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I decided it was time to start my Munro journey, and had already opted to spend a day or two in Crianlarich, so I was spoiled for choice. With a mid-morning start, I planned to climb An Caisteal and Beinn a' Chroin as part of the one walk. Walking alongside the busy A82 out of Crianlarich, I made my way to the gate just past Keilator Farm, and walked through the bustling little building site rather than attempt the notoriously boggy woodland 'path'. Soon I was on the good track, making my way towards Sròn Gharbh, the impressive hill that needs to be climbed before you find yourself on the path to the Munros. The weather held out, and I got some nice views across Glen Falloch.
Views from Sròn Garbh by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
On the way up An Caisteal by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Twistin Hill by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
From Sròn Garbh I followed the clear path up along to Twistin Hill. A long path works its way along the knobbly hilltop, with superb views and the occasional scary drop for a novice like me, but it made for stunning walking. Soon, the rocky summit of An Caisteal appeared ahead of me, and I must admit I worried about how manageable it would be. Looked like scrambling territory to me
Scrambling near the summit of An Caisteal by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Looking up at An Caisteal by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
My fears were actually well-founded. I did find the short scrambling sections tricky, and even more so because at one point I seem to have missed the obvious path over the top and found myself on what can only be described as a ledge to the left of the rocky 'obstacle', and the rock was slippery after all the rain we'd had. I ploughed-on and soon found myself at the summit of my first ever Munro, An Caisteal. The weather took a turn, and suddenly I found myself needing all the layers I had been carrying, sheltering from very strong wind, and losing visibility in the mist and rain. Perhaps to an experienced Munro bagger, this is all standard stuff. But I realised that, even prepared and planned as I was, it would take me longer than I had naively thought to get across to a second Munro. Erring on the side of caution, I retraced my steps (on the good path, this time!) and wound my way back down the way I had climbed.
Summit Cairn, An Caisteal by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Admiring the views from Twistin Hill by
Christopher Watson, on Flickr
Back at the hostel late that day, the guys I chatted to seemed impressed that I should have done An Caisteal in fairly bad weather as my first Munro, so I did feel a sense of achievement. At the same time, I felt a little disappointed, I decided to try again for a second Munro in the morning, but thunder and lightning were forecast, and I decided it would need to be another day.
However, just one Munro in, I can see that these are beautiful and majestic undertakings, and I completely see the obsession with climbing them. I can't wait to climb them all.