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Compared with the North side of the glen, I never seem to have such successful outings when I head South towards Glen Artney. I don't know why I keep doing it, but it's rather as Benjamin Britten famously said " I have to keep playing a bit of Brahms now and again - just to remind myself what a bloody awful composer he was"
Anyway I decided to have another go at Mor Bhein and take some photos
Mor Bhein from St. FillansSo knowing the "back" way into the woods
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=97934 I crossed the golf course, headed under St. Fillan's mount, through the gate along the delightful track and across the burn: but catastrophe
The hole in the fence that I went through last Summer had been sealed with a new post - I'm amazed anyone except myself has ever come here -
St. Fillans MountThrough the gatealong the trackBut NOT through the holeI managed to move round the corner and climb up close to the stream - the fallen tree took a bit of negotiating - but I was still outside the fence Looking back downI'm sure there were places where someone not so Past their sell by date could have climbed over, but most of the fence was "rather wobbly" so I wasted a lot of time walking round outside it until I came the stile I had climbed over seven years ago. it had been wobbly then but now it was seriously delapidated with wooden slats falling off
Stile - not in good condition at all Still, there was no alternative, so clipping my sack to the fence in such a way that I could recover it from either side, I attacked the beast and eventually surmounted it
I walked easily along the big track and met two people who were returning from the hill. They were headed all the way back down the track to Dundurn and then back to St. Fillans on the cycle track, which to me seemed a lot of distance to avoid climbing a fence. We chatted for a while, but foolishly I forgot to ask them which way they went up the hill, as the view from the point where the track heads L was of a steep hillside covered in mossy grass and (mainly) thick heather - and that's what I remembered from last time
No obvious line of ascentThere was a nice view in the opposite direction towards Beinn Fuath and Am BioranI intended originally to head to the end of the track and climb up the valley behind - the way I later descended - but a path heading diagonally L up the hillside took my fancy: however, it turned out to be just a deer track and eventually petered out; so I was reduced to thrutching up the heather
Looking back down the promising looking trackA view back down to St.Fillans with the Tarmachan and Ben Lawers peeping overI thought i was near the top but there was another legThe summit trig point finally appearsViews from the Summit Loch Earn with Meall Ghaordaidh and the Tarmachan ridge behindZoomed - I can see the roof of my house, but the bedroom window is just too low to see the Trig point - i've tried with Binoculars Further R - the Lawers groupGlen Lednock and Ben ChonzieEast down to Comrie and the vale of EarnSouth to Ben Halton - I had planned to include this Graham top but I'd already taken an age, and I still had to work out a way back over the fence so I chickened out A bit further R: behind are the smooth hills to the S of Glen Artney and beyond the Highland Boundary FaultBeinn Dearg with the upper part of Glen Ghoisean and The Vorlich groupI followed quite a good little track S which led steeply down towards the saddle below Ben Halton.
Nearing the saddle -looking down the unnamed glen heading towards ComrieAnother view of the hills beyond Glen Artney - rather than descend all the way, I headed R at this pointThe grassy slopes were a mass of primroses and I made it easily down to the top end of the forest trackI continued down to the stile, but being tired now I really didn't fancy a return crossing. On the other hand hand neither did I relish the idea of the long descent to Dundurn and the walk back along the tarmacked railway
Fortunately a few metres North of the stile a new firm post had been added beside a wonky one and I managed to cross the fence without difficulty:D
Heading back L a bit I crossed the burn above the gorgeLooking down the burn from a little way up the other bankLooking down the lower section of the glenThe last time I had been here the bracken had been above head height, but the track was now quite clear and easy to follow: in fact it has become more distinct over the years - no doubt as the interest in Grahams has blossomed.
There was one more stile to cross to get on to the golf course, but it has recently been rebuilt and presented no problem