Coire Glas could double GB power storage – but natural loch is a place of beauty
ACTIVE OUTDOORS On a trip up two familiar Munros, John Davidson contemplates the changing face of a mountain set to become a huge hydro-electric store
My second visit to this pair of hills above Loch Lochy pales into insignificance when compared to Richard Wood, who has climbed them both – as well as their lower-lying neighbour Ben Tee – over 1000 times each.
I’ve never met Richard, who I believe is now in his 70s, but it seems a quite remarkable achievement. He is apparently also the person with the most recorded Munro ascents with well over 8000.
I wonder what he might make of the changes that are on their way to the valley below the summit of Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh.
Coire Glas currently drains water courses from the slopes under the Munro, with burns from Coire Glas and Coire Garbh forming the naturally beautiful Loch a’ Choire Ghlais at around 500 metres above sea level in this secluded glen.
But by early into the next decade, energy developers expect this quiet spot to be storing enough water to nearly double the current electricity storage capacity of Great Britain. The Coire Glas pumped hydro scheme was given permission in 2020 and is awaiting a guaranteed price through government mechanisms for large electricity producers before funding for the project is finalised.
At 1.3GW with up to 30GWh of storage capacity, Coire Glas could power three million homes for up to 24 hours, according to SSE Renewables.
The firm has already excavated 90,000 tonnes of rock and earth as part of exploratory works which saw a 1.2km tunnel driven under the hillside near Loch Lochy in the Great Glen.
This will be the first major pumped storage hydro scheme built in more than 40 years. Think of Ben Cruachan but much, much bigger.
At some point over the next few years, I’d love to camp beside the existing loch, to enjoy the sense of place that will be lost forever once the construction tracks and dam starts to be built.
Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh was the second Munro of the day for Mark and I, and we decided to explore a short distance down a steep spur overlooking the glen – extreme care is needed so it’s not a recommended part of the route. However, it did allow us a peek below the cloud cover and meant we got a good view of the loch below as we ate our lunch from our high perch.
It’s hard to picture such a vast landscape change as we contemplated how different this part of the Highlands will be in 10 years’ time. This stunning natural coire will be lost but on the other hand I expect access to these hills to be made even easier, with tracks leading to the dam meaning an alternative to the popular route may become more of a norm.
I’d looked at the map and looked at a potential long route taking in Ben Tee first before climbing to Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh via Meall a’ Choire Ghlais, then adding Meall na Teanga on before returning to our starting point at Kilfinnan.
Time pressures meant we opted for a much more direct option on this occasion, using the bikes for the couple of miles on forest track before heading steeply on foot to the Cam Bhealach. It was warm work up the forest path, and it was a relief to escape onto the open hillside to feel the breeze on our faces.
After nearly three kilometres, you reach the high point of the pass where paths strike off to the right and left. After a stop for a warm drink and a bite to eat, we opted for what seems to be the popular choice of going left and heading up Meall na Teanga first, following an eroded path that leads to a higher bealach then climbs to the north ridge of the Munro.
I was hoping for better views than I got on my previous visit here, when the wind was howling over the tops, but there was again nothing to see from the cloud-shrouded 918m summit, marked by a fairly large cairn. We turned face and headed back to the Cam Bhealach, where a larger party following in our footsteps had reached by now.
The route up Sron a’ Choire Ghairbh is via a series of steep zigzags, a classic stalkers’ path that is in a reasonable condition still. As it peters out, it’s nothing more than a short stroll as the gradient eases to reach the lip of the coire.
The remnants of a once hanging cornice was still clinging on. We veered left up the short rise to our second summit of the day, unable to see anything through the cloud, though the brightness suggested we were almost above it.
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We decided to explore down the spur between the two corries, Garbh and Glas, which starts very steeply on a soft mossy surface that hides several small rocks and boulders. We safely made our way to a nice spot overlooking Coire Glas and the glorious loch far below.
Next time, maybe I’ll camp down there and in future I’ll be able to say I spent a night below that huge loch in Coire Glas…
Route details
Loch Lochy munros
Distance 8 miles / 13 km (plus 4 miles / 6.5 km return by bike)
Terrain Steep rocky path through forest then stalkers’ paths and mountain terrain
Start/finish Kilfinnan, Laggan Locks
Map OS Landranger 34; OS Explorer 400
A steep climb to a bealach between two relatively easy Munros above Loch Lochy
Click here to see the route in OS Maps
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