Munros around Loch Ossian

Starting on the track from Corrour Halt towards Loch Ossian

Corrour Halt is the country's highest train station and is on the West Highland Line which travels from Glasgow to Fort William and onto Mallaig. Corrour Halt can't be accessed by road, the nearest stations that can are Rannoch to the south and Tulloch to the north.

Should you not wish to travel to Corrour by train, there are fine estate tracks that can be cycled or walked on instead. One travels for the best part of 30km from Moy on Loch Laggan, another slightly shorter route but with more climbing heads in from Loch Eigheach near Rannoch Station.

Open from April to October is Corrour Station House Restaurant - worth making a reservation if you fancy something to eat after your time on the hills.

The SYHA Ossian Hostel is a lovely place to stay if you fancy spending more time here.

Beinn na Lap from the western end of Loch Ossian

From Corrour Halt, follow the track down towards Loch Ossian. Just before the loch, the track splits , turn left (west).

Over a bridge, a sign points to Loch Treig , leave the track here and start up a (usually) wet path aiming directly up the hillside ahead. A gentle slog through wet grass reaches the south-west shoulder of Beinn na Lap.

On the crest an obvious path is picked up and followed north-east towards Beinn na Lap's summit. The remains of a shelter (facing Loch Ossian) are met, from where turn slightly left and downhill to reach a small lochan with Beinn na Lap's summit just beyond. A large cairn on the summit provides some shelter from any winds.

Heading up Sgòr Choinnich

Return to the ruined shelter , then aim south-south-east downhill towards the forest's western edge. Descent is more heather covered than ascent - watch out for hidden boulders !

Further down, aim for stile over the high deer fence then cross wet ground to reach the track around Loch Ossian.

Turn left and follow the track though the forest to the north-east end of the loch.

At a junction with memorial plaque , turn right and go past the boat house with its grass roof. Have a peak at the unusual lodge with its glass conical frontage.

Over a bridge, the track splits , take the left fork to the cottages. Past the cottages and Corrour Venison warehouse, continue uphill on a track to reach a small dam .

Cross the burn just beyond the dam then aim directly for Meall Nathrach Mòr. The ground is clad in heather, but gradually gives way to grass higher up for easy progress to the Munro Top, Sgòr Chòinnich .

Sgòrr Gaibhre from Sgòr Choinnich

From Sgòr Chòinnich's summit, turn south and descend over grass and boulders to pick up a faint path to follow to grassy Bealach na Sgòr . Uphill on a path that zig-zags, a climb of 150m leads to Sgòr Gaibhre's small summit cairn - a lovely spot to enjoy views over Loch Ericht.

Càrn Dearg from Sgòrr Gaibhre

To continue from Sgòr Gaibhre's summit to Càrn Dearg, aim west-south-west downhill following an obvious path over grassy ground to Màm Bàn (meaning 'white pass') . This bealach is peaty and can be quite soggy depending on the season.

Easy progress continuing along the path as it starts climbing gently uphill aiming towards Càrn Dearg. Ascent gets steeper as the summit nears, with bouldery ground at the top. A large well-formed upright cairn rests on Càrn Dearg's summit from where excellent views westwards can be savoured.

Descending Càrn Dearg

Follow Càrn Dearg's north-west shoulder for just over 1km, then downhill westwards over heather (quite deep in bits).

Reach the junction in the path, where 'Peter's Rock' stands.

If ground is fairly dry, then follow the path that aims west to the western end of the loch.

If however the ground is pretty wet, it's more pleasant to aim north on a path from 'Peter's Rock', to reach a fire-break which can be followed directly down to the track, which in turn is traced to the western end of the loch. A further walk of 1km along the track reaches the train halt, where hopefully food or a drink awaits at the Station restaurant.