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Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean


Postby rockhopper » Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:45 pm

Munros included on this walk: Meall Glas, Sgiath Chùil

Corbetts included on this walk: Beinn nan Imirean

Date walked: 14/11/2010

Time taken: 8.2 hours

Distance: 20 km

Ascent: 1473m

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Today was to be either Beinn a Ghlo or Sgiath Chuil and neighbours. Sgiath Chuil won the toss as it was closer to home, gave me longer in bed and the forecast looked better in the west (of course, it’s not always that accurate….. :o ). I had three plans in mind. Plan 1 covered Sgiath Chuil and Meall Glas, Plan 2 added Beinn nan Imirean and Plan 3 added Ben Challum. [Realistically, Plan 3 was probably not going to happen in winter and I ended up ditching it half way down Sgiath Chuil.] I’ve also been trying out tone mapping with bracketed exposures and panoramas both of which I used for some of the photos below.

I was up and away early on Sunday. Starting in the dark, the drive was uneventful but I still can’t understand why traffic lights always seem to be at red when I get to them and can’t be put on to detectors early in the morning :? . It started to get foggy as I left Crianlarich heading east and, due to several “No Parking” signs on the farm road, I parked on the grass verge at the side of the A85 close to Auchessan. The verge is wide enough to allow for this. I parked beside two other cars but the walkers had gone before I got a chance to say hello – I thought I may see them on the hills but, other than some footprints in the snow, I didn’t see them again although their cars were still there when I returned in the afternoon.

It was still foggy when I set off up the short road to Auchessan crossing the River Dochart. Just after the farmhouse there’s a signpost; north to the Meall Glas track and east to the Sgiath Chuil track. As I was hoping at least to add Beinn nan Imirean at the end, I had decided on going anticlockwise and headed toward Sgiath Chuil. Come to think of it, I always seem to go anticlockwise :D .


SgiathChuil_MeallGlas _BeinnnanImirean_activelog_14nov2010 reduced to 736 trackpoints.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts



I headed through a gate and passed two highland cattle at close quarters. I think they thought I had food as they followed me a little too closely – I did try to explain to them that I didn’t have anything for them but don’t think they quite understood (must be the Glasgow accent :lol: ). Fortunately there was another gate to go through and I was clear of them. The path was great and I was walking along at fair old rate in the mist wondering where all the bogs had got to – then realised that I missed the turning and was close to the mast at Dun Riobain. Memo to myself - when WH says “Do not cross this burn but instead leave the track”, it means just that, ie don’t cross :!: (daft thing was that I had read this beforehand but wasn’t concentrating as I walked along in the mist).

So, about turn and I headed back down, over the river then through the gate to follow the path up the side of the Allt Riobain. Now I understood why so many reports talked of the bogs which were sometimes very squelchy – that said, it was wet and muddy but probably not as bad as I was expecting. I followed the track beside the river and up the hillside making sure not to cross the river. It was boggy lower down but once on the higher ground and past the trees it wasn’t so bad. Once on open higher ground, I got out of the mist and there were good views back towards Ben More with the mist still sitting lower down in Glen Dochart. I also started to get my first views of the day’s hills as I cleared the lower ground and trees. Further away I could see towards Ben Lui and Ben Dubhchraig.

1 Meall Glas from Sgiath Chuil ascent [hdr].JPG


2 Ben Challum peeping through [hdr].JPG


3 Ben Lui and Ben Dubhchraig in the distance [hdr].JPG


There’s a good track up which starts further east along the A85 at Auchlyne and I met the end of it close to a small dam in the Allt Riobain. It’s about 5 miles long and I had considered mountain biking it but decided that it wasn’t worth the extra hassle. I also didn’t know beforehand whether it would be iced up or not.

4 Ben More and neighbours from Sgiath Chuil ascent [hdr].JPG


5 Meall Glas from Sgiath Chuil ascent [hdr].JPG


After the dam I headed NE over the moorland towards Sgiath Chuil. There was snow on its upper reaches with some frosty conditions lower down. I maintained this course avoiding the crags of Sgiath Chrom to the SE and picked my way up between Sgiath Chuil’s higher crags. It was very steep at times and the snow made it a bit harder than usual. The snow was mainly soft but there were also drifts knee deep. In some parts the surfaces of the drifts had iced up but there weren’t enough of these to warrant putting on crampons.

6 Ben Lui from Sgiath Chuil ascent.JPG


7 Approach to Sgiath Chuil.JPG


8 Beinn nan Imirean, Ben Challum and Ben Lui in the distance [hdr].JPG


I went round and up to the summit and cairn where there were great views south to Ben More, east to Ben Lui and round to Ben Challum. I had something to eat and took the usual photos before heading off initially towards the north and Meall a Churain.

