So I picked a measly three Corbetts to tackle around Loch Rannoch - just one a day. And some Simms, obviously. Oh, and a couple of those Munro thingies and a Munro Top. Like I say, an easy weekend. Pleased to find our usual spot available on the roadside past Kinloch Rannoch on Thursday night and settled down for a quiet night. The luxury of car-camping! It's been a wee while.
I'd selected the shortest walk, up Beinn a'Chuallaich, for the Friday, which was supposed to be the worst weather-wise and I could also help easy Allison back into the outdoors. We parked in the main square in Kinloch Rannoch and used the track we'd taken last time, diverging once we'd climbed a bit over to the first Simm of Meall Dubh, which involved following a stone wall over fairly dry heather. We could see the mist down over the Ben Alder hills just a little to the west, and some rain sweeping towards us, but we managed to stay dry all day, or at least til we got off the hill. Then we continued along the wall to the next Simm of Carn Fiaclach before heading over to the Corbett summit. The wind was strong and chill - we crouched behind the cairn for an early bite to eat.
Schiehallion



Carn Fiaclach

Summit Chuallaich

We followed a faint path towards Meall nan Eun, heading for the final Simm of Meall na Moine. I had the WH route for this hill, which starts from the east, on my GPS and I thought it might be better to follow it down to the B847 rather than have to re-ascend Beinn a'Chuallaich and head into the wind. This proved to be a fine enough route, a little boggy/overgrown with ferns in places, but brought us nicely to the road, past an old shepherd's hut. I hadn't looked at where the WH route brought you back to, kinda thinking it would loop to Kinloch Rannoch - but no - we had another 3 miles to walk back to the car. The roads were quiet and we could enjoy the winldflowers along the edges of the fields and assorted insect life. We added 5km onto my original route by taking the diversion. As we got to the car the rain started to fall, though not heavily. In no particular hurry we drove along towards Rannoch Station, at one point meeting a line of 4 stick lorries coming the other way. Glad I wasn't driving a maggot-van.



We parked at the start of tomorrow's walk and pitched the tent by the old road, across a wooden gate from the parking area. Fine as long as you have robust tent pegs

Pharlagain

Loch Rannoch

Meall na Meoig

Sgor Ghaibre

Summit Ghaibre - I thought our first Munro of the year- but actually the fourth

We descended from the Munro - on a path!!- and climbed the Top - 29 left now. Across to Carn Dearg then a longish trek down the spine of that hill and back onto the track. Only 1400m ascent to grab a Corbett, 2 Munros and a Munro Top

We re-pitched the tent where we'd been the night before - I was unhappy about leaving it pitched so close to what is a quite busy road. We had a couple of maggot-vans for company tonight, also the electricity pylon overhead was making a science-fiction-y buzzy noise - Allison claimed the next morning it had fried her brain during the night.

Sgor Choinnich

Carn Dearg

Stats are 3km short as I forgot to start it - at the start


For Sunday's easy walk we had the Corbett of Stob an Aoniach Mhoir - the only Corbett WH basically demands you take a mountain bike for, since it's a long, long trek - about 12km - on a tarmac road. Well we weren't going to do that. We got parked by the gate of the estate and fought our way through the undergrowth blocking the pedestrian entrance. The long and winding road began - the air busy with flutter-byes and moffs steering their flimsy bodies through the air. Again lost of wildflowers in the grass, insects buzzing and humming. Above us a lapwing scrotched and swooped. We entertained ourselves by thinking of songs with certain words in the title, then later, set about compiling a list of 1000 favourite singles you'd like to hear. Oh, the miles just zoomed by

Yesterday's hills - Pharlagain to Choinnich


Loch Ericht

Aonaich Mhoir from the first Simm

After we re-joined the track we were passed by a trio of mountain bikers, clearly having followed WH's mandate. Well they got down faster than us, but seemed to be having some difficulty attaching their bikes to the bike rack on their car when we drove away. Stopped off in Glasgow for a vegan chippie at Kent Fish & Chip shop too - the things you can do after walking 80km in a weekend

