Glen Lyon Horseshoe

[Gordie12]

At 10pm on thursday night I wasn't going walking on the friday, two hours later I was as I knew come friday night I would be annoyed with myself for wasting a day so all my gear was looked out, food and drink sorted and I was in bed for 1am with the alarm set for 5am.

My hesitation was due solely to the heat and the fact that the previous friday I boiled (and toiled) a bit on Meall Buidhe & Stuchd an Lochain. As long as there is a breeze I am fine but heat and no breeze turn my legs to jelly.

Anyway, I was parked and on my way by 8.15AM, the theory being I could get part of the Carn Gorm climb in before the heat kicked in - no chance!! From the off it was hot, no breeze and strangely bearing in mind the problems last week, no clegs (and definitely none the size of dogs ).

Following the diversion at the start along a grassy track through the woods with the river on my left (diversion round a building that looks like it's on it's last legs) it's only a couple of minutes before I'm back on the normal track and heading uphill through the woods. Once out of the fir trees and on the open hill, still with the burn on my left the flies introduce themselves to me.

On reaching the bridge in the below pic I was surprised to see a sign for Carn Gorm (I had read reports of peeps heading too far up the track towards the shielings before turning off so assume the signs are new).

I was expecting to be plotting my own course up Carn Gorm but it's just a case of following the track the whole way. Once I left the trees behind and the gradient toughened the shades started to steam up so they were stuffed in the rucksack until the summit.

It was a long hard plod to the summit, a breeze would have helped but there was nothing so it was 1hr and 45 minutes of hard work to the top.

Carn Gorm summit

Looking down Glen Lyon

Whilst there were no humans on the summit, the calm conditions meant that there were some very sociable midgies so my plans for having ten minutes on the summit were rapidly changed and I was off for No 2 of the day (now with midge spray added to the factor 50 and bug spray for the non existent clegs).

The track remains clear and obvious and after a few minutes I take the left track and skip the top I had intended to do in favour of heading straight for Meall Garbh. I wouldn't normally do this but in the heat I wanted to try and save some energy (and juice). The climb up to Meall Garbh was straight forward and the walk between the two hills only took about 45 minutes and I feel stronger on the top of hill 2 than I did on hill 1.

Meall Garbh summit

This was a really popular summit, not with midgies but with flies. There were hundreds of them buzzing around the scrap metal cairn. These flies were as sociable as the midgies on Carn Gorm with half of them deciding to keep me company as I headed off towards Carn Mairg.

View towards Carn Mairg

Looking back towards Carn Gorm

Summit cairn with Schiehallion in the background

The walk to Carn Mairg was straight forward, fairly flat and an easy track to follow (in good conditions). I stopped at Meall a Bharr for a hot sandwich and some juice but I had to be careful as for the second week in a row I had forgotten to take additional water with me so was limited to two litres. I had held back as long as possible on Carn Gorm before having my first drink and was trying hard to moderate my consumption as I didn't want to run out later on. The problem was eating makes me thirsty so I was only eating when hungry then trying to just have a couple of sips of my juice when all I wanted to do was down the lot. I love the Platypus system I use, the ease of being able to have a drink without the hassle of having to take the rucksack off and search for bottles is brilliant but once you have used a fair amount you start to wonder just how much you have left so you don't want to drink too much.

Looking back to Carn Gorm from Meall a Bharr

Looking towards Carn Mairg

Another bundle of scrap metal

After my hot sandwich it was a short walk and climb up to the summit of Carn Mairg - three down, one to go.

Carn Mairg summit

View towards Creag Mhor

Having read WH reports I knew to head east and then south off Carn Mairg to avoid some rocky bits and it was just a case of taking my time and rock hopping until I reached grass and headed over to the track that would take me to Creag Mhor. These two hills are fairly close together and it didn't take long to reach the bottom of the climb and the climb itself was short and easy. Whilst on the climb I was looking for any evidence of a track coming up the ridge that I would be heading down but there was no obvious cairn marking the spot or track (that I could see).

The summit of Creag Mhor is on a small tor with good views over to Sciehallion and I could just see a tiny bit of Loch Tay. Had a quick lie down on the summit but was quick to sit up again as I realised how easy it would be to fall asleep in the warm conditions.

Summit tor

Summit view

Looking towards Schiehallion

Leaving the summit behind I walked down to where the track up from Carn Mairg met a track that heads up to the next obvious lower top. I knew I shouldn't take the track but as I hadn't seen any sign of a track linking up with my route in from Carn Mairg I decided just to take the obvious track to the lower top and then look to branch off to the right before reaching the summit. I realised fairly quickly I needed to get myself over to the right where I could see an area where I thought the track would be. Once off the steeper slopes it was an easy walk over the grassy slopes to pick up the track that would take me back to link up with the Carn Gorm track.

