Headed right up to the top of Glen Lyon on Saturday morning for a short day round the Corbetts Meall Buidhe & Sron a'Choire Chnapanich. The weather was promising as I left the Loch Lyon dam at 8 am precisely and instead of taking the bulldozed track I decided just to start my rising traverse from the dam. The going was easy enough and I was soon up on the shoulder just east of the col between Eas nan Aighean and Feith Thalain. Some low cloud was coming in now so I just followed the fence posts upwards and then turned west and soon found the two cairns on Meall Buidhe. There is one with a fence post in it and one on a little outcrop about 50 m north of it. I suspect the cairn slightly to the south is just the highest but never checked the heights on the GPS. A short drop back to the col brought me below the cloud again and as often happens early in the day the cloud then burnt off and I was left with clear blue skies and high cloud. after a break at the col I followed an animal track on the east side of the Feith Thalain and kept my height on the steepening slopes until I emerged just above the col to the south west of Sron a'Choire Chnapanich. Another 20 minutes or so took me to the summit and this time with super views across Loch an Daimh, and east to the crags of Stuchd an Lochain. The descent down the south east ridge was easy and a quick traverse from the zig zag track brought me out just above my car. Whole trip 15 minutes short of four hours. Heading home I decided to risk the road over to Glen Lochay and found the gate open so my journey home was about 10 miles shorter than my journey out ;-)
"Graham Ingram" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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Headed right up to the top of Glen Lyon on Saturday morning for a short day round the Corbetts Meall Buidhe & Sron a'Choire Chnapanich. The weather was promising as I left the Loch Lyon dam at 8 am precisely and instead of taking the bulldozed track I decided just to start my rising traverse from the dam. The going was easy enough and I was soon up on the shoulder just east of the col between Eas nan Aighean and Feith Thalain. Some low cloud was coming in now so I just followed the fence posts upwards and then turned west and soon found the two cairns on Meall Buidhe. There is one with a fence post in it and one on a little outcrop about 50 m north of it. I suspect the cairn slightly to the south is just the highest but never checked the heights on the GPS. A short drop back to the col brought me below the cloud again and as often happens early in the day the cloud then burnt off and I was left with clear blue skies and high cloud. after a break at the col I followed an animal track on the east side of the Feith Thalain and kept my height on the steepening slopes until I emerged just above the col to the south west of Sron a'Choire Chnapanich. Another 20 minutes or so took me to the summit and this time with super views across Loch an Daimh, and east to the crags of Stuchd an Lochain. The descent down the south east ridge was easy and a quick traverse from the zig zag track brought me out just above my car. Whole trip 15 minutes short of four hours. Heading home I decided to risk the road over to Glen Lochay and found the gate open so my journey home was about 10 miles shorter than my journey out ;-)
-- Cheers Graham
Nice one Graham, you've made me consult the map, what road did you "risk" over to Glen Lochay, I can see the Ben Lawers road, is that the one you're referring to? BTW - stop posting about local trips like that, it must have taken you all of 30 minutes to get there :-) Having said that, I'm still taken aback that someone could have met their end on Meall Ghaordaidh at the weekend. It just shows you...............
decided to risk the road over to Glen Lochay and found the gate
open
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so my journey home was about 10 miles shorter than my journey out
;-)
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Nice one Graham, you've made me consult the map, what road did you "risk" over to Glen Lochay, I can see the Ben Lawers road, is that the one you're referring to? BTW - stop posting about local
trips
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like that, it must have taken you all of 30 minutes to get there :-)
My outward route was over the road you mention from Edramucky, past the visitor centre at Ben Lawers and down to Bridge of Balgie. From there it is about 12 miles to the foot of the Glen Lyon Dam just west of Pubil. Looking at sheet 51 the road over to Glen lochay starts at the bridge at 458 418. it looks like a land rover track on the OS but is in fact a private tarmac road over to Kenknock and emerges at 465 365 just opposite the car park for the Glen Lochay Munros. It is then a short drive back down the Glen to Killin. The risk was that there is a gate at the watershed on this road that used to be locked but in recent years has invariably been open allowing easy access from Glen Lochay to Glen Lyon My outward trip from Crieff via Ben Lawers/ Bridge of Balgie was 51 miles and the return via the pass was just 40. I did not want to take the shorter route as the outward leg as if the gate had been locked it is even longer to backtrack. It was a very local trip as work commitments meant I had to be home for the pm. Hoping to get North of the Ullapool Road next Saturday though if the weather holds out.
