GUIDE TO THE ALLT CEITLEIN
NAME OF RIVER: Allt Ceitlein.
WHERE IS IT?: Glen Etive, off the A82, follow the signs to Glen Etive. Allt Ceitlein is a tributary of the Etive, joining the Etive, river left and upstream of the Allt Mheuran.
PUT-INS/ TAKE-OUTS: The river is not obvious fron the road as you drive down Glen Etive, reference to an OS map is usefull to help locate the valley. Car parking in this part of the Glen is not good and not suitable for large groups.
Once the river is located, it's a simple matter of crossing the Etive, and walking up the Allt Ceitlein inspecting the rapids as you go.
APPROX LENGTH: 750 metres.
TIME NEEDED: 2-3 hours.
ACCESS HASSLES: No known issues.
WATER LEVEL INDICATORS: Needs a fair amount of water. If the middle Etive, the Allt A'Chaorainn and the Allt Mheuran are all very full, then it's a good time to go explore this gem.
GRADING: 4-5.
MAJOR HAZARDS/ FALLS: Slabs and rapids. The second main slab has an interesting finish.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: If you like the Allt A'Chaorainn and the Allt Mheuran then you will enjoy this as well. The river has a more open feel than the Allt A'Chaorainn and the Allt Mheuran and the slabs are longer and wider. In addition after the slabs there are a few nice conventional rapids on the way down to the Etive.
The river starts with a 2 metre drop followed by the first, and easiest slab, this is a long roller coaster with a stopper at the base which you will punch through without problems.
The second slab is more tricky, with a bit of route finding to do on the way down, a significant constriction, slightly undercut, at the base and a tricky stopper to get through; G5.
The third slab looks straight forward, however the more obvious river left route caught two of our group out and the river right route involves a bit of work to keep out of trouble; G4.
A couple of nice drops follow which lead into a significant stepped rapid on a right hand bend.There ia a choice of routes, both G4-5.
The final drop is under a foot bridge leads to a short flat/bouldery section back to the Etive.
OTHER NOTES:
CONTRIBUTED BY: Bob Evans.
