Walkhighlands

My walking had been disrupted over the last wee while and it was three weeks since i walked the three at Loch Laggan,so with all other distractions out the way i decided to skip the bad weather on saturday and opted for the two Munro's at Loch Lochy on the sunday,come rain or shine...........luckily it was the latter

Setting off from the house at 5am i arrived at Kilfinnan (after a game of dodging the deer at Rannoch Moor on the way) with the sun starting to shine,so i quickly got my pack ready and set off with the feeling of Autumn all around me i was in my element,coupled with the fact i sensed that i would get the views from the summits.....something i have missed on my last three walks.

The track along the Loch is easy going and could be easily cycled but i chose to walk for a change and after half an hour i reached the cut off point and took the path up through the forest which didnt last long and it was great to have such nice scenery and views upon emerging from the forest section.The path up to the bealach was good,if not wet and made for quick progress and upon reaching the bealach the views to the west were stunning and i could now see the paths to both Munro's.

These hills can be done in any order but i chose Meall nan Teanga first as i had my eye on descending back to the van via the ridge over Sean Mheall and Meall nan Dearcag,mainly for the views it would present to me of Loch Lochy and a different view of the Munro's themselves.Off i went up the path which was boggy in places and before i knew it i had reached the summit of the first Munro,Meall nan Teanga.

After having no views for what felt like months on the hills the views from here were breathtaking in every direction so i sat and had some coffee and took it all in,watching the cloud come and go before deciding to head back to the bealach and start the ascent of Sron a'Choire Ghairbh.

From the descent of Meall nan Teanga the route up to Sron a'Choire Ghairbh looked really steep but the zig zag path takes most of the hard work out of it and you quickly reach the summit,where again i was in my glory with the views so another 20 minute stop to have lunch was in order and i also sat and decided which route i would take back to the van.Time wasnt an issue for me and the weather was holding out so chose the descent route over the ridge,i reckoned if i didnt i would regret it so with the wind starting to pick up i headed for the ridge which was a fantastic walk and the views down to the Loch didnt dissapoint.I hadnt researched the route along the ridge at all so i wasnt 100% sure exactly where the descents would be and ended up just picking my way down off the ridge as i went.Just before i started the final descent down from Meall nan Dearcag i had another break to take in the scenery and finish off the last of my coffee which was bliss,the views were great,the feeling of solitude that i enjoy so much was in full flow and i just sat there,absorbing my surroundings and enjoying the moment before leaving for the van.

The last part of the walkout was over a couple of fields that i thought would be nice and easy but with the recent rainfall and the slope they were on it was like trying to walk down sheet ice with the ground giving way at each step,which needless to say i ended up on my backside more than once

Arriving back at the van i was so happy i had altered my route to come off the ridge rather than walk back on the track and reflected on a great day out on the hills which has ignited my desire to be back out every week,especially with the snow just around the corner as i love winter walking

here is some pics from the day

Nice on Iain, we missed you in Wales, but it's good to see you were able to get out this weekend and bag a few hills.

it was great to be back out,especially since i missed the wales meet

my walking has been disrupted for weeks now due to family commitments and the weather but i'm getting back into bagging every week now,hoping to get another 18 done this year

Did you dothis walk on Sunday 23rd October/
Just wondering since I was there too

yeh i was there on sunday(forgot to set the date-now corrected) left the car park at 9 and returned at 3pm,were you in thegroup i passed when i was coming off of Meall nan Teanga?

Excellent report Ian. It was good to hear about your descent route, as this was what I planned to do when I tackled these hills early on this year. Unfortunately I was suffering from man flu so bailed after only one hill, and that had been a struggle I had these planned for a second attempt for this winter, and seeing your report and description of the descent has confirmed that for me Thanks for posting

I was there with one other lady and a black labrador
You might have noticed the labrador as she likes to be friends with every other walker on the hill
we got to the summit of Meall na Teanga at just on 1pm and lingered for 25 minutes

we only did the one Munro as June , who was with me , had already done the other Munro some months back and I wanted an excuse for an easy day having donated blood three days before

It was my fourth ascent of Teanga and I really like those hills

i would have probably just been walking off Sron a'Choire Gharbh around 1pm so wouldnt have met you

loved the views from these hills,alll the way up to loch ness

If anyone was overdue a dry day on the hills, its you!! Must have weird not to stripping a sodden kit at the end of the day

Great report and fantastic pics!

Great report Iain,
And a fine choice of route I must say. Cool to keep up high and drop back down above your route in ealier in the day. That obviously was you thinking when leaving the bike behind....good stuff and well deserved clear day!

cheers peteR,it seemed a shame not to walk the ridge on the way out,it gives stunning views of the loch and surrounding area and i'd defo recommend it,even if it is fairly boggy

polly - i was certainly due a dry day! fingers crossed for the coming saturday! it was such a pleasant walk with autumn in all its glory

bod - yeh,not taking the bike was due to hoping i could come back over the ridge if the weather was playing ball,plus the fact the bike wouldnt have saved that much time,its a quick 3km to the cut off path