SANDWICHED between Loch Ossian and the Munros of Chno Dearg and Stob Coire Sgriodain, the solitary Munro of Beinn na Lap, 3,068ft, lies in a wild and fairly inaccessible tract of countryside. The hill is most obviously accessed from the shores of Loch Ossian, which in turn is accessed only by train - the West Highland Line at Corrour.

The train ride can, and does, offer a novel and rather enjoyable day out which includes a frisson of urgency - you have to climb the Munro in between train times, or else stay overnight at the Loch Ossian Youth Hostel. There's no great hardship in that - the hostel has been refurbished recently and offers a tad of communal comfort in a wild setting at the western end of glorious Loch Ossian.

The route to Beinn na Lap from Corrour station and Loch Ossian couldn't really be simpler, but doesn't really do the mountain much justice.

Follow the track east from the station to Loch Ossian, then take the left fork of the track where it splits at the loch.

Follow this track along the north shore of the loch for a short distance before breaking away from it to climb the hill's south-west slopes all the way to the summit.

If you find yourself yawning at that route description, you'll probably find the ascent equally boring. That's fine if you are desperate to tick off the Munros but why not add a little adventure to your life and treat Beinn na Lap as the remote peak that it is? Pretend the railway doesn't exist.

There are two other options.

Grab a mountain bike and head for Fersit at the north end ofLoch Treig. Just past the farm at the road end a hardpack track runs into the forest just south of Loch Moy. Follow the track through the forest to where it emerges just above the Allt Gualann Dhearcaig then continue into Corrour Estate to the bridge that runs over the Allt Feith Thuill. Leave your bike by the bridge and wander up the marvellous Sron na Cloiche Sgoilte that leads, in turn, to the north-east ridge of Beinn na Lap.

This route gives a much greater impression of Beinn na Lap's position, wedged as it is between the loch in the south and the big corries of Chno Dearg and the Meall Garbh summit of Stob Coire Sgriodain in the north.

An even better route is to walk in from Fersit, following the old hill path that hugs the southern boundaries of the forest before breaking free to cross the hillsides above Loch Ghuilbinn in beautiful Strath Ossian.

We were late in starting out, but had decided to camp overnight at the foot of the mountain. We were almost sorry for that decision. A bitterly cold wind blew out of the east and the tops were covered in snow. In a mad fit of optimism I had packed a summer sleeping bag and as we trudged over the very wet hill path I wondered what sort of night was in store.

Even in such grey, wintry conditions, Strath Ossian still manages to portray the extravagance of its lovely setting. Wide, meandering rivers flow from Loch Ghuilbinn and Strathossian house is protected from the winds by a clutch of stately pines. As we approached the bridge over the Allt Feith Thuill, the cloud began to lift to expose the high tops and by the time we had chosen a cap site by the river the summit of Beinn na Lap peeked out at us beyond the dark nose of the Sron na Cloiche Sgoilte.

We climbed the hill in the late afternoon and our timing couldn't have been better. As we climbed higher towards the summit, the whole of the west lay exposed before us - the Loch Treig hills, the Grey Corries, the Aonachs and Ben Nevis, the Mamores and the peaks of Glen Coe beyond the ragged line of the Aonach Eagach ridge. To describe it as spectacular would be to play it down. Here was beauty in the raw, a rare and inspiring image from a wonderful viewpoint.

By the time we got back to the tent the cloud had rolled in again and it began to rain. By that time we were only interested in a hot meal and our sleeping bags - even if they were only summer-rated models.

FACT FILE

Map: OS Sheets 41 and 42

Distance: About 16 miles

Approx time: 8-10 hours

Start/finish: The road end at Fersit, near Loch Treig. GR357781 Route: Leave the end of the farm road and follow the tracks across the moor to where a Scotways sign points out the route to Corrour.

Follow the track in an east direction as it climbs towards the forest edge. A stile then takes you into the forest. Follow the path past a ruined house, climb steeply between the trees to another stile, which takes you on to the open hillside below Meall Chaorach. Follow the path south to its junction with the hardpack road and continue to follow it south to the bridge over the Allt Feith Thuill.

Another path runs along the southern bank of the burn. Follow it for 10 minutes or so before breaking off to climb the heather-covered slopes of the Sron na Cloiche Sgoilte. Continue climbing in a south-west direction. Soon the steepness of the slope eases off and it's an easy wander over several false summits to the big cairn that marks the top of Benn na Lap. Return the same way.