A Trossachs Traverse - Ardlui to Callander

[IanEzzi]

I had two days free which I had planned to use to do a circuit of Loch Treig, but the indifferent weather forecast, and my indifferent bank balance, put me off taking the long train journey to Spean Bridge and back.

Instead I ended up plotting a route east starting at Ardlui and finishing in Callander where I hoped to meet up with my little sister and her friends on their return from sampling some tributaries in Glen Etive...

This was all part of my 'training' (in the loosest possible sense) for some big circuits in May, so I took my bivvy gear with me for some extra weight training and to try out some new kit in the field and not just on my kitchen floor...

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Day 1

First leg was along the road from Ardlui train station, a walk I've done once before and knew wouldn't be too bad. Through the campsite and up the side of the falls, following the river as far as the Lochan which I've never visited before.

Traditional first shot of the Beinn Glas falls

Lochan Beinn Chabhair

Lovely wee spot by the Lochan, feels quite remote and wild. Think I spotted a DoE group in the background (big group, bright orange raincovers on huge packs, huddling round a map, must be DoE!)

What Osprey must have designed this pocket for.

Chleibh, Lui, Oss, Dubhcraig

Backside of Chaibhair

I've climbed Chabhair before so attempted just to skirt around the back of it to save some ascent. By the time I had avoided all the crags though I think I was at least at 900m anyway so I should just have taken a quick detour to the summit! (has anyone practiced the pronounciation a la Walkhighlands? 'HOW-ar' Think I confused a few of the folk I chatted to when I used that pronounciation...).

Looking south from Creag Bhreac Mhor

Rotten old snow and crags

As I've discovered before, the terrain between and behind (i.e. south) of the Crianlarich Munros is very craggy! Add to this a lot of rotten snow and the going was a little slow and careful. It took me a long time to reach the Bealach at the foot of Beinn a'Chroin at which point I suddenly met the crowds for the day.

Beinn a'Chroin traverse

A few nervous faces coming off or heading up the Beinn a'Chroin 'step'. Would have fancied my axe as well to be honest, very soft snow but still quite slippy.

Beinn a'Chroin summit

Admiring the views

Could it be?

More of the same craggy complicated terrain between Beinn a'Chroin and Beinn Tulaicheann. I took a detour to explore the evocatively name 'The Grips' but just found fairly average hillside gully, not sure who named it or why!

Further round, in Coire Earb, after spotting a bushy red white tipped tail disappearing into the rocks, I then looked out and saw my first Golden Eagle soaring out between the crags! I was delighted, although still a little reserved as I've fallen for any number of decoys including big buzzards, herons and large crows before (where's the embarrassed smiley?) but this really looked the real deal

Lomond looking particularly mountainous

Ben More and Stob Binnein

Distant Ben Vane and Ben Ledi

Looking past Lui to Cruachan (I think)

Looking down to Inverlochlarig

Clach na Guiseach?

The final descent of Tulaichean was steep and slippy but still not as bad as I had expected. The surroundings of Inverlochlarig are really quite nice and I enjoyed the flat walk along the river bank before the squashy wade through some old fields. I eventually came to a large flock of sheep feeding at the side of the track but noticed a beautiful spot to pitch up down by the shore so called it a night there.

Loch Voil bivvy

Day 2

I woke up early with the sunrise but everything was wet with dew so I stayed wrapped up in my sleeping bag until the sun got high enough to start drying things a little. The beauty of the tarp set up is that I could prop myself up on my elbow and brew coffee and eat breakfast while still cosily wrapped up and watching the glen wake up.

Loch Voil sunrise

The start of the day's hiking rapidly went sour. I had planned to hike along to a small fork in the main track then take the trail marked on the map up through the Bealach Driseach. Unfortunately I forgot to time the distance along the forest track so as soon as I saw a small fork in the track, I assumed I was at the point I had to turn right up the bealach. However, no trail was to be found so I persevered through deep plantation forest up a steep and boggy slope. This was really tough going and there was no was to measure progress in the dense undergrowth. I suspected trying to time my ascent wasn't going to work so just kept pushing through the dense scrubby pine forest with branches scraping my face and snagging my clothes.

Eventually I burst out into the open hillside, much higher than expected and too far west, I had obviously turned off the main forest track too soon, the fork in the track was obviously a recent addition!

Thankfully the lovely Allt Fathan Glinne made up for the dank forested trudge.

Grey wagtail? All the better for seeing him in such a wild location in a wee gorge on the Allt Fathan Glinne

More Allt Fathan Glinne

Remains of an old bridge (still marked on my 1:25000!)

The traverse up to the main Ben Vane ridge was slow going and the ridge itself fairly boggy and featureless. It was a hard won summit when I eventually got there but offered some great onward views to Ben Ledi.

Ridge between Ben Vane and Ben Ledi

The ridge between Vane and Ledi was very circuitous and seemed to take a long time. At one point the path skirts and impressively narrow grassy arete which appears to be the lip of a large landslide in (very slow) progress as there appears to be a crevasse between the lip and the rest of the hillside where it slumps into Stank Glen.

Final view before the headlong charge down the hill and the old railway back to Callander

Finally I made it to Ben Ledi but at this point was very aware of the slim margin for error between me getting to Callendar in time for a pint before my bus or not, so I pressed on down the well worn mountain highway and onto the (now tarmacced) cycle path between Loch Lubnaig and Callander.

I was delighted with this little route as it opened up some very interesting long distance potential quick close to home, rather than heading further north. Also glad to pick off Beinn a'Chroin and Tulaichean in a slightly 'alternative' fashion.

Bring on the Glen Shiel circuit and the Mullardoch round in May!