Beinn Luibhean

In May 2022 I attempted to climb Beinn Luibhean.

The bus from Glasgow arrived a quarter of an hour late at the Rest and Be Thankful turning circle and it wasn't until about 10:50 that I could set off past Loch Restil and down the A83 towards Butterbridge

Most of the way there is a verge on one side of the road or the other and at other times you can walk on the valley side of the crash barriers.

There's a sign at the boundary of the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park which says Tioraidh (cheerio in Gaelic) on one side....

....and the other side the boundary sign of the national park.

This is look back to the Rest and Be Thankful with the 901m high Beinn an Lochann towering above the road.

At Butterbridge the road turns 90 degrees to enter Glen Kinglas.....

.....and there is a gate and rickety stile (on the right of the road just before the bend) where a faint path begins.

The track heads past an old ruin with the Munro Beinn Ime on the left and the slopes of Beinn Luibhean on the right.

The track is rough and clings to the hillside between the Allt Beinn Ime and a plantation.

As can be seen the weather was poor with drizzle most of the day.

There is a new deer fence with a gate and stile at NN 24375 08913 with .....

...an explanation of what is happening.

Looking back downhill Binnein an Fhidhleir is another Corbett across Glen Kinglass.

The slopes of Beinn Luibhean are extremely steep - from the gate to the summit there is a climb of 412 metres in 1.04 kms.

Looking downhill into Glen Kinglas with the A83 to Oban and Campbletown visible.

Further up the hill what appeared to be a stream running over slabs  .....

......actually had the start of a landslide at the top.

The bealach between Beinn Ime and Beinn Luibhean comes into view with the new deer fence. Later on my way back downhill I decided to follow the fence back to the gate rather than descend the way I had come up.

The gradient continues relentlessly upwards.....

....and there is a view of the summit with a small amount of cloud over it.

My GPS is telling me that there is still another 30 minutes to the summit and I realise that I'm not going to have time to get there and be back comfortably for the bus at 17:13. The thought of waiting until the next bus at 19:53 in a cold and wet bus shelter does not appeal.

There are stretches where there are tracks made by walkers but somewhere about the 725m contour I decide to stop and head back downhill. Once back on the main road the heavens open and there is half an hour of torrential rainfall.

 I'm back at the bus stop by just after four and by the time I'm in the shelter my out layers of clothing are sodden although inside I'm dry. I sort myself out in the bus shelter annoyed that the snack bar in the car park has just closed.

Is this the only bus shelter with a gate to stop sheep and deer getting inside?

I get the slightly earlier Lochgoilhead to Helensburgh local bus and then the train to Glasgow. A hot cup of coffee at Helensburgh began to warm me up!

So Beinn  Luibhean wouldn't be my 37th Corbett but it's been a good but challenging day!

 I shall return again but get the earlier bus (06:10!) from Glasgow to give me a longer time and less need ot clock watch.