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Third time lucky to chalk off Stuc A Chroin.
Last year along with my son I bailed out of scrambling up from Ben Vorlich in slippy conditions, and in March this year when we thought the thaw had got rid of the snow we again tried it from Ardchullarie, Loch Lubnaig via Beinn Each.
Everything had looked rosy from the roadside and the tops we could see opposite appeared clear of snow, but as we got near the summit of Beinn Each enroute to SaC, the conditions underfoot started to deteriorate, slushy slippy one minute then hard packed and slippy the next, and as we didnt have any gear or experience of these conditions and they would only get worse the higher we got, we again bailed out and went for a wee jaunt up Glen Ample.
So Thursday 5th would be third time lucky, and this time on my own, so guess what............... it appears my son is a jinx.
I was looking for a solo walk and some time on my own, and that was exactly what I got. I intended following a route I got from another site which shall remain nameless, which would entail parking up at Ardchullarie, heading for Beinn Each then onto SaC, then track NE to Meall Odhar and drop down to Gleann a' Chroin and walk out through the glen towards Arivurichardich, then Braeleny and Callander.
The walk upto the corbett summit and onto the munro are well covered on this site, but I ll mention that the path at the start just beyond the big shed is obstructed and hidden by an uprooted tree, but is easily bypassed.
The weather forecast was pretty dismal, low cloud and thunderstorms.
I had left my camera in the car and I was using my iphone with the viewranger app, so didn't take any phots (when the visibility was good) as I was unsure how long the battery would last.
As it was the last hundred or so metres to the summit of Beinn Each were shrouded in thick cloud and I got a little wary at this stage, hopefully my nav skills would hold up.
I did spend a little time fretting if I was making the right choice, but decided to push on for Stuc A' Chroin. The cloud never lifted all the time I was on the summit which made for an interesting time .
This was when I decided against heading for Meall Odhar, given the visibilty, and decided to head back to Beinn Each and head down to the glen floor from there
As much as I was enjoying myself, the views were non existent, which put a bummer on the fact I had actually got to the summit of my "nemesis".
The drop down east to the glen floor was VERY interesting, loads of bum sliding and cagey, wary descending. About half way down I came out of the cloud into the most glorious weather and views of a glen I would have thought few people have walked in.
There is no path to speak of through the glen, just pretty, heavy going, all that tufty stuff designed to put you on yer erchie time and again, but the views and the weather more than made up for it. From just after the small reservoir the road is over landrover tracks and then tarmac road into Callender via Braeleny and past the Bracklinn Falls.
Update - Heads up, bridge shown at 64247 12994 doesnt exist anymore!!!,
A long day, with crap weather on the tops more than compensated for with the walk out.
My plan was to get the bus back to my car, but after a hard day at the office I splashed out on a taxi, but not before the one thing that had kept me going for the last few km's, a haddock supper from Mhor Fish, the lads in that plaice deserve medals.
Cracking day out, and hopefully more to come