Four tough hills from Stronachlachar

[weaselmaster]

With Allison away celebrating Xmas in Pittenweem (don't ask) I had a weekend to myself to do what I pleased. The forecast wasn't bad - mostly dry, no big winds. What could I do? I didn't fancy driving far, after last week's trip to Thurso, so something nearer home was in order. I had a couple of Corbetts and Grahams sitting to the north of Loch Katrine which had been left, largely because they are tough nuts. Previously I've done them all from Inverlochlaraig but I've been intrigued by an approach from the south. It looked like they could be nabbed for an outlay of some 45k and I'd be able to explore the Great Trossachs Way in the process.

2022-12-02_1009 Raw.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

I set off on Friday morning, probably a bit later than ideal for the time of year and arrived at Stronachlachar around 10am. There's a large parking area at the pier (and a cafe) but I couldn't see how much the parking was and suspected it might be quite expensive for two overnights. I'd spotted a place to park just before the T junction that leads to Stronachlachar/Inversnaid, so headed back up there and give myself another half mile each way. Pack on, said goodbye to the car and set off along the road back to Stronachlachar, taking the trail through the estate buildings. The track is proper tarmac road, so that made the going easy enough, save for the occasional hilly bit. Passed by a couple of Scottish water vans but no other traffic on the road,

70422F4F-4EAB-4801-BC22-159EA231CCAA_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Glengyle House (Site of Rob Roy's old house - Meall Mòr is behind this)
A3B7695C-5365-4DFC-9294-057FE359FFA1_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

AC4767BC-6C14-49FA-88D3-5D1512909C7A_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Loch Katrine was docile, the hilltops were obscured by cloud. I followed the road round the head of the loch then followed a fence line onto the beginning slopes of Meall Mòr. There's a deer fence but I crossed it at a broken section and started picking my way steeply uphill - all wet grass and tussocks. Sometimes real hands and knees stuff. I used animal tracks where possible to avoid the craggy sections, although the blasted deer or sheep don't necessarily go the way you want them to. Just after 1pm I made the small cairn marking the summit of Meall Mòr. There wasn't much of a view, just clag, but at least I had a fence line to follow to Stob an Duibhe. Always good to have a reliable fence line in the fog.

166E6F54-E664-42FE-9FEE-7F4ABAC3CF37_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

A0E46439-F25D-4813-AFCA-5FDF718AD806_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

2C30DA88-34A9-456D-9F18-4B9920506B4E_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

There were various and assorted ups and downs getting to Stob an Duibhe then a steep descent down to 350m. Ahead of me, rising out of the clag, I could catch the odd glimpse of Beinn a'Choin looking hideously steep from here. And hideously steep it was. With my big pack on I could feel my heart pounding away as I pulled myself up the slope. Fortunately there weren't many crags to avoid. It had taken me about one and a quarter hours from the bealach - tough work. By this time it was half three and I knew that there were several sections of steepness on the other side of the hill, which I didn't really want to be tackling in the mixture of clag and darkness. Time to start looking for somewhere to pitch.

BDC76145-6808-42E8-9C4D-692A6FAA1166_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

1641A45E-550E-479B-AA5A-7A614E5F8951_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

7942E146-FB6C-4647-B7E1-35A3DAD463D5_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

I found a spot on Meall Reamhar which was fairly flat, but soggy. This was going to be a wet night, I could tell. I got the tent up just as the last of the light left, had an early tea and got into the tent. On a wet pitch, with clag, no wind to speak of, overnight drizzle and cold temperatures at almost 800m lets just say everything including the sleeping bag was pretty much saturated. The tent I was using was narrower than the Niak which meant it was difficult to avoid touching the walls of the inner. A real issue for multiple night winter camping.

Saturday morning was still claggy, but the sky looked a bit brighter and indeed cleared at times during the day. I journeyed on, following the fence line, which does go over a couple of very steep sections, where one has to really follow an easier line. Heading for An Stuchd there are still multiple mini-ups and downs to traverse. Arriving at An Stuchd, I recalled that we camped near hear once, the first time we'd been up here when Allison was ill. How she made the round in that condition I don't know. Anyway I left my pack at the fence and set off to do an out-and-back to Stob Breac. More ups and downs Added to which I'd carelessly put the summit as the 681m point on my route. It is, of course, the 688m one, about half a kilometre further on (could have been a problem if I hadn't been able to see it was higher out there in clag). Summit, then back to the rucksack.

3BD94243-EBB5-4B05-B893-4F9B2783AB38_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

An Stuchd ahead
03D8D66A-5577-4B09-AC6C-59F41E47C9F9_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Stob Breac
7C5BB6B6-C935-4028-BF15-027B91128F83_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

05A903A8-1036-430F-BD2F-BFE42A0839BC_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Beinn Stacath
53B6C239-B682-4B63-8458-452CF403CEF6_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

I was feeling quite tired by this time. I withered whether or not to do Beinn Stacath or not - I wanted to be off the hill by 4pm at the latest and I reckoned it might take me until 2pm to get to the summit from where I was. I paused for lunch and looked at the map. Didn't have a coffee as I was running low on water. I also wondered about leaving the pack at the bealach between An Stuchd and Meall Gaothach and coming off the hill alongside the Strone Burn, but I decided this would mean being separated from my kit for too long. So onwards and upwards to Beinn Stacath.

