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Meall Ghaordaidh: 3 hours 30 minutes
Driving from Stronuich to Giorra dam, including lunch break: 45 minutes
Stucd an Lochain: 3 hours 30 minutes
Meall Buidhe: 3 hours.
Having marveled for 11 months at the fantastic picture in my Munro Bible of Meall Ghaordaidh from the north, with its 2 spurs rising steeply above the glen, my mind was made up: I was going to pick my own route up this beauty from Glen Lyon. Rather conveniently this also made the combination with Stucd an Lochain and Meall Buidhe an even more attractive proposition.
Plan was to give the three a go, but to re-assess after number two taking into account weather, time of day, energy levels and motivation. However, to increase the likelihood of me bagging all three I decided to start with Meall Ghaordaidh and finish with Meall Buidhe: having the lone one first and saving the easy one till last.
I like Glen Lyon very much, there is something special to it, so I didn’t mind the long drive in at all. AND I spotted the turning for Stucd an Lochain and Meall Buidhe for later that day!
At Kenknock farm a herd of highland cattle was being driven to its pastures by a farmer. I stopped to watch the spectacle. Well, I didn’t have much choice, as they took up the whole road. Highlanders are very placid, if you leave them alone anyway, and as I expected they walked past the car undisturbed. I had the window down to admire them better. Beautiful big beasts they are.
- Highland cattle with their herdsman in the blue car
It was only a bit further up the glen to the day’s start point. And whilst driving I could not keep my eyes of Meall Ghaordaidh’s spurs. I parked the car at the weir, a bit before the Stronuich dam. Once over the weir I followed the track to the left to a small dam on the Allt Loaghain.
- View back towards the little dam
I crossed the burn before the dam and then followed it up to Cam Chreag. The going was not too rough or boggy. The crags of Meall Ghaordaidh were looking very impressive. Sadly the pictures I took turned out too dark.
- View back towards Stronuich reservoir
It took me 1 hour 15 minutes to get to Cam Chreag, where the views were good.
- Creag an Tulabhain from the bealach
- Stucd an Lochain from the bealach
- Meall Ghaordaidh from the bealach
Onwards on grassy slopes to Meall Ghaordaidh. It looked really close from the bealach and in just 30 minutes I was on the summit. I was very impressed with the shelter around the cairn. It was nice to eat a sandwich out of the wind. There were really good views towards Creag an Tulabhain and Beinn nan Oighreag (alas the pictures of them weren’t too good either).
- View towards Loch Lyon from summit
- View towards Ben Challum and Glen Lochay from summit
The route down looked inviting and straightforward. From about 900m I started a descending traverse. Lower down, it became a bit rougher underfoot and slightly boggy. The cows were out: a sign I was getting closer to civilisation. Then there was the small matter of navigating towards Stronuich farm picking the right route through enclosures. Home ground for me really, as that is what I do most of the time down south: navigating through people’s gardens.
- The route down and Stucd an Lochain
- View halfway down towards Loch Lyon
- Creag an Tulabhain and Glen Lyon
I can really recommend this route for Meall Ghaordaidh. The scenery from the start is great, the views of the crags make the walk up the bowl-shaped corrie interesting, the route is not difficult and you won’t see many people.
Back at the car I had another good look at this hill and with slight regret I drove away from this lovely part of Glen Lyon, pulling over every now and then to again admire the great view of Meall Ghaordaidh that I was leaving behind.
- Meall Ghaordaidh from Glen Lyon
- Meall Ghaordaidh from the road towards Loch an Daimh
So I suppose the half an hour it took to get to the Giorra Dam is a bit longer than you would expect for that distance, but it was worth it every minute.
It was rather busy at the dam, with another 8-10 cars parked up.
For some reason I was dragging my heels to get started on Stucd an Lochain, taking my time over lunch. That reason became apparent when the ascent path came into view. Gulp! Apart from the first 200 metres it is straight up hill. Well at least I was gaining height quickly.
The picture below was taken from my way up Meall Buidhe. The white ribbon that looks like a stream is the ascent path…. To avoid further erosion the path has been covered with stones, which makes it look like a burn from a distance.
- The ascent path up Stucd an Lochain
It was now just after 2pm and people were already coming off Stucd an Lochain. They all gave encouragement that after the first pull up it would be a very easy ridge walk.