"Graham Ingram" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...
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Heading home I
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decided to risk the road over to Glen Lochay and found the gate
open
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so my journey home was about 10 miles shorter than my journey out
;-)
Quoted message said:
Nice one Graham, you've made me consult the map, what road did you "risk" over to Glen Lochay, I can see the Ben Lawers road, is that the one you're referring to? BTW - stop posting about local
trips
Quoted message said:
like that, it must have taken you all of 30 minutes to get there :-)
My outward route was over the road you mention from Edramucky, past the visitor centre at Ben Lawers and down to Bridge of Balgie. From there it is about 12 miles to the foot of the Glen Lyon Dam just west of Pubil. Looking at sheet 51 the road over to Glen lochay starts at the bridge at 458 418. it looks like a land rover track on the OS but is in fact a private tarmac road over to Kenknock and emerges at 465 365 just opposite the car park for the Glen Lochay Munros. It is then a short drive back down the Glen to Killin.
Yep, got it now, I'm forgetting the way you'd approach the hills here, I don't think it would save me any time (I've Stud an Lochain still to do), but may prove a nice detour for the sake of it.
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The risk was that there is a gate at the watershed on this road that used to be locked but in recent years has invariably been open allowing easy access from Glen Lochay to Glen Lyon My outward trip from Crieff via Ben Lawers/ Bridge of Balgie was 51 miles and the return via the pass was just 40. I did not want to take the shorter route as the outward leg as if the gate had been locked it is even longer to backtrack. It was a very local trip as work commitments meant I had to be home for the pm. Hoping to get North of the Ullapool Road next Saturday though if the weather holds out.
Cheers Graham
North of the Ullapool road means an overnight stay for me, I've stayed recently at the Altguish Inn (not terribly impressed to be honest) and at a walkers hostel in Ullapool which was a 1/3 of the price and I would recomend it anytime. Unfortunately I got in tow with a couple of fishermen in the pub so was slightly under the weather for the hills the next day. You live and never learn :-)
North of the Ullapool road means an overnight stay for me, I've
stayed
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recently at the Altguish Inn (not terribly impressed to be honest)
and
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at a walkers hostel in Ullapool which was a 1/3 of the price and I would recomend it anytime. Unfortunately I got in tow with a couple of fishermen in the pub so was slightly under the weather for the hills the next day. You live and never learn :-)
KRO
I have also stayed in or behind the Aultguish Inn mainly about 10 years ago when a bunk was about £3.50 a night. However during all but the harshest winter months we used to camp on the flat ground behind the inn and below from the dam. The then owners were happy to let you camp out the back free and use the toilet facilities as long as you spent some money in the bar, never a problem any time I stayed there ! It was always a great base for the Deargs, the Fannichs and we would also stay there en route to the Torridon peaks. We had many a good night in the bar with a good value meal and a few beers before bedtime. Once or twice really suffered the next day on the hill but it always seemed to be part of the character of the "Far North ". Nowadays with the improvements to the A9 and the massive improvements around Achnasheen and Achnashellach. I would now travel, walk, and return home in the same day to this area unless doing one of the longer days in the area. I love this part of Scotland though and have enjoyed many good hill days up there with many more to come I hope. Good recommendation of the hostel at Ullapool though so I will look out for that one, normally use Inchnadamph as a base when that far into the North West.
Not sure this is the whole link, but try scottish-scottish-Open ↗ hostels.org.uk/ and look up the Ullapool Tourist Hotel, and watch for the lurking fishermen !
