Once down to the Corrour track, we stopped for more food (almost the last!) and a short rest before the steady tramp back along to Steall Meadow. As we went, we admired the lovely warm sunset light on the Mamores and started to feel rather pleased with ourselves.

No longer feeling under pressure, we even stopped to chat to a couple of lads camping at Steall before making our way back through the gorge to reach our car at 9.55. Now for fish and chips in Fort William before returning to the camp site.

Although on paper this walk looks much easier than the Welsh Three-Thousanders, being about 26 miles and 10100 ft. of uphill, it requires a much greater commitment. The Welsh walk can be aborted quite easily at any stage, whereas the isolated nature of the Grey Corries would involve a very long, hard walk to reach civilisation should one be forced to descend early. Looking back, we may have been a little rash to embark on such a venture with minimal rations. Apart from one other walker on the Carn Mor Dearg arete, we saw no one at all on the tops and this was prior to the prevalence of mobile phones for emergencies.

We were lucky to have such a glorious day as the weather broke late in the night and we awoke to find low cloud and new snow down to about 2000 ft. As the change was forecast, we had been watching the weather carefully all afternoon in case it seemed advisable to go back early and the wide open nature of the Grey Corries gives one very good early warning of trouble on the way.

We were delighted to have succeeded in our ambitions at last. Another time, perhaps, it would be a good idea to organise transport at the far end. The long gentle descent north from Stob Choire Claurigh would make a very pleasant end to such a day. But we are happy to remember our double traverse as a bit special.