TGO Challenge 2025

Day 2 Beinn Breac to Glen Etive.

Another beautiful day, light wind and long sunny intervals. It was rather late when I woke up, I was waiting for the alarm to go off  but then realised that I had turned it off in the hostel the night before and forgotten to put it back on.

The way up from the overnight camp

A short climb took me to the top and then on down a complicated ridge to the start of the climb to the second top of the day, Creach Bheinn. This was bigger, rockier proposition but not exceptionally steep.

View on the way up

The views from all the tops today, although hazy, were truly amazing, the pictures don't do it justice.

Hills everywhere

A big lumpy ridge before the descent to a track that didn't look as though it had been used by a vehicle for many years, in fact it isn't marked at all on the large scale map.

Looking down to Loch Etive

I had to leave the line of the track and make my way across country to the very steep climb up to Beinn Trilliachan. This was a seriously steep and rocky ascent but eased off towards the top which was marked by a little pile of stones on some bare rock 

Top of Beinn Trilliachan 

The descent was equally difficult and it was very slow trying to find a way down through the cliffy bits. Even the last bit down to the road was a nasty, boggy 'path' through tussock grass.

Ben Starav across Loch Etive

There is a car park where I met the end of the road down Glen Etive and it was full of campervans and there were several tents as well. I thought it would be more peaceful further up the glen.

Glencoe hills from near my camp spot

I walked three miles further up the glen and found nowhere suitable to camp, the ground was either marshy, covered with bracken or a mixture of scrub.

The only place I could find

I decided that I had to find somewhere and took a track down to the river but it all looked pretty hopeless until I came to an anglers path that had been made by the river. It was just wide enough for the tent and not too wet so I pitched the tent on the path and hoped that I wouldn't be in the way!

15 miles walked 1300 meters ascent.