Walkhighlands

1st walk report in ages but thought I'd share seeing as it's a route a bit off the beaten track.

The standard trade route from the A82 has never excited me, so I had a look for alternatives and anything from Glen Lyon tends to meet up with the normal route anyway. So I devised my own way up. (I did do a bit of research and couldn't find anything along these lines).

Biked it in from Glen Lyon along the north shore of Loch Lyon, this was fun as it was into a head wind which had me peddling on the downhill sections.

After negotiating the track and many gates I left the bike at the river crossing and followed Gleann Cailliche up to the bealach @638M it's a good landrover track to begin with, which then becomes an ATV track to finally a squelchy plod, eventually reached the bealach where I found a rock to sit on out the wind and have a spot of lunch.

I followed the fence line shown on the maps up to the bealach where the standard route meets and headed for the summit. Came down the eastern shoulder again a bit squelchy but made a decent time to the river and made a bee line straight for where I left the bike. No problems crossing the Allt Crailliche and then biked it back to car.

routes

Setting Off
Beinn Mhanach (1 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Sun making an appearance
Beinn Mhanach (5 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Beinn Mhanach (9 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Yup, heading up there
Beinn Mhanach (10 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Looking back
Beinn Mhanach (11 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Summit
Beinn Mhanach (19 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Heading off in that direction
Beinn Mhanach (21 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

My car is up there somewhere
Beinn Mhanach (25 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Look back to where I've just been
Beinn Mhanach (28 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Final look back before descending the track back to the car
Beinn Mhanach (30 of 30) by GaryE1981, on Flickr

Sounds likes a good outing - I've climbed Beinn Mhanach from the Lyon dam a couple of times and enjoyed it. A good longer version is to do the Chreachain-Achaladair-Mhanach loop - the eastern side of Beinn a' Chreachain is interesting, and you can then just come down the east ridge of Beinn Mhanach. I did that (without a bike) in June 2010 and it wasn't a hugely long outing - 7hr50 without any rush, eg had half an hour for lunch on Chreachain.

Yes it is definitely better from Glen Lyon - you made the right choice.. I have no idea why the 'usual route' became usual, looks a faff on the map with all the river crossings. Surprised you didn't mention Tigh nam Bodach, although I guess the family are away for the winter now...
Was interesting to see that you bothered with the trudge up to the bealach, would of been an easy nip up and back from Tigh nam Bodach, but it is a bonny secluded glen and well worth a wander I guess. The first time I visited I camped by the sheep fold half way up glen Cailliche, and it was memorably serene Was glad to be back there this year, although Dad wanted to combine Mhanach with Creachain, so a bit of a longer day. Boy the clegs round there are savage in the season

Dave Hewitt wrote:Sounds likes a good outing - I've climbed Beinn Mhanach from the Lyon dam a couple of times and enjoyed it. A good longer version is to do the Chreachain-Achaladair-Mhanach loop - the eastern side of Beinn a' Chreachain is interesting, and you can then just come down the east ridge of Beinn Mhanach. I did that (without a bike) in June 2010 and it wasn't a hugely long outing - 7hr50 without any rush, eg had half an hour for lunch on Chreachain.

I took a whole weekend about it

basscadet wrote:

Dave Hewitt wrote:Sounds likes a good outing - I've climbed Beinn Mhanach from the Lyon dam a couple of times and enjoyed it. A good longer version is to do the Chreachain-Achaladair-Mhanach loop - the eastern side of Beinn a' Chreachain is interesting, and you can then just come down the east ridge of Beinn Mhanach. I did that (without a bike) in June 2010 and it wasn't a hugely long outing - 7hr50 without any rush, eg had half an hour for lunch on Chreachain.

I took a whole weekend about it

It'd probably take me the same

Maybe doable for me in a day from the Bridge Of Orchy side

In my defense, I did throw Dothaidh in to the route, so that surely justifies the 2 nights camping doesn't it?

basscadet wrote:In my defense, I did throw Dothaidh in to the route, so that surely justifies the 2 nights camping doesn't it?

If it hadn't of been November I'd have been tempted to do the same

I missed your 1st post, I completely missed Tigh na Bodach somehow, I did see it on the map but was enjoying the scenery and the river (plus watching where I put my feet). I didn't find it too much of a trudge, it was enjoyable in a perverse kinda way.

Thanks Backpacker, I'll use this!

Somerled87 wrote:Thanks Backpacker, I'll use this!

Hope you enjoy the route as much as I did

Dave Hewitt wrote:Sounds likes a good outing - I've climbed Beinn Mhanach from the Lyon dam a couple of times and enjoyed it. A good longer version is to do the Chreachain-Achaladair-Mhanach loop - the eastern side of Beinn a' Chreachain is interesting, and you can then just come down the east ridge of Beinn Mhanach. I did that (without a bike) in June 2010 and it wasn't a hugely long outing - 7hr50 without any rush, eg had half an hour for lunch on Chreachain.

Didn't you do a watershed walk and fall off Mhanach, or am I confusing you with someone else and the Angrie Corrie?

Dothaidh - Mhanach - Achallader is a decent circuit I've done a couple of times, again way better than the standard route.

weedavie wrote:Didn't you do a watershed walk and fall off Mhanach

I did - well remembered. It was on the 'shed in 1987 - I was coming down the northern slope of Beinn a' Chuirn, the west top of Mhanach, when I strayed on to some horrible mushy wet scree stuff and lost my footing. Had a big rucksack so wasn't very nimble, and went down a fair way before stopping. No major injuries but a fair few scrapes and bruises and it shook me up a bit. Shortly after that I bumped into Andy Dempster - this was before he was a well-known guidebook writer, and we'd never met before - and he very kindly stayed with me over the next stretch across Achaladair and Chreachain before I spent a rather sore night at Gorton. Took the low-level option next day out to Felix Aitken's place at Achallader farm, where I was well looked after and spent a day recovering. Then rather surprised myself by getting right round the Blackmount horseshoe the day after that (including the direct watershed start over Meall Mor etc) and was fine after that. But it was a good example of how if you let your concentration slip the rest of you can quickly follow, even on very innocuous-looking ground.

I like those hills - have been on them quite a bit over the years, both before and after the watershed. Funnily enough I've never been round all five Munros in a day thus far, although I have done the five Corbetts together - again on the 'shed. Re the Munros, there are lots of nonstandard good ways up, eg the obvious S ridge of Dorain is worth a visit, as is - especially in winter - the big open corrie just to its E. And the N ridge of Achaladair, much photographed from Crannach Wood but hardly ever climbed, is a great day out. Quite steep at the top but you can zigzag about and suddenly pop out on to the flat ridge very close to the summit.