Beinn a'Chroin

[Alan S]

DATE: 15/03/09

TIME TAKEN: 5 hours with stops

WEATHER: cloudy with very high winds above 2000ft

having already done an caisteal and beinn chabhair in two failed attempts to do all 3 in 1 day beinn a chroin was like a bad itch i had to scratch.having climed an caisteal from the same starting point i was determined not to waste a good day here and get it out of the way.

The attachment from layby with cruach ardrain to the left.jpg is no longer available

starting from the layby off the A82 opposite keilator farm,(a good starting point for 4 great munros) and heading over the boggy field to the tunnel under the railway and following the easy path for around 1.2miles passing the paths for an caisteal and cruach ardrain until coming to a sheep fold.this is where the path changes to very boggy ground for around 1 mile.with beinn a chroin coming into view my first thought was thats not that far do this in no time.unfortunatley for around the next hour the walk was a bit of a slog through stinking wet bogs hardly gaining any incline with beinn a chroin looking like it wasnt getting any closer but further away.
a good pair of boots and gaitors required here.there isnt really a path here more just muddy footprints to follow there was a more well trodden path to the right of the river but we found by sticking close to the river edge the walking was easier

on reading my map it says to cross the burn where 2 burns meet easier said than done this was a bit tricky due to the melting snow possibly would be easier in drier weather.
dont want to gloat but i was the only one out of the 3 of us to stay dry 1 of us did fall in up to waist height but i dont to shame her(dont worry linda i wont tell anyone)
after crossing the burn the path can be seen zig zagging up the east side from here there is a decent path to follow direct to the summit with fine views of beinn tulaichean and cruach ardrain

with a quick climb from here the wind which had been sheltered by an caisteal was soon blasting us with some force with the poles being used more to keep balanced than for walking.really strong from here to the summit with visibility down to around 10metres.on easily finding the summit (no pictures here to windy with no view) it was a quick touch of the cairn and back down out the wind and cloud

alot of care needed here on descent as the grass and boulders were really slippy as i was to find out.on walking down the zig zag path i turned to look back and slipped around 25ft down an embankment.very lucky here nothing hurt but my pride.need to pay more attention instead of taking in the views

on the return we noticed that there was a better crossing across the burn a bit further up than we crossed over this was much easier.
i took this photo of a wierd looking big boulder looks like a big shoe

a very enjoyable munro along with an caisteal except from the boggy start and would certainly return

cheers alan

[kevsbald]

Well done Alan.
I did Beinn a Chroin from the other side and I thought it was fairly benign until I popped my head out on to the shoulder at 800m. Then, those winds hit me man!

[yokehead]

Hi Alan, glad you got the hill done, yes Sunday weather wasn't so great. I managed to do the 3 today helped by an earlier than usual start and good weather, report to follow when I get my energy back and tend to the sore feet! Cheers

[Freewheelin]

Glad you got your itch scratched Alan!
I can't say that I enjoyed many of the climbs from Glen Falloch due to the sodding wet ground all around the base of the hills - apart from Beinn Chabhair with a walk in thro' knee and thigh deep snow to the end of Coire a' Chuilinn then up the NE face.
Like Kevsbald, I climbed Beinn a' Chroin (as a doubler with Beinn Tulaichean first) from the Balquhidder side and thought it was a much more enjoyable climb - definitely the much more picturesque side. Looking at the wee falls dropping down into Lochan a' Chroin are like looking onto a landscaped garden. Would be absolutely stunning if you ever got there on a warm sunny day.

[Alan S]

thanks for the replys guys

yokehead,well done for doing the 3 in one day look forward to the report

freewheelin,kevsbald
hope to finish off the crianlarich hills this year i fancy cruach ardrain and beinn tulichaen next from balquidder side as its less of a drive for me from stirling.maybe just throw in ben more stob binnien when im there

[mountain coward]

Great report - thanks for that - I'm planning those really soon. In fact, I may even be going there this weekend/early next week. Are you likely to be doing your left-overs around Crianlarich this weekend? Glad you didn't hurt yourself in your drop down the banking and poor Linda! Falling in waist-deep in winter at the start of the day! I'm surprised she didn't freeze to death, especially in high winds. My friend tipped me into Windermere from a canoe (he stood up in the boat!) the other year in March and I thought that was bad enough but it's never as cold as The Highlands.

[Alan S]

hi mountain coward

linda was cold but only for a wee while she soon warmed up with the steep climb.
dont think ill make it out this weekend maybe a small chance.
the fishing season started on sunday its the first time in 8 years ive missed the opening day,i think my new hobbies taking over
im off work on saturday which doesnt happen too often so a bit of a dilema for me fishing or walking,ive got too many hobbies
if you are going i would reccomend an caisteal first.the start of the climbs a bit of a slog through the marsh but nothing like whats at the base of beinn a chroin.but watch out for the deep cave like holes on an caisteal

have a good time

alan

[mountain coward]

Okay - thanks for the advice - hope you enjoy your day whatever you decide to do... I'm probably going to go for Beinn Challum after all - I'll start on the multi-Munro walks in April. I'll certainly bear your advice in mind for when I do that set of hills though...