Sgiath a Chase - a good viewpoint

[past my sell by date]

Clear weather with hazy sun, but the big hills were all plastered in wet fresh snow - avalanche warnings further N so I decided on another local Graham Sgiath a Chase. The initial climb into Glen Ample is quite steep first thing in the day: last time, when I did Beinn Each I tried a crafty outflanking movement via tracks on the W side of the burn. All when swimmingly until the track abruptly ended: I eventually ended up knee deep in soft slime in the middle of the forest - so not to be repeated. I went up the standard way and rested at the sheep fank just beyond the signpost to Beinn Each.

Ben Ledi looked very wintery

but there were clear views of Ben Lawers up ahead - hard to believe that it's 25km away
The Walkhighland map shows a footpath to Creag a Mhadaidh but I didn't find it: I pushed on up to the watershed where the views got better

The high point of the track

The summit from the track

Looking up to the top from where I reached the ridge
The wall eventually turns sharp L up the hill and I followed it up until the ground steepened, but I planned to return along the ridge, so rather than climbing directly to Creag a Mhadaidh, I headed diagonally up through the rocks and heather in the above photograph and reached the ridge just before the final climb

more nice views down towards Loch Earn

Ben Ledi and Ben Vane
I pushed on up - the snow was very wet but not deep enough to be a problem and eventually found the (non existent) top - a metal post with five stones round it where the views were superb in all directions.

Ben More and the Crianlarich hills

Ben Challum and the Glen Dochart hills

Meall An-t-Seallaidh and Creag Mac Ranaich

The ridge carries on northwards - Meall Ghaordaidh and the Tarmachan ridge behind

Looking S down the ridge to Creag a Mhadaidh, Meall Mor and Creag Gheata
I walked back down the ridge to Meall Mor and Creag Gheata - so much easier to avoid the peat hags when you can see them in advance from above - and then continued S as suggested by Andrew Dempster in his book on the Grahams

Looking back from Creag a Gheata - Meall Mor is on the L
I had to climb over the forest fence, but after that it was straightforward - though very steep for a short section - to descend to a track which led L back to the road 50m from my parking spot

[Graeme D]

You don't see too many reports on this nice wee hill. Great viewpoint as you say, and nice photos of your day.

[past my sell by date]

Thanks Graeme - I seem to keep following you on these southern hills. Trouble is I'm running out of hills within an easy days drive