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Blaven, Normal (Coire Uaigneich) Route
15th August 2004 & 5th May 2007

Route: Ascent: 955m=3130', 5½ miles, 3½ hrs.


Blaven and Loch Coruisk from Sgurr nan Eag

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.

15/8/045/5/07 Description Ht.Asc.Dist.Grid Ref.
17001050 Car Park by Allt na Dunaiche on A881   14   00.0 milesNG561217
 1115 Path W up Allt na Dunaiche to (first) burn crossing 1951801.1 milesNG545216
 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.
4504351.8 milesNG537213
15351215 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
9289252.7 milesNG529217
   Easy path SW to col 900   
15201220 Ascend rising ledge opposite into gully on left,
then up gully to T Bla Bheinn, SW Top
9269502.9 milesNG528215
   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 milesNG537213
 1305 Path NE to (last) crossing of Allt na Dunaiche 195 4.4 milesNG545216
13351320 Path E by Allt na Dunaiche to car park on A881.   149555.5 milesNG561217


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