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Peering over the edge, I knew this was going to be all about getting back.
I’d scanned my Corbett map for a rare remaining pair that I could link to stretch my legs, but without the danger of over-reaching myself. With only half a dozen or so hill-days achieved this year, I needed to check on progress towards regaining any semblance of hill-fitness. In the shadow of Schiehallion, Meall Tairneachan and Farragon Hill seemed to fit the bill.
From the B846 the access track to the mineworks was unmarked, but obvious. It took some long zigs and steepening zags before emerging from the forestry to reveal the hills above still wreathed in cloud. Having just enjoyed the driest and sunniest April for goodness knows how long, here I was, entering the clag. Timing eh?
- Skirting Meall Damh and wending a way into the clouds ... to Meall Tairneachan
- The eastern elevation of Schiehallion sheds its cloud
- An underwhelming cairn marks the way to the top
Anyway, by the time an underwhelming cairn marked the point from which the summit of Meall Tairneachan could most easily be reached, things improved. Behind, Schiehallion was appearing from its early morning blanket, and above, the stubby silhouette of a cairn soon came into view. In just over an hour, I’d claimed my first prize. But, had I peaked (sorry) too soon?
- Farragon Hill from Meall Tairneachan - the gap as yet unseen
- Clouds stubbornly cling to Beinn a Ghlo
Back on the minework track, I knew a long there-and-back lay ahead of me. And that’s when I looked over the edge. A dispiriting prospect accompanied an incongruous sight.
- Barytes mineworks as the foreground to Farragon Hill
Mmmm … that’s a long way down. Should have spent a bit more time unpicking contours from crags and checking heights on the map. Because, I knew, from more dissolute days, what goes down, has to come back up. And it still looked a long way over to Farragon Hill, never mind getting back.
Dropping down into the barytes workings was like trespassing on a film set. It felt abandoned. It was silent save for distant trickle of water draining into one of the filter ponds. Some equipment lay, rusting, discarded. A digger was parked by a hut roofed in corrugated iron. It all felt very eerie. I was even tempted to touch the bonnet of the digger to check if the engine was still warm. It was the kind of location where you’d suddenly see a big black 4WD screech to a halt, tinted windows sliding down to reveal …
Witnessing no exchange of hostages, handover of drugs or needing to dodge a fusillade of shots, I pressed on. Maybe they’ll be back after lunch.
Getting to Farragon Hill simply involved following a track that gradually got greener and greener until it dropped into a bowl below Lick Hill. More down means more up, I cursed.
- Farragon Hill, a more natural view, having left the detritus and debris - but facing a possible boggy patch
Having unquestionably followed the track until now, the final approach to Farragon Hill was more based on bee-lines, guesswork and the avoidance of anything boggy. At one stage, evidence of a passing ATV track suggested a way forward, but that soon petered out and I was left to my own devices.
It was a pleasant surprise when the cairn popped into view, but after my All-Day Breakfast buttie had been scoffed it didn’t take long for thoughts to emerge of those downs that had to be upped.
- Schiehallion from Farragon Hill - and the start of the way back
No gangsters had left evidence of nefarious activities as I passed back through the mineworks, and nobody had returned from lunch. Too far to the pub, I guess. Just leave it for the location directors to scout the site, I thought. Wait to see a body being dragged from the turquoise waters in a forthcoming Netflix series.
Walking west, with clearer skies and wider views, meant that the return was less of a trudge than it might have been. Had I regained some hill-fitness? Well, completing in less than six hours without pushing the pace hopefully meant I wasn’t going backwards.
Had I enjoyed it? What was my lasting impression? A pair of hills with little intrinsic appeal? I still don’t know. But, if nothing dodgy is going on around those mineworks, there should be, if only for the sake of my imagination.
