The Two Mealls

[seamus0]

These 2 munros tucked in behind the Lawers range have been on my hit list for a while. Given that winter is coming (as they say!) I wanted to do them before the road up to the start got closed in the winter. As I hadnt done any Munros since March I wasnt feeling particularly fit. As these start at around 450m up, this fitted the bill as a relatively easy day. I came up the day before and had an excellent solo walk up to Lochan Breaclaich from Killin (an easy walk I'd highly recommend with a spare couple of hours). The weather was sunny and summer-like. However today, meeting my mate, the weather had turned. Still not cold, but certainly autumnal in nature. We woke from the cottage and looking out the window saw a dreich of a day! But as we knew they were easy hills we at least knew we'd get a bit of exercise even if we couldnt see anything!

We drove to the start of the walk which is at the north end of Lochan na Lainge in the Ben Lawers Nature Reserve. The road up to it is ok, but I understand closed in winter. I can understand why as it takes you up to 450m in height between Tarmachan and the Lawers range. There's a large cairn on the brow of a hill about 400m north of the lochan at 594417.

Cairn at start, north of lochan

View from cairn

A small car park can accomodate about 4 or 5 cars at a push. a small track leads out of the car park to the cairn. From there another small track heads NE for about 300m then peters out. If you head east for another 200m then SE, you will eventually come to a rusty fence post. Keep heading SE walking around the bogs and you will pick up a line of old fences heading up to Meall Corranaich.

Line of rusty fence posts heading SE

View of bog from behind

Good track starts to appear

As it climbs slowly a good track becomes more apparent and you soon leave the bogs behind. At the top of the saddle, the track turns NNE and climbs easily up to a small pile of stones (not the top!).

Meall Tarmachan and the Lochan

Track climbing to top

False top

Keep following the track and keep an eye out for another pile of stones on your left, adorned with rusty fence posts. This is the top, and yup no visibility and blowing a wee gale.

Real top of Meall Corranaich

So, from the start at the Cairn it took us about 1.5 hours of leisurely walking. From here there was an obvious track which we started to follow.....mistake!

Wrong track from track heading SE

Correct track heading N

Luckily we both agreed we should take a bearing and not just follow any old track. It turned out our instincts were all over the shop.....the track was heading in the opposite direction (not on our 1:50000 map). Anyway, mistake corrected, we headed north from the top. It descended for about 200m and then flattened out and the path disappeared. We kept on a bearing of NE just in case we ended up on Coire Gorm ridge heading NW which would be easily done in the mist. We were bang on the NE ridge instead as we descended out of the clag. We used Coire Liath crags as a hand rail i.e. the ridge drops off steeply on the eastern side. Once you get there head NW and you should pick up a track that climbs slowly up to the top of Meall a Choire Leith.

Visibility getting better with 2 walkers in the distance following track to 2nd munro

Our route ahead of us with a good track visible

By this stage the weather was breaking and we could see Tarmachan behind us and the Coire Gorm which we had avoided. Just a note there are small crags on Coire Gorm and it looked steep going if you do manage to come off Meall Corranaich of the NW ridge, so best to avoid.

Heading to 2nd munro

Coire Liath on eastern side of ridge

Track up to Meall a choire leith

Meall Corranaich behind us, note the crags on Coire Gorm

Anyway, a good track took us to the top of Meall a Choire Leith and a relatively flat top. We had great views of the surrounding areas. With all the stormy views we were having we took our time, taking photos and enjoying the wildness of the day. So from the first Munro to the second it took us another 1.5hrs again of easy plodding.

Top of Meall a Choire Leith and Tarmachan in distance

Top of munro looking west

Meall Tarmachan

The descent off the munro was straight forward. We headed south towards the top of Coire Gorm and slowly headed SW contouring down the side of the moutain to the bottom of stream which was easily crosssed.

Descent off munro via top of coire Gorm

A long lost munroist...alas i knew him well!

River in the distance with a wee dam

From there we picked up a loose muddy path that led us to the river Allt Gleann Da Eig, passing a man-made dam. Just south of here was a lovely wee waterfall where we had a small pitstop.

Nice wee waterfall

Lochan at finish

We continued south following the rough path, and realised that we had missed the cairn all together, so obviously the thing we were following didnt lead back to the cairn. A quick turn SW to jump onto the road and followed it back to the cairn to finish in 4.5hrs
Overall, the day turned out better than expected, and we got grand views towards the end...and the peaks themselves werent as taxing...I must have been fitter than I thought ! A nice set of hills for a lazy day! Only Tarmachan left to do on this lot, but looking at it from this end it looked too easy...will have to include the ridge to make a day of it! For another day......