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Fresh from doing the Glen Lyon Horseshoe in clear but sweltering conditions only two days’ previous, I had a free weekend to set my sights on a new challenge.
As a resident of North Ayrshire, I have done many of the munros which are ‘local’ geographically, but if I want to ever complete all 282, it’s going to take an immense amount of sacrifice, including long car journeys, overnight stay, etc. So it was fascinating to learn on the 0600 news that morning that Nick Gardner,at 82 years old, was setting off that day to tick off his final munro (Cairn Gorm) having starting off to do them all only two years’ earlier. Well done him and I believe he’s written himself into the record books in the process - you’re never too old!
So with Saturday’s heatwave well in full bloom, I opted for the Meall a’Bhuiridh & Creise duo which I had yet to do but seemed one of the shorter days out by munro standards going by the reviews.
Parked the car at 0730 and made my way towards the clearly marked path. You cross over the bike path and more or less directly under the cable cars until the ground plateaus. From here you can see on a clear day the challenge that lies ahead of you for the first summit. You need to take a right though as the footpath is segregated from the bike path, certain it was red arrows marked the footpath and blue arrows for bikes.
- The initial footpath
- Meall a’Bhuiridh after initial climb
From here the path meanders away from the mountain for a bit before you take a more direct approach on Meall a’Bhuiridh’s northern flanks. Buachaille Etive Mor comes into view and worthy of its umpteenth photo from me under these conditions. There was also the embers of a cloud inversion over Rannoch Moor getting extinguished from the morning sun. I wish I hadn’t snoozed my alarm so many times to capture it better!
- Buachaille Etive Mor
- Cloud inversion
It becomes rocky and a path as such is there, although, not at times entirely obvious. I noticed there was two cairns near the summit as a guide to the flattened rubble path taking you to the summit. There was someone already at the top flying his drone and he offered to take my picture.
- Meall a’Bhuiridh summit
Snacks, a rest, soaking in the views then onto the bealach for Creise. I didn’t want to spend too long with the temperature forecast to rise as the day progressed.
- Looking across to Creise
It’s a decent path down and back up. The surroundings were spectacular and looking over my right, I could make out a distinct Ben Nevis and its magnificent Carn Mor Dearg arete towering over the nearby ranges. The ascent to the Creise ridgeline is a touch involving; requiring a hand here and there without developing into a full scramble. Good fun. From there it was a straightforward walk enough to the central cairn marking the summit. I did walk along to the northern top, however to take in more views.
- Ben Nevis & CMD Arete
- Looking back at the descent from Meall a’Bhuiridh
- Creise summit
- Rannoch Moor from Creise’s northern top
I planned on doing the conventional approach to this duo so it was just a case of retracing your steps all the way back to the car park. By now, there were plenty more people out tackling these hills with a few cyclists chucked in for good measure.
- Bike track in use on way back to carpark
Having got midway down Meall a’Bhuiridh, I admit, there was temptation to get the chairlift due to the heat, and my remaining water was running low and getting a bit warm to drink, but I persevered through it. The chairlifts were popular, many people had their bike clipped onto the side of the carriage amongst people using it for other activities.
It was like an oasis in the desert when I discovered there was a cafe at the foot of the hill. Buying two freezing cans of coke at the time felt like the best £3.20 I’d ever spent.
I enjoyed this twosome. The day out took me just under six hours and I had fantastic views all round. I wouldn’t rule out doing them again at some point. The initial climb under the chairlift is the worse part, and if I choose to come back I maybe opt to get the chairlift instead without compunction - I’ve already tackled them by fair means so it’s allowed now!