free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
….according to the walkhighlands summary anyway. And I have to say, with only three other walk reports so far on walkhighlands (before this one from me of course
) I might have let that description put me off.
But with the remaining Munros on the list becoming harder to get to and from in a day these days Corbetts are becoming increasingly popular. Perhaps I’m turning into that determined Corbett bagger
Had it not been for the ropy weather forecast I might actually have been heading up a Munro, but I didn’t particularly fancy the effort just to get wet, from what I could see. So I’d actually ditched plans for any walk this weekend, settling down instead to do some “work” work
I couldn’t resist a sneaky peek at the Met Office website though, which suggested late afternoon/early evening in the Loch Lomond National Park might turn out quite nice
So “work” work was going to be kicked into touch around lunch time as I got my stuff together to get out for a late walk. Meall an Fhudair from Glen Falloch
What some might describe as “a winter hill”
In other words, the bog will have frozen over and the snow might just level off the worst of the undulations
Given the potential bog factor it might also be considered “a drought hill” too
So I chose to do it after some rain
On account of a succession of “Sunday” drivers
I didn’t get started on the walk until 2.45 p.m. Given the route description described a mainly pathless hill I had a time of around 5 and a half hours for this walk, which I managed to better even though I was hardly fleeing along. Just over the 5 hour mark, so pretty pleased with that.
I must say it did feel odd setting off so late, even though I knew I’d be off the hill and home at a reasonable hour.
The first section of the walk is on a tarmacked farm track, which eventually turns into s decent land-rover track further on. Had a bit of a run-in with the locals, but everything seemed to pass off without incident.
- One of the locals gving me the stare
Even at this stage good views were opening up toward Gael Loch, Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond. Ben Vorlich was also starting to dominate the scene, a situation which would develop the higher up the hill I went.
- Beinglas campsite
- Loch Lomond and Ben Lomond
I’m not entirely sure where is the best point to leave the land-rover track and head onto the hill. Is it at the point that the track forks? Or is it best to bear right a short while and then abandon the tack at the point of a sharp right hand bend?
In truth it probably hardly mattered, as I was now entering pathless country on the climb up to Troisgeach
- Chose to head off up the slopes at about this point
- Another view of the Loch and the Ben
To be fair, it wasn’t quite the purgatory I was expecting
True, it was pathless and yes, it was fairly steep as well. But it was never so bad I wondered what had possessed ne
But there is one thing that the climb up onto Troisgeach is…………..and that is confusing
Not a place I would want to be in mist, that is for sure
- The Crianlarich hills
I’m not convinced this hill has a defined ridge to it. It was just a confusion of lumps and bumps and broad gullies
Try as I might I just couldn’t seem to find myself on the crest of any ridge for any length of time
- The so called ridge
- Some more of the ridge
- Crianlarich hills from one of the many pools of water and small lochans passed on this walk
Soon enough though I was looking at a small cairn
Sadly it wasn’t Troisgeach
It was some outcrop to the left of the ridge
Still, it gave some nice views over to the Alps…….the Arrochar Alps that is
A final effort and I was finally on Troisgeach
The worst of the effort was now over and now, for the first time, I could actually see the route ahead to Meall nan Caora and Meall an Fhudair
Sadly the Met Office prediction of sunny spells wasn’t quite coming true and cloud was still persisting.
- Ben Vorlich from Troisgeach
- Lochan near Troisgeach summit
- Troisgeach cairn
The first section to Meall nan Caora looks pretty flat, but there was still enough undulating terrain to keep me busy
- View back to Troisgeach en route to Meall nan Caora
- A Fyne view
- The Arrochar Alps
From there Meall an Fhudair looked steeper than it actually turned out to be. I have to say though, there was a bit more descent off Meall nan Caora than I had expected from looking at the map. More fun picking my way through the undulating terrain, but now with a nice selection of small lochans and pools in a boggy terrain to keep me busy
- The main event - Meall an Fhudair
- The view to Meall nan Caora and Meall an Fhudair from Troisgeach
- A closer view of the Arrochar Alps
And then, as I was heading up on to the final ridge of Meall and Fhudair a path appeared
True, I was that close to the summit I probably didn’t need one, but I wasn’t about to ignore it all the same
For a hill that is described as being for persistent Corbett baggers the summit does offer two great benefits
For what is essentially a short walk you really do feel a sense of remoteness even though you are so close to a busy main road. And then there are the views over toward the Arrochar hills as well as down Loch Fyne and the sea beyond
It was a shame that the summits of Laoigh and pals were shrouded, as they would have been good from this hill too.
- Summit view down Loch Fyne
- Zoomed view of Loch Fyne
Beinn Bhuidhe was also cloud covered, but I don’t think that hill likes me anyway
I assume the hills of Dalmally would also be visible from this viewpoint, but not on this occasion
It had been a bit breezy to this point, so I didn’t hang around too much. Rather than retrace my steps I was heading off in what I believe was a vaguely southerly direction into the Lairig Arnan. Initially this was through some crags
I have to admit I do like descending a hill in this way. Paths up a fine, but I do like to mix it a bit on the way down
Crags soon got replaced with grass and the steepness eased off as I headed toward a small lochan sitting beneath the Graham Beinn Damhain.
- Beinn Damhain
Once down in the Lairig is was a simple case of a pathless bog-trot to the land-rover track and march back to the car.
- A large rock
Connected with the land-rover track at the point it forks. There’s what appeared to be a disused mine or something like that next to the burn, which had an iron gate across it. There was also a small dam across the burn and above that a pleasant little water feature. Took a bit of a nosey round, which I probably shouldn’t have, before the march back to the car.
- The point I joined the land-rover track home
- Burn near the dis-used mine type thing
- Final view of Ben Lomond and Loch Lomond as I headed down
Arrived back at the car just as the midges were coming out to feed, so wasn’t long in getting myself sorted and heading home. So Meall an Fhudair, a hill for the determined Corbett-bagger? Maybe, but I think it’s got more going for it than that, if you’re prepared to put a little bit of effort in
Me, I loved it
