This was my 2nd attempt at the "circuit" after wimping out on my last effort for a variety of reasons (excuses)
So when the suggestion to tackle Cruachan was made I volunteered to partake, my partners for the day were Karen & Cat who I walked with before, but they had never met. To slightly complicate matters Cat was moving from Dundee back to Fife and would have very limited internet access, so I acted as a go-between.
Cat had kindly volunteered to be the chauffeur for the day & I had arranged with Karen that we would meet her at Crianlarich
Sharing the one car would make parking in the layby at the start a wee bit easier, as it turned out we had the whole layby to ourselves when we arrived We arrived in the layby at the tiny train station & set off in good spirits at 9am, the sun was out & hardly a cloud in the sky, no breeze either. I knew that was going to be a problem as the flying eating machines would be looking for their breakfast, so I splashed on the 'skin so soft' on top of the factor 30 & off we set
Up the steps, under the railway line & then into the jungle
The wooded area up towards the dam was a real battle & the girls kindly let me lead the way to catch any insects, I would have been better armed with a machette rather than walking poles, the bracken had really shot up since my last visit 6 weeks ago & the path was only just visible It was with great relief that we reached the area just below the dam, out of breath because if we had stopped we may have been devoured & the heat was really sapping our energy
- The steps prior to entering the jungle
- First brief stop in a slight clearing in the jungle, Loch Awe looking magnificent
- Loch Awe
- Gives you an idea how steep the initial climb is
- Cat scaling the ladder up Cruachan Dam
After climbing the ladder up Cruachan Dam we joined the track that runs along side Loch Cruachan, we followed the track until we reached a small cairn indicating the point to turn left & start going up
- Looking back towards the dam before the ascent begins
It was during the climb that the clouds appeared & a slight breeze developed, both were welcome, however the downside was the summit of Cruachan now had it's own little weather system
For some reason (probably me stopping to take a photo) Cat was leading us upwards, however in her enthusiasm she either wasn't paying attention or deliberately stepped in a hole - that was full of lovely muddy water
After suffering the water sploshing round in her boot for a few minutes, we decided to stop so she could empty her boot & wring as much water out her dirty sock
- A wrinkly dirty foot
The climb up to the summit of Cruachan seemed far easier than 6 weeks ago
We reached the summit in 3 hours - Loch Cruachan with Loch Awe 1000ft below
- Summit photo, took 2 attempts to get the poses correct
Unfortunately the views from the summit were a bit restricted due to low cloud, so after a very brief discussion as to whether we should wait a few minutes to see if the cloud would lifted, we decided to move on
- The first obstacle - the slabs, Karen & I took the bypass path, whereas Cat having taken bravery pills ventured across the slabs
- The way ahead
- The way ahead to Stob Diamh
- Loch Cruachan from on high
- Loch Awe stretching out
The walk across the ridge to Stob Diamh was fairly straight forward, a few scrambly bits & descending on scree, we reached the summit after a couple of hours
- Summit photo, getting the hang of the posing after the 10 second dash
- Looking across to Dalmally
- Some interesting cloud performances
- Clouds forming
The clouds were now gathering to the east & the west both the photos illustrate the fact
- Cat stumbled across this wee frog
- The way down
The navigation along paths had been almost perfect all day, but we all knew that was too good to last & so it proved
The descent down to the dam was fairly straight forward, even though the path down was intermittent, when the path disappeared we just kept heading down & as if by magic the path re-appeared Once we reached the dam the sky seemed to clear & the temperature increased significantly, we knew this was going to be a problem as the descent through the jungle was next on the agenda
When we reached the undergrowth it seemed to get even hotter & was warmer than sitting in a sauna
- Cat appearing out of the jungle
- Karen appearing
- Cat through the lower trees
We eventually made it to back to the car, tired & perspiring profusely
The next port of call was the 'Real Food Cafe' in Tyndrum for well earned fish suppers, my first visit & I have to say the fish were certainly on the large side & easily devoured
Another great day out on fantastic hills with great company
Next stop for me the western Cairngorms on Friday on the way up to Nethy Bridge - bring it on 
