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12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.


Postby nathan79 » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:16 pm

Route description: Càrn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Càrn Mairg & Creag Mhòr

Munros included on this walk: Càrn Gorm, Càrn Mairg, Creag Mhòr (Meall na Aighean), Meall Garbh (Càrn Mairg)

Date walked: 01/06/2011

Time taken: 6.5 hours

Distance: 19 km

Ascent: 1320m

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With one day left in May and the weather report looking good enough i decided i'd use my day off to try and squeeze something high in before the month was out.

I'd had my eye on these 4 for a while, but was a bit wary of the ascent. I figured that with the daylight hours being as they are, if i had to take it easy it was no problem.

Thanks to the aforementioned long days, i could afford to have a lie-in and didn't park up at Invervar until about 11:45.When i set off it was bright enough with white fluffy clouds in the sky.

Headed through the big gate to start through the forest, almost stepping on a rotten crow being enjoyed by a horde of flies.
Some nice waterfalls to be seen on the burn to the left of the path.


There was a tree across the path at one point(no doubt another casualty of the wind) which required clambering over. Thanks to this I spotted the empty husk of a dragonfly moult. I'd have stuck it in my bag then but i had nothing to put it in(must grab some suitable vials from work for future similar opportunities.
Nice easy path up to the point where you have to cross the burn. 2 options, ford it or cross the dodgy rusty-looking bridge! I took the bridge, bouncy but it held me.
DSCF3430.JPG
wobbly bridge


Wen't a little off course as i meandered along, but it's easy to see where you're headed. I knew with this ascent to the first summit being around 800m, it'd be my least favourite part of the day. Thankfully no one was there to see my sour face or hear the curses! Alot of false summits, but there were great views over to the Lawers range.
DSCF3434.JPG
Lawers range pano

Ben More and Stob Binnien just visible on the right too.

Pleased to reach the top. That old familiar smile spread across my face again, summit euphoria was upon me. Decent views all round. Looking towards Schiehallion i realised it was not far off a year to the day i was up there in the sunshine.
DSCF3437.JPG
Carn Gorm summit


DSCF3439.JPG
Meal Garbh, Carn Mairg, Creag Mhor and Schiehallion peeking up from behind.


A wave of rain on it's way from over past Loch Rannoch so i didn't hang about. I could see 5 or 6 other folk in the distance.
Followed the path and then the fence posts up to the curious looking summit of Meal Garbh. A quick snap and summit tap then it was onward ho.
DSCF3440.JPG
Meall Garbh summit


2 out of 4 summits done, but a check of my gps showed i'd only covered a third of the days distance. Hint of cramp in the legs so i dosed up on electrolytes and continued on. Quite looking forward to the craggy looking summit of Carn Mairg.

Bit of a slog uphill with the way my legs were feeling, but i got some light relief from some dung beetles in the path. On of them was wrestling with a ball of dropping against the wind and despite it's determination there was only going to be 1 winner.

Real rocky business on summit number 3. Hopped up the tor but for some reason didn't think to take in the view and get a couple of snaps.
DSCF3451.JPG
Carn Mairg summit


Doubled back towards Schiehallion to avoid those nasty crags. A rainbow showing me the way.
DSCF3454.JPG

Looking back at the crags i'm glad there's an easier route down. I chatted to a couple who'd stopped for a cup of tea on the way up Creag Mhor who'd come down the crags without knowing of the alternative way.

Only a brief stop on summit 4 to touch the cairn and grab a quick snap. Had a brief convo with a group of 4 i'd caught up with as they sat down for a rest.
DSCF3462.JPG
Creag Mhor summit


A bit of to-ing and fro-ing before i found the fairly good path down. Reminded me a bit of the descent of Ben Lomond via Ptarmigan.

Crossing the styles over the deer fences wasn't much fun with weary legs but i was almost back at the car for a cup of coffee and a banoffee muffin. That kept me going.

Back at the car sweaty, tired but satisfied. Up to 6 Munros for May and 27 total now.
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nathan79
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Re: 12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

Postby rockhopper » Wed Jun 01, 2011 11:25 pm

well done nathan, you're starting to rack them up now :D - nice to see what the views look like (I had low cloud and mist the whole way :shock: ). I see the Carn Gorm trig point is still on its side :problem:
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Re: 12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

Postby nathan79 » Thu Jun 02, 2011 1:58 pm

i was almost tempted to try and right the trig point.

Like i say i had to rescue my tally for May. Can't remember if i set myself a target for the year or not, but let's just say i'm making the most of working a 4-day week while i can!
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nathan79
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Re: 12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

Postby ChrisW » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:00 pm

Great report nathan, some belting pics but what the hell is going on with that cairn covered in metal poles :shock: this walk does sound like hard work though - I'll look at doing it in two lots of two :lol:
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ChrisW
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Re: 12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

Postby gammy leg walker » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:28 pm

Its a fair leg stretcher this walk Nathan,glad you had views when I did the round was clagged in all day,also clambered down the crags of Carn Mairg which was not a lot of fun.


ChrisW wrote: this walk does sound like hard work though - I'll look at doing it in two lots of two


Hear what your saying Chris,but to be honest once you start your aswell carrying on and completing the round,none of the accents are too steep,and most of the walk is on fairly good ground when dry,and with the long clear days its a good time of year to do this round.
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gammy leg walker
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Re: 12 miles and 4 Munros. And i ain't Lyon.

Postby LeithySuburbs » Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:08 pm

nathan79 wrote:Crossing the styles over the deer fences wasn't much fun with weary legs


I did this route recently and just opened the gates :lol: . It's a really good round this one - 4 Munros, not too long, not too short, cracking views 8) .
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LeithySuburbs
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