Chasing Ptarmigan

Late run yesterday, left the house about 2, I wanted some steep hills and Ben More from the Crianlarich side sort of fitted. The route was to be a circuit over Ben More, Stob Binnien and back via Stob Coire an Lochain and Meall na Dige, didn't quite make it. Start point was a path from a layby 5 miles past Crianlarich. Soon onto forest roads winding up under Glas Leathad, saw a path saying "open hill access" that's what I took, it led back onto the forest road further up, decided to head uphill through a brashing filled gulley towards the ridge Sron nam Forsairean, had to turn onto a forest road to avoid a lot of fallen trees then took another track marked "open hill access". Happy as long as I was going uphill. A faint path went off to the right alongside a stream, it was marked with white tape, checked the map and it looked ok and should cut out some of the forest road switchbacks. After a few minutes I came out of the trees and onto the hill side, picked my way up beside the stream over lumps and bumps, climbed a deer fence and eventually onto the ridge. A path picked its way along the ridge, I missed a turn and soon onto steep slopes surrounded by snow patches. Worked my way back on to the path on the top of the ridge, Ben More's summit looming out the cloud ahead. Near the top a Ptarmigan ran across the path, probably leading me away from its nest, followed trying to get a picture, they only let you get so close.

Now on the last steep climb to Ben More's rocky summit, the path disappears in the snow, tried to go round on a boulder field below the snow, didn't work, then tried to go above through small crags, decided it wasn't to be and turned back, leaving the route for another day. Ran back down the Sron nam Forsairean ridge to the forest. No real path or track through the forest but found more white tape leading me a fairly direct route through the trees and across forest roads back to the tracks I started from. 2 hours up, 1 hour down. A few pictures here.