free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Came across this website today when looking for some info on a few hills I did last week - looks really good, so I'll dive in with a first walk report. Might add a few more later, but I'll start with the most recent...from Friday (16th Oct). Hope it isn't too long.
Mrs Flatlander and I spent last week in Aberfeldy, originally intending to do some low level walks with some autumn colour, but ending up doing more hills than expected as the weather was very good.
On Friday we drove over to Crianlarich but we weren't sure whether we felt like an easy day or not, but chance would have it that I failed to find the car park marked on the 1:25k map from where we might have done Ben Challum, and we ended up at Dalrigh while I looked at the map. Rather than lose face (lots of walkers in the car park) and turn around, we got out of the car and decided to go for Beinns Oss and Dubhcraig instead...
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- Ben Challum from nr Dalrigh. Our original objective!
So, off we went down the track, unsure what we'd meet with since our Munro guidebook is the 1984 version and we'd encountered a few problems earlier in the week (such as the missing bridge over the Lochay for Meall Glas, not that the wade was a big deal). Managed to spot the small cairn marking the departure for the first bridge over the Allt Glean Auchreoch, which was not in a good state of repair - one or two planks had gone and the remainder looked a bit rotten. Fording may be a safer option, if you can find somewhere to do it.
Into the pinewoods and the path splits into lots of options - I don't think it matters which one you take as long as you head in the right general direction, up towards the Allt Coire Dubhcraig. Eventually they all merge, and I suspect they are all equally boggy. Once over the broken down deer fence and out of the woods, there were no problems following the path, other than the general bogginess. It carries on gently up the hill onto the N Ridge of Beinn Dubhcraig - it would probably be more direct to go onto the NE ridge on the other side of the corrie, but I was keen to get a good view of Ben Lui before the sun got too far round, and the gentle ascent seemed like a good idea.
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- Ben Lui from the N Ridge of Beinn Dubhcraig. (and Mrs Flatlander)
Once up on the ridge, the view of Ben Lui hits you in the face - it really does look big from this angle. Definitely worthy of an ascent from Cononish rather than trying to sneak round the back! The ascent along the N ridge up to the summit of Beinn Dubhcraig takes a bit longer than expected but never gets steep at all. Once there, Loch Lomond appears all of a sudden and you remember you aren't really that far north.
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- Loch Lomond from the summit of Beinn Dubhcraig.
It wasn't yet time for eating lunch and there was a fair number of people about for a Friday, so we moved on fairly swiftly down to the col before Beinn Oss. Like others before, we followed the worn path on the other side a little too far, but soon realised it was a stalker's path and headed up into the corrie below the summit. Rather than go up directly, which looks a little steep, we wimped out and joined the correct route along the ridge at the minor col below Pt. 941. From there the summit soon arrives, although the extra height over Beinn Dubhcraig is obvious. The view is very similar to Beinn Dubhcraig, but Ben Lui is obviously nearer, and we could clearly see two people ascending Stob Garbh on the edge of Coire Gaothach - they seemed to be moving surprisingly quickly on what looks like an "interesting" ridge from here.
Given we'd originally been planning something a bit shorter, we decided that two was definitely enough, so after some food, it was back to the lochans on the ridge of Beinn Dubcraigh via the correct route (sticking to the ridge the whole way). The reascent isn't too bad and soon we were heading down into the corrie. As it was still only mid afternoon, we thought we'd walk down the track through the forest, if only to avoid the worst of the bog, even though it is further.
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- Bidean nam Bian and the lochans at the top of the reascent.
This can't really be recommended - it seems to go on forever, and where it emerges from the woods, there is a large locked gate, with a sign saying "Acharn Estates - Shooting from 1st April until 15th February". Not sure if they are implying that you should only go there for 6 weeks in the year, but the gate obviously does not encourage access in this direction. Odd that there should be such a high fence here when there is nothing to prevent deer from moving around it higher up. We did see a Black Grouse in the woods, though, which was a first for me.
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- Locked gate on the forestry track.
A couple of "average" hills, perhaps, but on this occasion, with good weather, definitely worthwhile.
Nice sunset on the way back too...
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- Loch Tay sunset from Kenmore
