Meall na Fearna from Callander

[The English Alpinist]

This walk is preceded by 'Stuc 'a Chroin & Ben Vorlich from Beinn Each'.
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=112163

The spectacle of Munros, Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich can be seen from the summit.

Meall na Fearna seen from Ben Vorlich's summit (the day before).

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Yesterday's success with Vorlich and company left me with this tantalizing outlayer which could bring a neat sense of completion to the sector. I felt some trepidation, however, as a bit of skim researching on WH presented me with words such as 'dark side', 'doghouse', 'hidden horrors' and, last but not least - 'boggy'. I have done plenty of boggy already in my fledgling Scotland career, and with the lengthy access for this cuddly Corbett I did not relish the prospect of 'lots of boggy'. My fears were unfounded. For a start, approaching it from Callander entails a good stretch of tarmac, which turns into a good stretch of gravelled track before needing to walk on so much as a tuft of sheep dropping decorated grass. What's more, the balmy climate of recent days had left the moorland itself in very friendly condition. The only wet sock experience I was to have all day was due to being stupid enough to slither off a damp rock, on crossing the Dhub Choirein burn where I could see that my boot would not grip on said rock but I stepped on it anyway. No matter, I'd remember the walk fondly, as we shall see...

An April Callander.

The road to the wilds.

Did not have to negotiate that.

Vastness.

The pass ahead (Meall Odhar).

Up to the pass on Meall Odhar.

In hindsight I realised I could have taken the car much closer, instead of leaving it a Callander's Bracklinn Falls carpark, but I would have missed out on miles of uplifting stroll where vast expanses of elementally-gouged moorland can be gazed at. The weather started off as almost as warm as yesterday but much more overcast. The pass at Meall Odhar (not to be confused with the Donald Beinn Odhar a few miles east), gradually came closer and would lead into the real wilderness. From the top of it, there was little in the way of path, but I made good time nonetheless. On cresting it, and noting that it would make a fine way to access Stuc a' Chroin (which is where a good path does actually lead), I could see my Corbett looming into view. By now there was a hint of rain in the air and it was cooler, and this brought on a creeping sense of isolation when put with the aura ('dark side' indeed) of this glen. It would be a significant psychological challenge alone in winter snow and clag.

Excitement! The peak of Meall na Fearna comes into view as I cross the pass.

Ben Vorlich rises in front of Meall na Fearna.

Meall na Fearna, a wild beauty she is.

Fording was little problem today.

Water has its way with the landscape.

Meall na Fearna is made of this.

I was slightly worried about getting across a confluence of three burns at Dubh Choirein, but needn't have been. Not today at least. From there, it was a case of plodding up the heathered slopes of Meall na Fearna in more or less a beeline for the summit. The exhiliration of the vantage point the area offers on the ridges of Stuc a' Chroin and Ben Vorlich was rather tempered for me by the onset of... snow? Yes, as I got higher and almost on cue at the summit itself, I found I was in a touch of mini-blizzard. Indeed the earlier overcast was now obviously turning into a complete weather front which at first smothered the peaks, then steadily sank over lower terrain. I had taken a chance on minimal underlayers and my lightweight waterproof, because I knew I would not be on high ground for long, and the steady drizzle that was with me for the entire return trek was the limit of what that gear could handle. I was one euphoric English Alpinist, though, after a 3-day excursion complete with all 10 peaks I had hoped for and just about all the right decisions (for once!). I'd most strongly recommend this route as a way to do an excellent horseshoe of Chroin and Vorlich, especially for those who like to take bikes along for access.

The excellence of Chroin and Vorlich from near the summit.

Meall na Fearna, 2,654 feet (809m), as the weather begins to close in.

The return: descent from Fearna, and crossing of the pass of Odhar once again.

Vastness reversed.

PS It peed down for the rest of the day and the whole of the return journey to England, Saturday 30th April.