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Tyndrum High Five (again)

Tyndrum High Five (again)


Postby weaselmaster » Mon Jul 20, 2015 12:01 am

Corbetts included on this walk: Beinn a' Chaisteil (Auch), Beinn Chaorach, Beinn nam Fuaran, Beinn nan Imirean, Beinn Odhar, Cam Chreag (Auch)

Date walked: 19/07/2015

Time taken: 12 hours

Distance: 35 km

Ascent: 2989m

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I swore I'd never repeat these hills ...but here we are going round the 5 Tyndrum Corbetts once again....

Allison was "otherwise engaged" til Saturday afternoon. I had planned to do a round of Ben Lawers and the Tarmachan Ridge on Friday night/ Saturday morning, but for once the weather kept me at home - probably just as well looking at some of the pictures of the flooding around Perthshire. So it was a lazy start at midday on Saturday when I picked her up. We'd set the remaining time this weekend for the Tyndrum 5, something that Sick Kid wasn't lookign forward to one bit, but an excellent opportunity to catch up with 5 Corbetts for minimal outlay. I'd gone round them last summer, adding on a Top of Creag Mhor for good measure. A few people commented on that report "you'll be doing them again with Allison" and I swore I wouldn't - she could do them herself. Yeah right :lol:

I hadn't figured out whether to do a walk in and camp somewhere round the circuit or use a campsite and do them in one day. The amount of rain overnight made me think that a campsite might be a safer bet for dry land. That meant that we had a few hours to do something first. There were a few Corbetts around Arrochar left to do, plus Beinn nan Imirean. I opted for that one - a short (10km ish) walk with little ascent, that wouldn't hurt much would it? Driving past Crianlarich I was amazed by the water level in Loch Iubhair - almost up to the road. Fortunately the bridge at Auchessan hadn't been swept away although the River Dochart was flowing past in a powerful surge. Up past the farm then onto the new hilltrack, ugly bulldoed thing. We left the track and aimed for Creag nan Uan then Meall Garbh. Behind us Ben More glowered green. The going was good, not too wet underfoot considering the drenching the land has had in the last 24 hours. It was quite a pleasant afternoon - windy but not cold. Soon we were at the cairn on Imirean, looking over to the bulk of Beinn Challum. The return was a trot back the way we'd come - I was feeling fit and fresh and even considered squeezing another hill in before evening. I thought I'd better not push my luck :roll:

Swollen River Dochart
ImageP1080923 by Al, on Flickr

Ugly Hilltrack
ImageP1080924 by Al, on Flickr

Ben More
ImageP1080927 by Al, on Flickr

Imirean
ImageP1080928 by Al, on Flickr

View to Challum
ImageP1080931 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080932 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080934 by Al, on Flickr


We opted to check out the wigwam village at Auchtertyre - although all the wigwams & hobbit houses were full the camping field was sparsely inhabited. Good facilities at the site and a reasonable price. We pitched and set about cooking a curry - I'd neglected to put any beers in and the shop didn't sell any alcohol as far as I could see. As the wind fell the midges increased their nuisance level so we retired behind mesh at 8ish. Unfortunately at about 10pm the music started - I didn't know we'd booked into an all night music festival :-x It went on til midnight then stopped. For a bit, then started up again. Whoever was playing the tracks did that really irritating thing you do when drunk of playing 20-30 seconds of a track then switching to something else. Don't know what was worse - the noise level or switching off songs that were good after a wee bit. Allison was ready for murder. Particularly of the guy with inane bray for a laugh. It's a poor show when loud music gets played at a campsite til 2 or 3 in the morning - I won't be paying a return visit to the Wigwam Village.

ImageP1080935 by Al, on Flickr

It rained heavily overnight and when we finally struggled out of bed, unrested, it was a minging morning with midges and rain, cloud right down. We drove along to Tyndrum and parked at the Info Centre, then set off to walk up to the WHW and begin our first ascent, Meall Odhar. When I'd done these last time I'd gone up the side of Meall Odhar from a layby on the A82 - very steep. This route was much kinder. Not much to getting to the 901m cairn. We set off down the ENE shoulder down into Glen Coralan. As we descended the weather improved, with the mist slowly clearing. We aimed for near the 365m spot height, crossed the river getting wet feet in the process (forgot my gaiters) and started up the eastern shoulder of Beinn a'Chaisteal. Steady grassy slopes til the fence line is met with then a flatter walk along the top of Creagan Liatha. We got to the summit cairn shortly before midday and set off down the line of fence posts towards Mam Lorn. It was wet underfoot here - we stopped to eat at the lowest point and cast eyes up to the steep sides of Beinn anm Fuaran, checking out a way up. I remembered coming down in mist and meeting a few bands of crags - the best way up looked to be to follow the fence post line.

