| All aboard, shouted the Fat Controller, as the whistle sounded out. Douglas the Desel Engine slowely chugged out of Fort William Station on a lovely sunny day. The Fat Controller checked his watch and chuckled "12.06 right on time, your'e a realy punctual engine Douglas. What do you mean you don't like Thomas stories any more! " dad I'm eight, remember, I don't do chu chu's any more" ok I won't mention the Fat Controller again. We disembarked at Corrour at 12.55 on a sunny afternoon the plan was for Jackie and Andrew to go for a cycle round Loch Ossian, while I went for a run up Leum Uilleim 906m, which is part of a horseshoe close to the station. I waved bye to the terrible two and headed SW across some heathery, which would have been a bit of a slog if it had not been for this glorious dry spell of weather. The path was faint and picked it's way through the rockyascent of "Lagain Ghairbh" but it was good under foot and route finding was easy. I reached the sumit of Leum Uilleim in 40min, from where a grassy decent and short grassy ascent brought me to Beinn a Bhric, a top W of Leum Uilleim. From here a wide shoulder can be followed NE, decending past Tom an Eoin, where again tracks can be picked up which curve their way back to Corrour. The whole round, including a few short stops took me 1hr 36min, which got me back in plenty time for the 15.37 train back to the Fort. Jackie and Andrew rolled in five minutes later, and we all sat in the sunshine awaiting the Chu Chu, ops! sorry the train. This is a great little outing which can all be done in half a day from the Fort, and if you don't fancy the hill then the cycle round the Loch can be as easy or as hard as you make it, Jackie and Andrew even had time to stop for lunch. |
