50 shades of …. Oss and Dubhcraig

[JWCW2014]

This was probably a good choice of trip for a pretty pessimistic forecast, though thankfully the precipitation never really arrived. It was one of those days where I was fairly close to turning off the alarm though because I’d arranged to walk with S, early morning abandonment wasn’t an option.

I left the east coast just before 6 and though the sun was up, you wouldn’t know it, the light being absorbed by a thick sheet of dark grey that was throwing rain down. Thankfully as I got up towards Killin the rain seemed to be off, though even the lower hills were fairly shrouded in cloud and it was a particularly grey day.

We set off from the car park not long after 8 and quickly reached the woods that some reports suggest are the worst bogfest thet can be found. Maybe it had been drier than usual (though looking at the burns, I don’t think so) but though there are some boggy sections it’s certainly nothing horrendous and a really scenic start to the walk. As you climb, if you stay close to the Alt Coire Dubhcraig there are some impressive sections where the water has scoured out minor gorges in the rock.

I don’t think there’s a particular ‘route’ through the woods now with signs of traffic running slightly further west or further east towards the water. It’s easy enough to just pick a route and keep going and there are no real difficulties.

Clear of the trees at around 550m the path is easily followed and we entered the cloud at about 700m and wouldn’t leave it until reaching a similar point on the return.

Higher up the wind picked up and with the gathering condensation from walking in cloud it felt pretty chilly so we didn’t stop too often, or for more than a minute or two. That combined with the ‘view’ (none but a distinct sense of greyness…) meant that I took few photos.

We reached the point where the path breaks towards Beinn Dubhcraig and in not too long we’re along to the top. The visibility was made little rocky sections look like other walkers appearing through the clag.

We turned back and reached the point we’d turned off. In the mist we dropped down further than I’d expected from the map (distances are harder to judge with nothing to look at obviously!).

Grey snow

Though the walk highlands route suggests it can be difficult terrain to navigate in with low visibility there is a fairly obvious trodden path most of the way along - some care may be needed to double check you’re heading the right way where it branches but there’s nothing too confusing in heading towards Ben Oss.


We reached the top of Ben Oss at 12.15 and after a few minutes for a quick stop turned to head back.

That kind of grey day - my apparent double hernia is in fact a pocket with a hat and buff in and another pocket with my bag of biscuits and sweets!

On the return we met quite a few people and exchanged the usual pleasantries about the weather or it being a lovely day (sarcastically, of course).

Dropping down out of the cloud and wind it was fairly mild and reaching the trees, the air now still, was a real highlight, the river running on the right and the stillness of the trees overhead.

Out of the grey and into…less grey

Back at the car just after 3 it’s been a pleasant trip, notwithstanding the lack of visibility. I reflected that after three previous weekends of getting glorious sunshine for much of the day out in the hills, I’d certainly had a good run.

Back in the car and there was a tailback of upwards of 20 or 30 cars all the way from Crianlarich to the M9 turn off driving 20-25mph for the most part. Just before the motorway turn off I spotted the cause, a MAMIL holding up a very large lorry that was obviously unable to overtake on that road. Astoundingly selfish cycling!