9 Ben More to Meall Glas panorama.JPG


10 Meall Glas from Sgiath Chuil summit [panorama].JPG


11 My old ice axe on Sgath Chuil cairn [hdr].JPG


12 Ben More and neighbours from Sgiath Chuil summit.JPG


On the map it looked like I could start to head west down the steep side of Sgiath Chuil at roughly half way between it and Meall a Churain; I started to head west in that direction but the snow drift surface had iced up and was sloping down towards the edge. I then retraced my steps back heading a little towards the south and then went initially SW then west down the side; it was still steep and covered in snow drifts but with help of my ice axe it wasn’t as bad as my first intended route had looked.

At this point I decided that I would aim for Plan 2 and leave Ben Challum off for another day – this meant that I was able to slacken off a bit knowing that I should have more than enough time to complete the route. With hindsight, taking it a bit easier wasn’t the best plan as I was to discover on the Meall Glas ascent. I got down to the bhealach between Sgiath Chuil and Beinn Cheathaich although I was planning to skirt past Beinn Cheathaich to the south and go straight to Meall Glas. The ground was boggy with peat hags but the going wasn’t too bad despite the snow and their semi frozen state.

13 Crossing from Sgiath Chuil towards Meall Glas [hdr].JPG


14 Looking up to Meall Glas.JPG


I came round below Beinn Cheathaich and started to head towards Meall Glas. Looking upwards as the mist started to close in, the steep sides of Meall Glas seemed to look worse than the Sgiath Chuil descent.

15 Meall Glas approach [panorama].JPG


I headed up the slope but as it got steeper and steeper and I had to drop back down, move westwards then go back up on two occasions before I found a route which I could manage in the snow and ice. Looking back on it, I think I had started to climb up Meall Glas too soon and should have gone further to the west. I found a way up under the 908m top and on the way up, the mist occasionally cleared to give a good view over to Ben More.

16 Ben More from Meall Glas ascent [hdr].JPG


I walked west then NW along to the summit cairn. During this time, the conditions were getting a lot worse and I could hardly see at all due to the low cloud and snow with not much hope of getting any decent pictures from the summit cairn.

17 Could hardly see on Meall Glas.JPG


18 Meall Glas cairn.JPG


The map showed that I had to avoid the crags to the west of the summit so headed to the south. On reaching a point just above Meall Glas Beag crags, I went a little to the west then SW towards the moorland which would then lead to Beinn nan Imirean.

19 Ben Challum from Meall Glas descent [hdr].JPG


20 Beinn nan Imirean, Ben Challum, Creag Mhor and Beinn Heasgarnich from Meall Glas descent [panorama].JPG


The cloud and mist cleared and I could see my final target clearly. It looked as though there were two possible routes up; the longer one up the SE ridge and shorter one going more or less SW and up from where I was on the slopes of Meall Glas. I opted for the latter but decided I’d assess the snow and slopes when I got closer. Apart from a few slippy sections in the snow, the rest of the descent of Meall Glas and the crossing of the moorland between the two hills was fairly straightforward.

21 Ben Challum from Meall Glas descent [hdr].JPG


When I got to the bottom of Beinn nan Imirean the slope upwards looked steep in places but didn’t look bad enough to warrant taking the longer route up. I then headed up towards the summit with only a few tricky sections due to snow and ice. Reaching the top I was once again in the sun and had great views again all round. However, the wind had now increased quite dramatically and I could see dark cloud approaching from the north.

22 Beinn nan Imirean cairn.JPG


23 Looking back to Sgiath Chuil from Beinn nan Imirean summit [hdr].JPG


I had something to eat and drink, took the usual photos and then headed off SE towards Meall Garbh and back to the car. The cloud was now rolling overhead and there were some snow flurries but nothing serious. I found, and then lost frequently, traces of a track on the way down in and out of the snow. The afternoon sun was shining through the clouds over to the west.

24 Westerly view from Beinn nan Imirean descent [hdr].JPG


Again the ground was boggy with peat hags and it wasn’t long before I was back down on lower ground. I skirted round to the east of Creag nan Uan and headed down the usual Meall Glas return track to Auchessan. This return route was less boggy than the original route up to Sgiath Chuil. When I arrived back at my car, the other two cars were still there with no sign of the other walkers. I could remember seeing some footprints further back in the snow but hadn’t actually met anyone all day. Boots off and changed, I headed off into the late afternoon sunshine back to Glasgow for my dinner. It was a great day for my first hillwalk in the snow after more than 20 years.
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby Stretch » Wed Nov 17, 2010 2:57 pm

