Passengers on board the 12:02 out of Fort William would have been treated to a comic farce as they approached Corrour station one summer Saturday. They would have seen an overweight, balding, middle-aged man in shorts running through that stretch of mud between the track leading up from Loch Treig and the station. A foot got stuck in the glaur and he fell, rolled over, and then staggered almost upright again, but this time without his clothes and rucksack showing their bright summer colours. He then disappeared behind a mound to retrieve a black poly bag and continued his race with the train only to fall once again, this time on stony ground, which added several splashes and streaks of a bright red colour. Not surprisingly the train won, but his friends who had climbed Leum Uilleim that morning managed to delay its departure sufficiently for the unfortunate chap to catch up. The train manager looked disgusted, and considered whether to allow him to board in such a filthy and blooded state. He kindly relented, but it wasn't till after Crianlarich that he was thanked, owing to the time it took to catch breath and clean up.
So, my advice is this: if you insist on using the luxury seated area of the early-morning sleeper to reach Creag Ghuanach, enjoy the solitude and the scramble but most importantly, take your time, catch the tea-time return and avoid the above nightmarish scenario. This hill is clearly the finest of all which can be reached from Corrour station.
