As Corbett TRs are very fashionable here...
Had a wander up this rather pleasant but unsung hill on Saturday. Now any hill that has a summit to
steep to support a cairn has to be OK.
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Despite being there since the mid 1980's, the track up to the foot of Imirean is still absent from
both 1:50k amd 1:25k OS mapping. They have the oh so important National park yellow up there
allright, but not a 20 year old road. The said road was quite important as it meant going up the
hill by its obvious feature, the North Ridge, rather than flog through the hellmoor above Auchessan,
as per all the guidebooks. Ive been there once.
Its a good 7km past a couple of bulls, a field of tups , a lot of Elchaig style hungry cows and the
EMC hut to the burn crossing where a poor track brances off and zig zags up to about 600m in the
corrie between Imirean and Glas. At first there was a group just behind me, but as expected they
were off up Creag Mhor. I had started in rain, but the rest of the day stayed dry, but cold, and it
took a while to get the clothing choice just right.
The North ridge as expected was very easy and I got some good short range views, too many big hills
closing in the distant stuff. Creag Mhor shows well from here. The summit is a sharp rock flake and
is a great place to look down Glen Falloch and Glen Dochart. While the north was cloudy, the hills
around Loch Earn showed well in autumn colours.
I returned via the Dark Side, over a very quiet and unscarred Meall Ghlas, my first Munro for nearly
2 years.(I was to add a couple more the following day) On the way down to the pass between the two
hills I passed an enormous quartz boulder. On the descent of Meall Chreateach's N spur I found yet
another new bulldozed road. This must make Meall Ghlas one of the easiest Munros, although all the
books suggest doing it from the south, across a very rough moor.
It is important to note that the bridge at the nearly ruined Lubchurran is no longer there. Its an
easy paddle across in a dry spell, but beware in normal weather. Also the road to the north ridge of
Imirean crosses three big burns, so dont write off the southern approach all together, in a wet
spell forget the Lochay route.
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Later, I was about to have a pint in the Clachaig, when all the lights went out in Killin. I had to
feel my way across the bridge. The candlelit bar was akin to a good bothy night with the fire.
Unfortunately they kicked us out at nine, (probably a nanny thing with the cookers out and all
those candles) Five minutes later, the lights returned, as a man from Perth had come up the glen
with his 50p.
Richard Webb