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As always, this wasn't the plan.
I was going to head down to Galloway for a Corbett and a couple of Donalds but while the forecast was good there was due to be some showers coming in from the west so in the end I decided to head over to Lochearnhead.
It's been 3 weeks since my last hill walk and I had been off work for the first week due to a back injury. I was in work taking part in a quiz, we were split into two teams and my team were struggling with a question posed by the other team. Someone in the other team dropped a hint that the answer we were looking for could be found on the screen behind me so I spun round and twisted my back. To cut a long story short, a lot of pain, took 15 minutes to get in to my car, each gear change was agony and I couldn't get out of the car when I got home. No more quizzes for me
Last weekend I went back to Dunkeld for a couple of short flattish walks and this would be the first time I had put any pressure on the back since the injury so hopefully everything would be OK.
I had read a couple of winter reports on these hills and I was keen to do them, the other benefit was that it was a much shorter drive so better for the back.
Arriving at the main car park in Lochearnhead I parked by the overflowing recycling area and was walking for 8:30am (this was my attempt to leave it later to give the clouds a chance to lift - I'm not very good at late starts).
There is a path by the main road which I followed to the A84/A85 junction where I turned left on the A84 Callander road following this road to within about 30 yards of leaving the village where I turned right and headed up past the church.
- Seen better days
I followed this road up to a bridge, turning left just shy of it following the blue cycle route sign. Thirty yards further on I turned right on to the cycle route (also the Rob Roy Way) heading towards Glen Ogle.
I was on this section of the walk 15 months ago when doing the Rob Roy Way. That day I was walking from Callander to Killin and it was a thoroughly miserable day with rain falling from start to finish with not even the hint of a break. Today was better, overcast (but no threat of rain) but the suggestion that the clouds would lift by midday.
After going under the bridge the gradient steepens for a very short section but then there are some easy zig zags which get me up to the old railway line fairly quickly.
- Easy walking on the cycle route
There is a bench at the railway line (not required today) and this is where I leave the Rob Roy Way and turn left. Within a few yards there is a gate then with it being a disused railway line it is pretty flat and easy walking.
- Now on the old railway line
There are another couple of gates to negotiate, the last one before leaving the railway line put up a good fight and I had to lift it to get it to budge. With the next bridge in view I left the line 50 yards short of it, through an old wooden gate and up and over the bridge to enter Glen Kendrum.
- Left turn short of the bridge
My first view of the glen wasn't that appealing with a lot of cloud covering the tops.
- Cloud cover on the hills
The walk up the glen is on a good wide track, over to my left and further up the glen I can see earth works and various diggers etc. I'm not sure if it is mandatory for these to be in every glen or just every glen I'm heading for but there does seem to be a lot going on in the hills at the moment.
My old tattered 1993 map shows the track ending half way up the glen but my Garmin was correct and I was able to stay on the track to the bealach between my two target hills.
I was aware of a river crossing higher up the glen but with little water and dry stepping stones this was straight forward.
- River crossing
- Cloud lifting
After crossing the river the gradient steepened a little as I headed for the bealach. At the bealach I had a chocolate stop, I was expecting to feel a breeze at this height but still nothing to be had so it would be warm work on the climb ahead. I had been aware of loads of bees buzzing around me but now that I was stopped the midge arrived so I set off on the climb. I was doing Creag Mac Ranaich first so it was a right turn off the track and then just pick a route up the hill.
It's short, it's steep and it's wet in places, it's common to say height was gained quickly - it wasn't. It was most definitely a slow plod with a fair number of stops for "photo opportunities" before the gradient eased. There is a bit of a bowl on top of the hill and I wasn't checking my Garmin or my paper map so I drifted further east than I needed to but on the plus side I got a great view back down the glen.
- Looking down Glen Kendrum
I could now see the summit cairn which was a good bit further away than I had expected as the hill top has quite a big dog-leg to the left that I hadn't been aware of but it's more or less flat now with only a very easy climb to the top and the cairn.
- Summit cairn - Killin and Loch Tay in the distance
A few minutes at the cairn and I was off back towards the bealach. I took it very slowly down the steep grassy slope to the track as it would have been easy to have a fall here. There was a chap doing the climb at the same time I was dropping down but he was well over to my left so didn't make contact.
Back at the track I had another chocolate stop but again the midge arrived so I headed off.
- View from the track
On the climb of Creag Mac Ranaich I had looked round at what I would face on the climb up to Cam Chreag and it didn't look very appealing (lots of high peat hags) but it was actually much easier than it looked. The heathery peat bog section wasn't that wet or difficult and the steeper grassy section that followed was on a slightly easier gradient and drier (than CMR).
- Looking back to Creag Mac Ranaich
I skirted Cam Chreag (to the South) and it was then a straight forward walk to the top following an old fence line.
- The summit of Meall an t-Seallaidh ahead
- Looking NW to the 817 point
- Looking towards Loch Earn from just short of the top
The summit of Meall an t-Seallaidh is a great viewpoint for lochs with Earn, Voil and Lubnaig all in sight.
- Summit cairn - Loch Earn beyond
- Loch Lubnaig
- Loch Voil
After taking some photos from the top I headed off. I continued along the ridge using my Garmin to judge when I was past the crags to my left before starting to drop down and head towards the track through Glen Kendrum. Looking down the glen I decided to head straight for the works area as I knew there would be an easy crossing of the river and with it being a Saturday the area was quiet with no work being carried out. It's a wet grassy descent, the gradient is easy and on the face of it it's a straight forward walk but I still managed to fall in to two well hidden holes and one trench which had stagnant water which went up to the top of my knee.
I was glad to reach the main track and with the sun now breaking through the clouds it's a nice warm afternoon making for a pleasant walk back down the glen.
- Ben Vorlich and Stuc a' Chron
Lower down the glen there were a few more people around with a group of 5 stopped by the side of the track taking in the views and an older couple out walking their dog.
- Looking back up the glen to the two Corbetts
- A dead tree - how did I miss this on the way up??
Once back on the cycle route there were a lot more people about (I was the only one walking), this seems to be a really popular place for mountain bikers.
- View of Loch Earn from the cycle track
Back at the car park in exactly 6 hours.
Good couple of hills these, really enjoyed them - especially the views from Meall an t-Seallaidh.