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I wasn’t sure whether to go walking or not on this Saturday as I’d suffered from stomach cramps on the Friday evening and was still suffering the following morning. However, my gear was packed so it was into the car and off up the road to Dalnaspidal. When I opened the car door at Dalnaspidal it was blowing fiercely and absolutely freezing. Second thoughts, yes, but I thought I’ve come this far so just get on with it. Apologies for some of the photographs as the weather to begin with wasn’t the best.
I headed down the West side of Loch Garry, down past the SSE building, as far as where the main track ends at NN 622 686.
Isn’t it weird how as you walk down a track and if there are sheep munching on the grass at the verges they will start off down the track in front of you. As they pass down the track other sheep will join them and within half a mile you will have a flock of 20 scurrying along in front of you. Why does it take them a couple of miles to realise that if they go off to the side you won’t follow them?
The waterfall shown on the 1:25,000 map is quite apparent from the track and I started off ascending the true left bank of the Allt Coire Easan. At about 500m I crossed over to the true right bank and started ascending West to the small col seen above. I soon reached the col at 690m and the summit of Meall Doire ( 715m ) was only a couple of hundred metres away to the South.
The views at this point weren’t very good as the cloud hadn’t really lifted and to be honest there wasn’t a lot to see. Coire na Garidha to my West was a desolate looking place. The next leg started by descending North West from the summit of Meall Doire down past the small lochan on the 690m col before heading North where for the next kilometre and a half it was fairly easy going, solid rock under short grass, rising to its highest point at 732m before dropping to the 707m col at the foot of Meallan Buidhe. From the 707m low point the ascent North to the summit of Meallan Buidhe at 879m is over peat hag and spongy ground.
From Meallan Buidhe I had intended to descend North West to the col at 800m before ascending North North West to the summit of Sgairneach Mhor. However, I was still suffering severely from stomach cramps, enough to bring me to a halt when they went into spasm. I decided therefore to descend East and then North East onto Ceann Gorm. From there it was a case of descending first North and then North North East to meet the track which ascends Coire Luidhearnaich and from there return to the car.
- Not looking very promising from the parking area.
- Heading that way
- Meall na Leitreach across Loch Garry covered in cloud
- SSE building in sight, Gualann Sheileach in background
- Looking back to start of walk from end of main track
- Small waterfall at foot of Coire Easan where main track ends
- Looking down on the Sron nam Faiceachan - southern ridge of Meall na Leitreach
- Summit of Meall Doire - Loch Garry in background
- Heading to Meallan Buidhe but looking back to Meall Doire
- Track coming North from Loch Rannoch seen from Meall Doire
- Small lochan on col at 690m just down from summit of Meall Doire - and the direction I’m heading in.
- Still heading away from Meall Doire
- Starting the ascent of Meallan Buidhe
- Going up
- Being watched !!
- Still being watched.
- The summit of Meallan Buidhe with Meall Doire in the distance
- The ridge leading East North East from
Meallan Buidhe out to Ceann Gorm.
- Looking down on Dalnaspidal Lodge
- The gap between The Sow of Atholl and Sgairneach Mhor
- Loch Meall na Leitreach
- Ceann Gorm with The Sow of Atholl
- Looking over the A9 to Coire Mhic-sith
- Meall na Leitreach
- The col on the West side of The Sow of Atholl
- Looking to Sgairneach Mhor from Ceann Gorm
- Sgairneach Mhor on the right with the adjoining ridge with Meallan Buidhe centre
- End of track up Coire Luidhearnaich below South side of The Sow of Atholl
- Wish the weather had been like this at the start of the day.
- Sheep enjoying the sunshine - wonder when the barbers open for them
- Thoroughly enjoyable day - even saw my next walk !!