Hmm, I like the look of this route Rockhopper, minus the small detour :lol: Could be a good option for me this Saturday. Keep playing with the HDR stuff, you'll eventually get the hang of it. I would suggest getting ahold of Photomatix Pro 3, that's what I use. You should see significant improvement with that software once you put it to the test a few times.
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby malky_c » Wed Nov 17, 2010 5:50 pm

That's a fair old route when you include the Corbett - well done for getting around it in the soft snow :D

Some good photos there too, although you may need to work a bit at the colours - some of that looks like the album cover from Led Zeppelin's Houses of the Holy! :lol:
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby mountain coward » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:06 pm

Looks very challenging from that side - I normally do those from the Glen Lochay side as they're much easier and they don't have any crags that side! But well done anyway... I still have that Corbett to do. I liked Ben Cheetah best out of all those so I'd have had to do that one I think...
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby Graeme D » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:24 pm

Great stuff Rockhopper - some cracking photos there too. Love the close up of Lui and pic number 12 as well. Good to see the Corbett summit again so soon after being up there myself, this time with a snow covering. 8) I know what you mean about losing concentration when you're walking and ending up way off beam. I remember once in the lower hills of the eastern Cairngorms I inexplicably turned left up a hill instead of right up the opposite slope. It was only when I got to the top that I suddenly though "Hang on a minute, where have the other hills gone?" :lol: :lol:
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby monty » Wed Nov 17, 2010 10:33 pm

Excellent Rockhopper. The photos are tremendous with a great pic of Ben Lui. Thats a good round in the time in the snow. well done. :D
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby rockhopper » Thu Nov 18, 2010 2:04 pm

Cheers all

stretch & malky - Yes, I'll need to work on the colours but am still experimenting at the moment :D

mc - with hindsight, I may have been better approaching Meall Glas from the NE by going up Beinn Cheataich first :(

graeme - just realised I don't have a picture of the corbett on its own in the WR so will post it later; not the first time I've gone off track (even in excellent weather) and won't be the last I suspect :lol:

monty - Ben Lui has a great shape normally but even more striking in the snow I think; my moving time from the gps was 6hrs 12 mins so not fast but I was enjoying the route 8)
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby mountain coward » Thu Nov 18, 2010 9:09 pm

Yeah you probably would have been better going NW to Cheataich as it's a really easy ascent if you traverse round onto the northern ridge from there. Not sure if it was as high up as the col or not but I was following a landrover track up from the other side which went up towards the col and then traversed round onto the ridge. The whole ascent was really easy :D
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby rockhopper » Thu Nov 18, 2010 10:59 pm

thanks mc - will note that for the next time 8)

Beinn nan Imirean picture I mentioned above

Beinn nan Imirean [ef-hdr].JPG
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby baggervance » Thu Nov 18, 2010 11:10 pm

Ahh the ice axe pics, now rockhopper is that the 75cm version or the 50 - 60 cm version. remember to keep it on the uphill hand.de dah de dah de dah de dah. Oh no I've started another ice axe debate :lol: :lol:

Fab pics. Ben lui looks brill, one I want to do soon in the snow (with my ice axe, of course :lol: )
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby davetherave » Fri Nov 19, 2010 8:00 am

What a fantastic read . Some ace pics you got on your winter adventure. I can't believe that was your first walk in the snow for near on 20 years.

I will read this report again when I get home. It's not the same trying to read and view on a 3.7" screen. :lol:
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby rockhopper » Fri Nov 19, 2010 3:02 pm

very drole baggerv - thanks for the comments on the pics - it's the 75cm (or should that be 30 inches) version :lol: so......, as we've covered ice axe lengths to death, how about number of points on crampons, 10 or 12 ? :lol: :lol: :lol:

thanks dave - I haven't done a lot of walking over the last 20 or so years but am starting to get back into it - my last hillwalk in the snow was Ben More and Stob Binnein in mid March 1987 :D
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby mountain coward » Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:28 am

My ice axe is nil cm - it's in inches! Time we gave up all the Euro stuff if you ask me!
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby LeithySuburbs » Sat Nov 20, 2010 6:19 pm

Can't believe this report escaped my attention... Some of the HDR stuff is no bad - pic 21 is good and pic 4 is great (but more due to composition and setting rather than any post production). I remember the views to Ben More being memorable and your pics bring back good images in the mind :) .

Anyway, this is a good day to get under the belt. I did the 2 munros from this side and found the boggy approach and descent a bit of a drag - not sure I would have had the motivation to add the Corbett of I had done it anti-clockwise like you.
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Re: Sgiath Chuil, Meall Glas & Beinn nan Imirean

Postby Stretch » Sat Nov 20, 2010 7:48 pm

I did these two from the north today and I must say, I didn't find too much to be happy about on that route or the two hills. What a slog. It seems even more of a fine effort on your part to get that corbett in now!
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