UKH

Planning to do the 5 Munros East of Bridge of Orchy at the weekend.

Starting on Sunday when the weather improves and hopefully finishing by about lunch time on Tuesday.

The route I'm looking at starts with Beinn Dorain and goes anticlockwise.

Just wondeing if anyone with good knowledge of these hills has thoughts about whether to stick with that or reverse route to clockwise and start with Beinn an Dothaidh.

On the Sunday we will have about 6 hours walking before we need to camp.

Obvious place to camp would be coire Ghabalach but that perhaps seems a bit early in the route.

Any thoughts welcome

If you want or feel you need 2 nights out then fair enough. However, that doesn't look like a lot of walking for 2 nights (28k ish?). Sunday/Monday look like the better days and Sunday the best so I'd be tempted to do as much of it as possible on the Sunday.

As DaveHK said there's only 6-8 hours walking in the round so you should be fine over 2 days. There is a gully off the back of B-a-Dothaidh between pts 1004 and 993 that would allow you to drop down after the first two hills (I have ascended this gully but not descended it) and plenty of places to camp on the way to B Mhanach. Easiest (and fastest) descent is diagonally off the summit of Achaladair towards the first footbridge over the railway east of the river as its a beautiful, mossy descent that's easy on the knees. Alternatively walk over Chreachain and have a night in Gorton with an easy walk out in the morning.

Thanks for the replies.

We're not starting until late morning and we've got quite a drive to get to the area so would rather just take our time and enjoy being out in the hills as we have a few days off.

We're planning on practicing really careful and precise nav (without tech).

That said, the route for I'm looking at is the one shown on Steve Fallon's site and is about 30km and 2600m ascent. I know we're allowing loads of time for it but 6 - 8 hours seems a bit fast?

Cheers for the advice

Surely it makes sense to either start eith Beinn Dorain and go clockwise or start with Beinn Mhanach and go anticlickwise. Start and finish at foot of Auch Gleann.

Think I agree. Just checked Steven Fallon's route, which starts form Bridge of Orchy itself. While it looks good, it seems more logical to base the circuit on Auch Gleann. This is how I described it in one of my books:

Up Auch Gleann for a bit, then left up to Meall an Tionail. Double back on yourself here to go up NE ridge of Dorain. Then clockwise round the hills all the way to Beinn a' Chreachain. Retrace your steps from here to the saddle below Beinn Achaladair. South down to the big bealach then easily up Beinn Mhanach. Easy descent SSW to upper Auch Gleann and home.

SF's circuit is 28km, 2500m ascent. The one I described is 31km 2200m. We both estimate about 11hrs walking. So it's six and half a dozen on the effort involved.

How can you start with Beinn an Dothaidh?  Do you mean Beinn Mhanach?

Looks like snow showers on the tops on saturday evening /night  then sub zero on Sunday and Monday with more significant snow arriving later in the week 

No, the route I was looking at starts from Bridge of Orchy itself, up through Coire an Dothaidh.

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this.

Steve Fallon's described route looked logical enough to not look any further but I'm going to reconsider now.

Many thanks!

In thick weather, beware getting to the actual summit on Beinn Dorain which is not the big cairn but just past it, if memory serves me right.

Having done Munros twice, and the rest in these hills, the best bit is your own planning. I used to compare my efforts with written stuff after having done the hills. Yep, wee inefficiencies but all mine! Job done! Hame in the dark! Best wishes. 

This is how I did it with one night, two days. Start up the Auch Gleann, place camp by the hydro track in grid square 3540. Same day - Mhanach, then rising traverse to the 813m col, Chreachain, backtrack to same col then Achaladair, down to camp. Day 2 - NE 'ridge' of Dorain, N to col and up to Dothaid, back to tent, brew and back out down Auch Gleann.