Minging Morning in Tyndrum
ImageP1080936 by Al, on Flickr

Meall Odhar ascent
ImageP1080937 by Al, on Flickr

Odhar
ImageP1080938 by Al, on Flickr

Chaisteil with Dorain behind
ImageP1080940 by Al, on Flickr

Ascent line
ImageP1080941 by Al, on Flickr

Looks like green velvet
ImageP1080943 by Al, on Flickr

View back to descent route down Meall Odhar
ImageP1080944 by Al, on Flickr

creagan Liatha
ImageP1080947 by Al, on Flickr

Approaching summit Chaisteil
ImageP1080948 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080949 by Al, on Flickr

Down to the bealach with Fuaran
ImageP1080950 by Al, on Flickr

So that's what we did - a wee burst of steepness and the summit was reached. Various sheep were startled and nipped off down hill. We paused to put of waterproofs as the rain seemed to be coming and took a straight line towards the end of the ridge up to Cam Creag. This was easy going over soft spongy grass, even crossing the Abhain Ghlas was uncomplicated. We started up the gentle grassy finger that leads to both Cam Creag and Beinn Chaorach. The clouds lifted again and the sun came out, bringing various insect critters to annoy us. We followed the back of the ridge to the summit cairn of Cam Creag then turned at 90 degrees along the old electric fence line for our final summit of the day. Met one miserable looking dude coming towards us who couldn't muster a hello. Was sure I'd seen him at the campsite - wonder if he had an inane braying laugh :lol:

Ascent Fuaran
ImageP1080951 by Al, on Flickr

View to Cam Creag (L) and Chaorach (R)
ImageP1080952 by Al, on Flickr

And again
ImageP1080953 by Al, on Flickr

Fuaran
ImageP1080955 by Al, on Flickr

View back to Fuaran
ImageP1080958 by Al, on Flickr

Beinn an Dothaidh (zoomed)
ImageP1080959 by Al, on Flickr

Big rock
ImageP1080961 by Al, on Flickr

Cam Creag
ImageP1080963 by Al, on Flickr

Challum
ImageP1080965 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080966 by Al, on Flickr

Chaorach
ImageP1080968 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080969 by Al, on Flickr

I was glad we'd gone round in this direction as it meant we had the smallest amount of descent/re-ascent for our final hill - we looked back down at the big "V" between Odhar and Chaisteil and were glad we didn't have the 600-odd metres of re-ascent to do to finish off that way. Summit was reached and we set off South down the broad sloping back of Chaorach aiming for the Wigwam farm and the track. it occurred to me that we could have started the walk from here, going up the long back towards Meall Odharvia Creag Bhan Eigheach. Didn't think of that. Anyway it was a pleasant walk in the sunshine back along the WHW, particularly the section from Dalrigh to Tyndrum. Back at the car in 9 hours, not bad for Sick Kid. I reflected that this was a very pleasant way to do the Tyndrum 5, certainly better than the route I'd chosen first time round. We'd also had a much better day (after the first couple of hours) than I'd expected. So it wasn't all bad doing them again :D


Descent route
ImageP1080970 by Al, on Flickr

Notched ridges of the Crianlarich hills
ImageP1080972 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080973 by Al, on Flickr

ImageP1080974 by Al, on Flickr


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weaselmaster
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 2423
Munros:277   Corbetts:216
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Sub 2000:391   Hewitts:33
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Joined: Aug 22, 2012
Location: Greenock

Re: Tyndrum High Five (again)

Postby The Rodmiester » Mon Jul 20, 2015 8:24 am

Good looking route, might consider this way when and if I decide to do the five. Pine trees camp site the next time I suggest, a load better, we'll run, clean and very reasonable priced, see you in August.
User avatar
The Rodmiester
Walker
 
Posts: 3396
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Joined: Aug 15, 2012
Location: Newbigging

Re: Tyndrum High Five (again)

Postby weaselmaster » Mon Jul 20, 2015 11:35 am

The Rodmiester wrote:Pine trees camp site the next time I suggest, a load better, we'll run, clean and very reasonable priced, see you in August.


Yeah, I thought that when we walked past Pine Trees at the end of the walk :roll:
weaselmaster
Hill Bagger
 
Posts: 2423
Munros:277   Corbetts:216
Fionas:178   Donalds:73+30
Sub 2000:391   Hewitts:33
Wainwrights:15   Islands:28
Joined: Aug 22, 2012
Location: Greenock

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