- View back towards Giorra dam from point 888
I was glad to leave the stone path behind and make a steepish, short clamber up towards spot height 888. The views from there were amazing: the full way ahead along the ridge was visible and best of all, Meall Ghaordaidh showed its most favourable side again.
- Stucd an Lochain from point 888, with Lochan nan Cat just about visible
- Meall Ghaordaidh from point 888, with the impressive crag wall of Sron Chona Choirein in the foreground
The ridge walk was easy and very enjoyable. From the last flat section of the ridge Stucd an Lochain looms up high and steep, but the ascent is short and not difficult at all. The views were quite something. I just love studying the lie of the land and identifying other hills from a summit.
- View towards Glen Lyon from summit
- View towards Lawers range from summit
I was alone on the summit, the last people to descend the hill were now mere specks on the ridge towards spot height 888. Although it wasn’t even that late (around 3pm), it was definitely getting cooler. So after a quick sandwich I started retracing my steps. I didn’t mind at all taking the same route back. That ridge is very pleasant, the views are great, the path is good, the slopes are easy angled. Freewheeling downhill and uphill, nice! And back to where the steep stony descent starts. I was not particularly looking forward to this, but hey ho it needed to be done.
It was around 4.30pm when I arrived back at the car park, where people wearing party hats were having a jolly good time around a barbecue.
For me it was time to re-assess: weather 6/10, daylight left 7/10, energy levels 5/10, motivation (well OCD really) 10/10. Another quick sandwich and I was on my way to Meall Buidhe, following a track to the left from the car park. Past Druim Chaluim I left the track and started the ascent along a path. Below Coire Beithe the hill flattens out a bit and here I met a walker on his way down. We had quite a long chat about munros, the whole bagging business, the blessings of walking poles. He said that he really liked Meall Buidhe, its remoteness making it a very special place. I didn’t quite understand what he meant, as Meall Buidhe is barely 4km from a public road. The Munro Bible describes it as an undistinguished hill, so I had no expectations from it (how wrong I was!). The conversation was very entertaining and were it not for the fact that I still had an estimated 2.5 hour walk ahead of me, I would have stood there quite happily chatting much longer. So we said goodbye and continued our ways.
- Loch an Daimh on the ascent
Every time I go on a long walk and the time goes past 5 o’clock in the afternoon I get an uncomfortable feeling, an urge to hurry to get home. I have long learned not to pay too much attention to it. However today this feeling was particularly strong, not helped by more cloud rolling in, the sun disappearing, and knowing that I would be the only person out on the hill whilst sensible people were making their way home. Perhaps this was why I found a reserve of energy and was able to make good progress on the way up. The peat hags below Meall a’ Phuill weren’t too bad and I found a good way through.
- Peat hags below Meall a´ Phuill
Before I knew it I was on the bealach below Meall Buidhe. Not far now! After a short ascent I was at the summit cairn. Whilst getting the camera out of my pack for a summit picture I glanced past the cairn towards the north. Look, there is another hill over there. Hmm, that’s odd, I thought, there isn’t supposed to be anything beyond Meall Buidhe. Let’s have look at the map then.
10 minutes later I was on the real summit. I even double-checked by walking to the far end of the ridge, just to make sure there was not another munro lurking a bit further on.
Eating a sandwich I admired the views. There was Glen Coe, Ben Nevis, Rannoch Moor, Stucd an Lochain, Meall Ghaordaidh.
- View back along the summit ridge, Meall Ghaordaidh and Stucd an Lochain in the distance
The sun had come back again. And then it happened. In the cold early evening light, the remoteness of Meall Buidhe revealed itself. The whole panorama over Rannoch Moor, towards Glen Coe, the Mamores and Glen Nevis was utterly amazing. Desolate, empty and quiet. To be on this hill on my own at this hour was the best experience of the whole day. All seemed to be OK with the world and I just sat there, mesmerised.
- Summit Meall Buidhe, Glen Coe and Ben Nevis in the distance
The chilly wind brought me back to reality and told me to get moving again.
As I had been paying attention on the way up I recognised certain landmarks on the way down, so the whole descent took me less than an hour. Very contented with my day out in the hills I drove back through Glen Lyon. On the bendy single lane road from Bridge of Balgie towards Killin my happiness was almost ruined by a lamb that‘d already had enough of its young life. It ran away from its mother and jumped in front of the car. Luckily I had slowed down for the other sheep anyway and managed to spare it from a premature death.