Looking back to Carn Mairg

The walk down the ridge was easy to begin with and then got much steeper lower down. It was also noticeable how much warmer it was getting as I descended and it turned out that with the exception of the climb up to the top of Carn Gorm, this was the hardest part of the day for me. I was glad to finally link up with the Carn Gorm track and take the easier descent back down to the start.

Looking over to Carn Gorm

As expected, I had run out of juice on the climb to the summit of Creag Mhor which meant that the descent back to the car was thirsty work with nothing to drink. Back at the car, I had the boot unlocked, the cool box opened and a cold can of coke consumed in record time.

Twenty four hours later, writing this report I have to say that I had a wonderful day. There was the slightest of breezes on the Carn Mairg and Creag Mhor summits so while short lived it really was appreciated. There can't be many days when there are better views than I had and despite the heat there wasn't much in the way of haze.

[The Rodmiester]

Hi Gordie, lots and lots of green on your photographs, even on one of the cairns. I like you bought a 2 Litre Platypus first time round, but have now opted for the 3Litre, much better for the long hot days, shorter days you just don't fill it, as you say, great inventions. Pity about the flies on the summits, pain or what. I take it the estate are trying to get walkers going over the wee bridge and head up through the trees to gain the first summit ridge?

[Gordie12]

Hi Gordie, lots and lots of green on your photographs, even on one of the cairns. I like you bought a 2 Litre Platypus first time round, but have now opted for the 3Litre, much better for the long hot days, shorter days you just don't fill it, as you say, great inventions. Pity about the flies on the summits, pain or what. I take it the estate are trying to get walkers going over the wee bridge and head up through the trees to gain the first summit ridge?

Yeh, sign at the bridge for Carn Gorm then a couple of hundred yards up the burn (now on the left having crossed on the bridge) there is another Carn Gorm sign taking you away from the burn and up on to the first ridge. Having read previous reports my main focus was making sure I didn't head too far up towards the shielings before branching off but with all the signs that are now in place there was no chance of going wrong.

I was looking to do the Glen Lyon Munros before the stalking season so pleased to have done the 6 on the last two fridays.

[The Rodmiester]

Hi Gordie, lots and lots of green on your photographs, even on one of the cairns. I like you bought a 2 Litre Platypus first time round, but have now opted for the 3Litre, much better for the long hot days, shorter days you just don't fill it, as you say, great inventions. Pity about the flies on the summits, pain or what. I take it the estate are trying to get walkers going over the wee bridge and head up through the trees to gain the first summit ridge?

Yeh, sign at the bridge for Carn Gorm then a couple of hundred yards up the burn (now on the left having crossed on the bridge) there is another Carn Gorm sign taking you away from the burn and up on to the first ridge. Having read previous reports my main focus was making sure I didn't head too far up towards the shielings before branching off but with all the signs that are now in place there was no chance of going wrong.

I was looking to do the Glen Lyon Munros before the stalking season so pleased to have done the 6 on the last two fridays.

Good thinking, Glen Lyon can be a bit of a NO GO during the stalking season right enough

[torro]

Hi Gordie,

I think it was myself you had a chat with just before the top of Creag Mor , I was dressed as an extra from Laurence of Arabia after losing my hat! Enjoyed your report and photos and agree the decent was the hardest part of the day ,dipped my feet in the burn to cool down which was heaven !

[seamus0]

HI Geordie,

Good to see the route in the 'green'. The time it did it, it was white and frozen winterland. I had a problem with no water that time also, but for a different reason as it was all frozen!...still its a nice walk. Good report!

[Gordie12]

Hi Gordie,

I think it was myself you had a chat with just before the top of Creag Mor , I was dressed as an extra from Laurence of Arabia after losing my hat! Enjoyed your report and photos and agree the decent was the hardest part of the day ,dipped my feet in the burn to cool down which was heaven !

Hi torro

Not sure about that look - might be worth trying to pick up another hat somewhere

We had a great day for it............maybe a bit more of a breeze would have made life easier.

Assume you found the track down OK, I looked round a couple of times to see where you were but you must have spent a few minutes on the top of Creag Mor. I had to stop for a rest when I came off the ridge and was back on the main track again - can't remember ever needing a break after going downhill (the lower I went the warmer it seemed to get)l.

Maybe see you on another hill some day.

[Gordie12]

HI Geordie,

Good to see the route in the 'green'. The time it did it, it was white and frozen winterland. I had a problem with no water that time also, but for a different reason as it was all frozen!...still its a nice walk. Good report!

Thanks seamus0

On a day like that it's hard to imagine the hills with their winter coats on.

As you say it's a nice walk - not sure why it's taken me so many years to get to there.