** Why has Dalmally been mis-anglicised? The Gaelic transliteration is surely Dalvally
For the last 20 years I've always felt guilty about leaving out this major Scottish peak - only 20 m lower than the Munro. So when a fine Sunday was promised, I set off early determined to put this right. The roads were surprisingly quiet - maybe because it was a week after the bank holiday, and I was there in an hour, but the parking by the station was full and I had to stop a couple of hundred metres further East. There were clearly quite a few folk already on the hill. I went through the tunnel and followed the track which headed L for a while and then climbed steeply through oak woods - gorgeous at this time of year
Lovely oak woods
Violets in a crevice
Eventually the woods open out, the angle eases and there are stunning views of Loch Awe
and towards the Pass of Brander
The dam soon appears
And I climbed over maybe the most rickety stile I have ever crossed. "Elf and Safety" would not approve. Once over it, It's a straightforward walk up and on to the dam via the metal stairs
The reservoir from the dam
I followed the track to the end of the reservoir and headed L up Coire Dearg towards the 825m Bealach an Lochain between Meall Cuanail and the main top
A bit higher
A wider view - Meall Cuanail centre
Looking back Beinn a Bhuiridh
Further on - it's a long pull-up 430 m or so in all. Two Glasgow lasses were just behind me - they had two friends further back , but I stayed ahead of them. Another very fast man shot by at breakneck pace, but his small West Highland terrier struggled to keep up with him
Meall Cuanail again
At the bealach - looking East: in the gap L of Beinn a Bhuiridh are Ben Lui and the Crianlarich peaks
And West -The small hills on the Southern end of Mull
Further S - the Paps of Jura with Scarba on the R: - I could just see Colonsay beyond
I stopped at the bealach, while the first pair of girls pushed on up the eroded track which climbs steeply for the first 50m or so towards the summit. I followed them after a bit of a rest. There were still a further 300m to the summit
After 50m or so the angle eases a bit: looking up
A wider view from around the the same point: Meall Cuanail on the R, with the Arrochar Alps in the distance
Zoomed view of the same area. the prominent peak just L of centre is Ben Ime
First view of my target Stob Dearg
Another view up the boulder slopes to the summit
Looking E from the same point: the big dark lump in the distance (centre L) is Beinn Dorain
I eventually caught up with the girls on the final slopes, but we all found the boulders awkward and I think we should have been a bit further L. Their companions soon joined them and before they headed round the circuit they took a summit photo for me
- a fairly rare event 
Cruachan is a fabulous viewpoint
- maybe the best in the Southern Highlands, but It's never as clear as in Winter Summit views - mostly at maximum magnification
There isn't much high ground to the South: beyond Loch Awe is Loch Fyne and Arran in the distance
Detail - Arran
The Arrochar Alps : Beinn Donich far R, then Beinn an Lochain : Ben Ime centre with the Cobbler's twin peaks to its R: Slightly in front on the L is Beinn Bhuidhe with Ben Lomond and Ben Vane on its R and Ben Vorlich far L
Ben Lui - L of centre with the Crianlarich peaks behind: In the R foreground the 739m Graham Meall nan Tighearn
Zoomed view - Ben More, Stobinian (almost hidden) and Cruach Ardrain at the back
Zoomed further
Looking on along the ridge
The Etive and Glen Coe peaks - Ben Starav L
Up Loch Etive - Trilleachan L with the Ben at the back - towering over the landscape
Stob Dearg - the Taynuilt peak - it looks quite close
Across the Firth of Lorn to Mull - with Rum behind - and Ben More (Mull) on the R
Detail of Rum - Hallival R with Askival on its L
Southern Mull
Scarba - and Corryvrechan - if it had been clearer I could have told which way the tide was flowing
I started down the same descent path, but after only about 20m cut down R towards the bealach. There were a number of "scrambly" sections on which I'm not as fast as I used to be
but the climb back to Stob Dearg posed no problems although there was only the vestige of a path - clearly few people visit this splendid peak
On the descent - looking back to the main peak
Stob Dearg summit photos
Looking down the lower part of Loch Etive to the falls of Lora under the bridge at Connel
Upper Loch Etive, Trilleachan and the Ben: Snow cover was very patchy but there is some showing in the North - Maybe the Affric peaks
Ben Starav L - with the twin peaks of the Buchaille behind in centre and Creise to their R
Looking over Beinn Eunaich L of centre to Achaladair, Beinn Dothaidh and Beinn Dorain: Ben Challuim far R
Detail of the Snowy peaks in the previous photo: looking down Glen Lyon I guess to Sheasgarnaich with Ben Lawers behind
Looking back to the main peak
Apart from climbing most of the way back up the main peak, the only way to Meall Cuanail seemed to be a diagonal traverse - but there was no sign of even a "trod". There was also an area of continuous slabs that I decided to traverse above
The main summit and the diagonal traverse down to the Bealach an Lochain
Detail of the slabs
There were no significant problems with the descent and I stopped and had a drink from a tiny stream a few hundred metres above the bealach. I expected to find water on the descent of Meall Cuanail so I didn't try to fill my bottle
Looking back up the descent
and on to the bealach
I managed the short ascent to Meall Cuanail quite easily and descended beside the fence - but I found no water at all and was pretty thirsty when I reached the dam.
Looking back from Meall Cuanail - the descent looks quite a bit longer from here
I didn't fancy the water in the stream below the dam, so when I reached the dreaded stile I was well knackered
- There was no way I was going over it, so pushing my sack in front of me I crawled through the "dog" hole - . My legs had now ceased to do what the brain was telling them , so I took the steep section in the woods with extreme care - and when I got back to the car I was amazed to find I had been out for not far short of ten hours 
Where had the time gone? I had been on the main peak in a reasonable time (for me) of under 4 hours and I'd spent quite a time on each of the three summits admiring the view. But the trip to Stob Dearg and back looks to have taken over 3 hours
I drove back to Tyndrum and had an excellent and very reasonably priced bar meal at the Tyndrum inn
