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What with a rather grim looking forecast and potentially snowy terrain, I decided on Meall Ghoardaidh as the route sounded pretty straight forward and not too technical.
My friend and I arrived at the bottom of the hill at about 10am. We got our gear on and set off in great spirits, the sun was beaming down cheerfully, to our surprise, as we walked up through the fields of sheep. This lasted approximately 10 minutes and then a swarm of dark clouds appeared and soon it was absolutely p*ssing it down. Oh well. We plodded on up through the pathless bog. The rain soon turned to snow and as we climbed higher, the wind begun to really pick up. The snow was like shards of ice in my face, I was actually covering my face with my hands at points. Morale was a bit low at this point, it was difficult to even see where we should be going as the snow was so brutal. We could see a man further up ahead which encouraged us somewhat.
We stopped at the shelter of a rock and crouched down to share a chocolate bar. My jaw was so cold it was hard to chew! Suddenly the snow stopped and the sun burst out from behind the clouds once again. Our spirits lifted and we marched on, up towards the summit. Just as we reached the summit, the clouds were whipped away and the views opened up around us. The wind was absolutely immense, it was hard to even stand up it was so strong. Managed to snap a couple of pictures but it was extremely difficult given the sheer strength of the wind. I've been on many a blustery hill but this one definitely topped the charts!
We didn't stick around for too long, and begun our descent. I felt deliriously happy looking around at the snowy hills, whooping and shouting in the chaotic wind! I honestly nearly got lifted off my feet at one point. But honestly, I was on such a high at the sheer beauty all around us. It never ever gets old and continues to take my breath away every time.
Soon we left the snowy upper reaches of the hill and were back in the grassy bog. The trek back to the car was pleasant enough and the sun continued to shine. I was absolutely starving, the wild weather had meant we didn't get a chance to eat our pieces so instead I held off until I got to Callander where I had THE most delicious garlic chips from a chippy called Mhor Fish. HIGHLY RECOMMEND.
Meall Ghoardaidh - she's got a bad rap, bless her. Perfect hill for a snowy day, in my opinion. She certainly gave us a run for our money!
