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8th October 2012 Beinn Chabhair via Meall nan Tarmichan
It was foggy morning, slightly overcast whenmy daughter Kirsty and I set out to climb Beinn Chabhair just south of Crianlarich. As we drove up the side of Loch Lomond the weather became crisp and clear, and as we neared our start point of the Drovers Inn it was sunny with the Autumn colours on the trees beginning to show. The light was superb with everything cast in amber sunlight adding to the just after sunrise feeling you get on a winters morning.
We set out at the back of 9am and made the steep ascent up Creag an Fheidh past the waterfalls. There wasn’t much water falling as most of it was soaked into the mossy grass. Still, once on the top of the first rise and well into our stride the views soon made us forget the boggy underfoot conditions.
- Low tide
- Spectacular views
Once you reach the plateau its fairly arduous walking along the side of the burn for a couple of miles. The frustrating thing is the hills don’t seem to get any closer. Passing by Ben Glas and Stob Creag an Fhithich just makes you start planning the next day out. Although not munros (if your a bagger) they look fantastic from the bottom and from above when you get a view back from the top of Beinn Chabhair.
Eventually after what seems an age (and it was), you come across the wee Lochan Beinn Chabhair which in the sunlight we had was really peaceful. My suggestion was to lie down and have a nap beside the water, but alas no, it was onwards and upwards.
It’s a fairly easy climb up on to Tarmachan and it comes as a relief to be climbing after the slog through the water and peat bogs. Near the top we even saw a Ptarmigan after which the hill is named.
- You can just spot the Ptarmigan in the grass
Once on the top of Tarmachan it’s a fairly steady rise to the first, second and finally third peak and the cairn. We stopped for pictures and were going to have lunch at the top, but with the wind chill, we were soon wrapped up in thermal layers and waterproofs, hats and gloves, and scurrying for shelter to eat lunch.
- Kirsty
- Me (Iain)
