Tranter Round

[burt]

I am considering having a go at the Tranter Round this June.

The stats make it look a lot easier than the Bob Graham (36 miles + 20,500ft cf 65 miles + 27,000ft) but the ground is clearly a lot rougher. I was hoping that I could go at a significantly more relaxed pace than on a 24hr BG and still get round in 20 hours. If I went at a 24 hr BG pace how long would I take on the Tranter? (I am hoping the answer is about 16 or 17 hours which would give me plenty of leeway to go at a more relaxed pace and still get round in 20 hrs).

Which way round? I understand that Philip Tranter's traverse in 1964 was anticlockwise and set off from Achriabhach (2.5 miles up Glen Nevis from the youth hostel) but to me it seems more sense to get the big ascents of Ben Nevis and the Aonachs etc out of the way first. Has anyone tried the ascent up by the waterfalls above the end of the road or alternatively a more direct ascent from Achriabhach via Carn Dearg south? Are these ascent routes worth the saving of 1.5 miles as compared with starting at the youth hostel?

[IanDarkpeak]

I am considering having a go at the Tranter Round this June.

The stats make it look a lot easier than the Bob Graham (36 miles + 20,500ft cf 65 miles + 27,000ft) but the ground is clearly a lot rougher. I was hoping that I could go at a significantly more relaxed pace than on a 24hr BG and still get round in 20 hours. If I went at a 24 hr BG pace how long would I take on the Tranter? (I am hoping the answer is about 16 or 17 hours which would give me plenty of leeway to go at a more relaxed pace and still get round in 20 hrs).

Which way round? I understand that Philip Tranter's traverse in 1964 was anticlockwise and set off from Achriabhach (2.5 miles up Glen Nevis from the youth hostel) but to me it seems more sense to get the big ascents of Ben Nevis and the Aonachs etc out of the way first. Has anyone tried the ascent up by the waterfalls above the end of the road or alternatively a more direct ascent from Achriabhach via Carn Dearg south? Are these ascent routes worth the saving of 1.5 miles as compared with starting at the youth hostel?

There are people out there with more knowlege of this than me but the Tranter is an easier pace than the Ramsey and traditionally goes the opposite way round to the Ramsey i.e. a/c

[Baggins]

There is a write up and times for a Tranters here

I think you should go round anyway you want

I'd rather get the Ben done first as I wouldn't fancy such a big descent at the end of the day.

One of my support last year went up the Ben via the waterfall (he wanted a change from the normal ascent) but I'd rather go up the main path from the Youth hostel as its a brutal way to start.

20 hours should be ok at a relaxed pace

[ydt]

I've never done the Tranter round but have good knowledge of the various options. If I was to do it, I would go clockwise and would come down the north ridge of the Mullach, which is a proper mountaineering finish rather than that dreadful few miles on the road/track. Start/finish as per Ramsay. 20 hours should be a pretty relaxed pace.
Yiannis

[Alan Lucker]

Its a good decent that Yiannis. Will and I did that route by accident last year whilst on a recce. We did however proceed to get hopelessly lost in the woods afterwards, thinking that we had descended the usual RR NE ridge, doh.

I am thinking of doing a Tranters round by setting off and supporting a RR contender (Mr Baggins) then cutting off at Stob Ban (Grey Corries) to miss out my 5 least favourite munros on the round. So clockwise it is for me. I will probably do the rest of it on my own after picking up a food dump at Tom an Elte (or somewhere around there). The only down side to this is carrying more gear than I need, and if setting off at 11 am doing some of the route at night. Still it will add to the challenge.

At RR pace it would take about 17 hour’s ish. (Assuming that you do it in daylight hours)

[burt]

Which is best (going clockwise):-
Binnein Beag then Sgurr Eilde Mor or Sgurr Eilde Mor than Binnein Beag (and if the latter which is the best way from Stob Ban?

Yiannis mentions the north ridge of the Mullach (as opposed to the NE ridge). Can anyone describe the way down to the Youth Hostel from the end of the north ridge?

[Bob]

Which is best (going clockwise):-
Binnein Beag then Sgurr Eilde Mor or Sgurr Eilde Mor than Binnein Beag (and if the latter which is the best way from Stob Ban?

I asked FullMoonAddict about this and he reckons that on a clockwise round: going Binnein Beag, Sgurr Eilde Mor then Binnein Mor is the way to do it.

Don't know about the descent off Mullach.

[petestack]

Just started replying to a whole lot here before realising it was an old thread with a couple of new posts at the end! So leaving up what I'd already written (would be interested to know if anyone's tried the schedule subsequently added to the page Bill links to and whether it scales as suggested) and adding my own congrats to Nicky for her new record...

hoping the answer is about 16 or 17 hours

Can't speak for the Bob Graham, but Ramsay-equivalent pace should be sub-16 (probably closer to 15)...

a more direct ascent from Achriabhach via Carn Dearg south?

Have done it in descent, but wouldn't recommend that (heading for the hostel next time)!

There is a write up and times for a Tranters here

Looks familiar, Bill!

At RR pace it would take about 17 hour’s ish. (Assuming that you do it in daylight hours)

Know you've also done the Ramsay, but have to say you'd never get round it at 17-hour Tranter pace!

Which is best (going clockwise):-
Binnein Beag then Sgurr Eilde Mor or Sgurr Eilde Mor than Binnein Beag (and if the latter which is the best way from Stob Ban?

When I did my (anti-clockwise) Tranter, Charlie Ramsay took me to task for deviating from Tranter's order by doing Binnein Beag last (horrible descent!) on my way to the Grey Corries. So you could argue that Sgurr Eilde Mor should be the 'link' peak, although whether it really matters when you're reversing the direction and maybe starting/finishing at the hostel (as I'd do now) is your call.

[Ally]

I found the write ups on here useful so thought I'd better chip in my own.

[Yaks]

Great write up, enjoyed reading that, well done

ps Your split to top of CMD looks out by 3 mins : 1:41 + 0:41 = 2:22 not 2:19 ;-)