tarmachan ridge -SUN AND WIND = BURNED FACE

[blueyed]

we left edinburgh early as the weather forecast was great and we wanted to get as much from the day as possible. i wanted to do tarmachan ridge since i saw it first, last year from beinn ghlas. it looked spectacular then.
so finally we got there we left our little, tired corsa on the car park at ben lawers visitor centre..only later i discovered that there actually is another car park just few hundred metres away, just at the beginning of path to the tarmachan (it was busy anyway).
the walk begins with a great road which you have to leave very soon and then the ascent begins. climbing meall nan tarmachan is relatively easy and quick. weather conditions we had were pretty good - cloudless sky, big blue hot sunshine, thou we did not feel it at all and that's because of the wind. my goodness, the wind was so strong! it blew us off the path twice... but that bloody wind was the reason why i wasnt really aware how hot it actually was.. and finally i got my face totally burned.
after reaching the tarmachan the walk becomes even quicker - glorious view to meall garbh and to loch tay.
meall garbh is only few minutes away thou it looks much much further. from this side it also lookes much more impressive than from the other (west) . descent from this 'munro top' is relatively easy even when you choose scrambling option (that can be avoided by taking the path which is just next to it). next munro top is beinn nan eachan and it's an easy climb too. you can choose to go further on the ridge or go down from the saddle just after beinn na eachan. both options are pathless and anyway you have to take direction either to the old quarry or just straight down (you should see the old road somewhere in front of you anyway). remember -going to the quarry, take direction a bit to the left (small ascent) you wont see the quarry untill you're practicaly there.
walk back from this point to the car park is about an hour.
the tarmachan ridge is a really nice walk, not too strenghtening, you will still be ok for a little walkabout in killin.

[Caberfeidh]

Excellent photos - looks like you caught a brilliant day. That old wind/sun trick got me one day in Glen Sligachan ~ I walked up the glen in the morning, with the sun in my face, then back in the evening, again with the sun in my face.A brisk breeze stopped me feeling it ... After a couple of beers in the Sligachan bar, wondering why everyone entering the bar was giving me funny looks, I went to the toilet and found that my face was hanging off in strips ~ I looked like a horror movie special effect!
It may also have had something to do with the midgie repellent I had used so freely.

[mountain coward]

Yeah - I never get/have never had sunburn but get wind-burned an awful lot! Good photies - looks like you had a great day... I didn't find that scramble easy to get down though - could have got up it I think.

[monty]

Well done Blue....
Some lovely pictures. Its nice to get some good weather.

[blueyed]

@ mountain coward - i did the scramble 'bottom to rock' style my pals decided to face the rocks and that was a bit more difficult.

[HighlandSC]

Your report title reminded me of a day out I had a few weeks ago. Turns out it was on the exact same date! I remember that cold northerly wind very well.

Was walking at Creag Meagaidh.
Sky mostly like this:


The biting wind had me looking like this:


Afterwards my face was as white as before, nose was red as rudolphs and the day after it looked very similar to how Caberfeidh described his face...strips of skin hanging off everywhere!!

[mountain coward]

@ mountain coward - i did the scramble 'bottom to rock' style my pals decided to face the rocks and that was a bit more difficult.

I tried sitting down (see my report if you get time - it was last year in October) - but I found it polished and facing outwards a bit and easily gave up (in true mountain coward fashion )... Even Richard gave up too after a few more minutes which really surprised me as he loves scrambling... But I always prefer going up a scramble - you can see the holds and suchlike so much better and you don't have to look down then