1535 | 1215 | Head diagonally right and upwards towards corrie edge to locate path, then N up scree to ridge, and W to M Bla Bheinn (Blaven) trig pt |
928 | 925 | 2.7 miles | NG529217 |
Easy path SW to col | 900 | |||||
1520 | 1220 | Ascend rising ledge opposite into gully on left, then up gully to T Bla Bheinn, SW Top |
926 | 950 | 2.9 miles | NG528215 |
Descend scree slope SSE to col | 600 | NG532211 | ||||
1250 | Path E into Coire Uaigneich, to path join level with Loch Fionna-choire. |
450 | 3.7 miles | NG537213 | ||
1305 | Path NE to (last) crossing of Allt na Dunaiche | 195 | 4.4 miles | NG545216 | ||
1335 | 1320 | Path E by Allt na Dunaiche to car park on A881. | 14 | 955 | 5.5 miles | NG561217 |
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