Easing up the Easains
Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2014 3:08 pmWe've been pondering these 2 for a while, wondering about doing them in a backpacking trip from Rannoch to Tulloch stations via the 3 munros on Rannoch Moor plus the Easains – but In the event the weather swung it in favour of a single sortie just for the 2 hills. Two days earlier the forecast was unappealing for most areas except the Central Highlands – and these two were the closest munros we thought we could do in the shortening daylight. (In the event the day was better than the forecast in most places – but we'd made a decision so we stuck with it).
On the drive south the clouds started to play fast and loose with us. The beautiful autumn morning spawned banks of mist – some pretty thick ones, but as we neared Spean Bridge the cloud vanished and we had a beautiful view of the Annochs.
Despite the good intentions of an early start, it was getting on for 10 am when we finally started walking. The plan was park at Fersit, take the path by Loch Treig then turn right and head up the hill to meet with the WH route near the hydro survey pillars. This way if we were late coming off the hill then we'd have reccied the route on the way up and would have a good path to walk out on in the dark (never underestimate my capacity for slowness
).
Start of the walk looking at Stob Coire Sgriodain
The plan worked fine, the biggest surprise being how little water there was at the northern end of Loch Treig.
One of the hydro survey pillars from the lochside, with a late setting moon
I might have thought the path up from the Loch was a burn if Roger hadn't been more observant.
The path passes a sheep fold, from here take the route straight up the hillside (not shown in the photo) ...
… to come out near the survey pillar.
The previous few day had been wet – as in very wet and it felt as if we were walking on a saturated sponge – everything squelched with each step – couldn't understand why the water was still on the hill and not in the loch
.
For this part of the walk we were accompanied by the music of roaring stags – we never saw any all day – but they sounded very close (but then they could have been across Loch Treig and we were just being tricked by mountain acoustics).
The dogs were very happy to be out, but they couldn't find the stags either. Not to worry, they were making up for a four week lay off while their humans had been swanning about in foreign climes and they had been spoilt rotten by their holiday humans
.
The cloud came and went while we walked, but always above us, in this case hiding the route up Meall Cian Dearg.
The path was good, on the scrambly section up Meall Cian Dearg it was relatively easy to follow, just very muddy, so needed some concentration. I wasn't looking forward to the return trip … or slide
.
A celebratory drink when we got to a level bit!
And beautiful views to the Gray Corries and Stob Ban
The route became gradually drier as we gained height, and it was proving an excellent wander for an autumn Sunday. The light was changing constantly with the changing cloud patterns, and the clouds themselves kept off our hills – although they clung to the Ben and some of the higher hills.
Roger zoomed off ahead
and I finally caught up with him at the summit of Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin
paused just long enough to take a photo - looking south to the Loch Eiles
then off to the second hill of the day.
Regulation summit pose …
… then some more photos
the Gray Corries
Loch Treig
Blackwater reservoir
Looking north west
before settling down to lunch …
What – you're eating that whole sandwich … all by yourself???
At the top a group of five guys caught up with us – turned out they'd got the night sleeper from London on Friday for a weekend in the hills, before heading back to the city on the Sunday night sleeper. The lengths people will go to for their hill-fix.
The route back down to reclimb Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin in theory seems a bit daft – two Munros for the price of three – but in reality it was fine – and probably much faster than working our way down a bog-infested glen. At one point it looked as though we were going to be caught in a downpour,
… but the rain didn't come our way. We did get a small rainbow though …
The route down Meall Cian Dearg wasn't as bad as expected either – it just needed concentration. We were soon back at the survey pillar and then down to the Loch – it was this lower part of the walk that was really boggy – but even that couldn't dispel the joy of being back out on the hills on good day.
Final look at Loch Treig …
… before heading home.
On the drive south the clouds started to play fast and loose with us. The beautiful autumn morning spawned banks of mist – some pretty thick ones, but as we neared Spean Bridge the cloud vanished and we had a beautiful view of the Annochs.
Despite the good intentions of an early start, it was getting on for 10 am when we finally started walking. The plan was park at Fersit, take the path by Loch Treig then turn right and head up the hill to meet with the WH route near the hydro survey pillars. This way if we were late coming off the hill then we'd have reccied the route on the way up and would have a good path to walk out on in the dark (never underestimate my capacity for slowness
).Start of the walk looking at Stob Coire Sgriodain
The plan worked fine, the biggest surprise being how little water there was at the northern end of Loch Treig.
One of the hydro survey pillars from the lochside, with a late setting moon
I might have thought the path up from the Loch was a burn if Roger hadn't been more observant.
The path passes a sheep fold, from here take the route straight up the hillside (not shown in the photo) ...
… to come out near the survey pillar.
The previous few day had been wet – as in very wet and it felt as if we were walking on a saturated sponge – everything squelched with each step – couldn't understand why the water was still on the hill and not in the loch
. For this part of the walk we were accompanied by the music of roaring stags – we never saw any all day – but they sounded very close (but then they could have been across Loch Treig and we were just being tricked by mountain acoustics).
The dogs were very happy to be out, but they couldn't find the stags either. Not to worry, they were making up for a four week lay off while their humans had been swanning about in foreign climes and they had been spoilt rotten by their holiday humans
.The cloud came and went while we walked, but always above us, in this case hiding the route up Meall Cian Dearg.
The path was good, on the scrambly section up Meall Cian Dearg it was relatively easy to follow, just very muddy, so needed some concentration. I wasn't looking forward to the return trip … or slide
.A celebratory drink when we got to a level bit!
And beautiful views to the Gray Corries and Stob Ban
The route became gradually drier as we gained height, and it was proving an excellent wander for an autumn Sunday. The light was changing constantly with the changing cloud patterns, and the clouds themselves kept off our hills – although they clung to the Ben and some of the higher hills.
Roger zoomed off ahead
and I finally caught up with him at the summit of Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin
paused just long enough to take a photo - looking south to the Loch Eiles
then off to the second hill of the day.
Regulation summit pose …
… then some more photos
the Gray Corries
Loch Treig
Blackwater reservoir
Looking north west
before settling down to lunch …
What – you're eating that whole sandwich … all by yourself???
At the top a group of five guys caught up with us – turned out they'd got the night sleeper from London on Friday for a weekend in the hills, before heading back to the city on the Sunday night sleeper. The lengths people will go to for their hill-fix.
The route back down to reclimb Stob a'Choire Mheadhoin in theory seems a bit daft – two Munros for the price of three – but in reality it was fine – and probably much faster than working our way down a bog-infested glen. At one point it looked as though we were going to be caught in a downpour,
… but the rain didn't come our way. We did get a small rainbow though …
The route down Meall Cian Dearg wasn't as bad as expected either – it just needed concentration. We were soon back at the survey pillar and then down to the Loch – it was this lower part of the walk that was really boggy – but even that couldn't dispel the joy of being back out on the hills on good day.
Final look at Loch Treig …
… before heading home.