I really don't like this hill - the ascent - at least from here - seems eternal. You do have a fence line to follow, but from where your line turns to the right there's another couple of kilometres to go, with the inevitable ups and downs that are ever-present on these fierce hills. Got to the trig column eventually and again wondered whether I should retrace my steps to the bealach or proceed over Beinn Breac as I'd routed - clag being the main issue. It was only 1.30, so I had a good amount of daylight left - I suspected it would take me about 2 hours to get to the road. I decided to keep to my plan although I veered off slightly to my left and ended up in one of those man eating peat hags. Seriously, I'd been able to walk over all the hags so far, but on this one I took two steps in, had the horrible realisation that I was stuck up to mid-calf on both legs and had a fair bit of bother extricating myself.

87AF63BA-84E3-48EE-B36B-15CD53898503_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

After that it was a long soggy wander over long wet grass/ tussocks until I hit the road. There were numerous ATV tracks but none seemed to be going the way I wanted to. I made for a patch of green I (correctly) took to be Edra farm. Long, withered grass stems collected around my legs making me look like I was wearing yeti boots (remember them ). A deer fence required to be climbed (there was a gate, but helpfully padlocked) then at least I was onto an ATV track I could follow that took my past the farm buildings and onto the road. Past Strone Farm, with yappy dogs and onto a gravel cycleway rather than the hard tarmac of the road. There was a grassy spot with a couple of picnic tables and I did think about camping here, but it was only 3.30 and I could still hear the yappy farm dogs. I guessed there might be somewhere to pitch along the track or at least and the other end where it rejoined the road. Quite a pleasant wander thorough oak woods. I was right about there being a spot at the other end of the track, as there's a wee peninsula with another picnic bench that has a flat dry pitch spot beside it.

Descent route
E68C5AAB-1037-4A8E-B409-687A40C5A4C4_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Cycleway
4B9D05BE-CC5E-48A2-A8B9-BA31E93541F7_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

DABD96F2-D71A-4FC3-816B-D9323964EB26_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

900A6E48-29EC-4904-B891-E34F1A41637C_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

I got my gear sorted out, tent pitched and was able to have my meal sat at the bench rather than huddled in the tent. And to read my book for a while by head torch. The loch shore was right by the tent and gentle waves lapped beside me through the night. Sometime after 5pm I heard voices and was surprised to see a couple of folk on bikes go by on the road, heading for Trossachs Pier. That was unexpected.

Got up just after 7am, having been just about warm enough overnight, although my socks were still on the wet side of damp. I got sorted, breakfasted and set off - a dry and cloudy morning. It was fine to be up and walking while the rest of the world slumbered. I caught sight of what I was sure was a black squirrel running up a tree, but persuaded myself it must have been a blackbird or something. Past an intriguing looking burial ground stuck out into the loch, past a couple of old buildings and into some pine woods. This time there was no doubt - definitely another black squirrel running along the ground then up a tree, keeking out at me. I've never seen blacks in Scotland before, only in Poland.

25AF40F3-58AB-4EB9-93F7-3005E3F6EF99_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Dawn, Loch Katrine
B2B2D86E-443E-41F1-B14A-7779C587ADA6_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

8F4E119D-7C24-454C-903F-37C3CE2683E3_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Stob a'Choin even steeper from the side
9F8912D1-0111-4122-AEFB-8D878828981A_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Burial ground
89CD8B0D-AEB1-4CF5-A00C-56EA26C89457_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

Meall Mòr
1E0FE7DA-8465-436A-8504-6D737EA07CFA_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

17B033B5-E6ED-44FB-B3A8-0D34B6258AFE_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

7BDB5003-F4C7-40E8-A7BC-FBD067D3116F_1_201_a by Al, on Flickr

It was about 14k from my camp spot back to the car. I wondered whether I should try and get another hill in - Cruinn Bheinn was the obvious choice from where I was, but it started to rain and my feet were complaining about the wet socks, so I decided to just head home.

[rockhopper]

Challenging route especially for the time of year but a good result - well done

I followed the road round the head of the loch then followed a fence line onto the beginning slopes of Meall Mòr. There's a deer fence but I crossed it at a broken section and started picking my way steeply uphill - all wet grass and tussocks. Sometimes real hands and knees stuff. I used animal tracks where possible to avoid the craggy sections, although the blasted deer or sheep don't necessarily go the way you want them to.

That's the way I went up MM but in summer as I was going on to Cruinn a'Bheinn afterwards. Back then it entailed wading through waist/chest high ferns up to about 400m and clouds of flies buzzing around the whole way up. Not sure which is worse Suspect the approach from Inverlochlaraig is the way to go - cheers

[weaselmaster]

Challenging route especially for the time of year but a good result - well done

I followed the road round the head of the loch then followed a fence line onto the beginning slopes of Meall Mòr. There's a deer fence but I crossed it at a broken section and started picking my way steeply uphill - all wet grass and tussocks. Sometimes real hands and knees stuff. I used animal tracks where possible to avoid the craggy sections, although the blasted deer or sheep don't necessarily go the way you want them to.

That's the way I went up MM but in summer as I was going on to Cruinn a'Bheinn afterwards. Back then it entailed wading through waist/chest high ferns up to about 400m and clouds of flies buzzing around the whole way up. Not sure which is worse Suspect the approach from Inverlochlaraig is the way to go - cheers

Yep, thankfully the bracken was dead as, presumably, were the flies. I had a look at my route (plus Simms) from inverlochlaraig - 20k and still steep.