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I’d got it into my head that Stob Coire Sgriodain and Chno Dearg were somehow less than exciting hills, with views weren’t that great and they should possibly be left as a winter walk, rather than one for the summer. For that reason I had been ignoring the two blue teardrops on my Munro map which kept trying to grab my attention for some time.
On Sunday though I succumbed to their advances and, following a long drive down South on Saturday to drop my two young boys back with their mum, embarked on the 260ish mile round trip to claim these two hills.
All in all it was a great little walk, much better than I had expected and even the ferocious midge attack as I got out of the car before the Skin so Soft could be applied and the glorious bog trot down off Chno Dearg couldn’t prevent me from really enjoying my day out. The stomach cramps I suffered for a large part of the day could have played havoc, but I managed to get myself down safely without incident
- Stob Coire Sgriodain from the parking area
Parking up I got chatting to a chap who was off to tackle the Easains, and the suggestion was I would be traipsing over pathless moorland for large parts of the day
Thankfully though there is a good path as you leave the track just passed the houses of Fersit. It’s not there at the outset, as I discovered, but moving toward the right hand of two streams coming down from near Sgriodain and I soon found the going easier as the path appeared. From then on it was good going up onto Sron na Garbh-bheinne, with views opening up toward Meagaidh and Ardvrekie
- Stob a Choire Mheadhoin near the point I left the land rover track
- Sron na Garbh-bheinne
Just passed a small waterfall I left the path and made my way toward Sron na Garbh-bheinne and the ridge of Sgriodain and a grassy rake which was to be my route up onto the ridge. Again the views were opening up to the east, although Chno Dearg looked everything like the lump I had seen it described
- Water
- View back to Fersit
- Sron na Garbh-bheinne - a bit cloder this time
- My route up on to Sron na Garbh-bheinne
- Toward Meagaidh and Ardvrekie
- Chno Dearg
- My route ahead
One up the rake the path reappeared, although it would be patchy in places from here on in. On a clear day like I had this wasn’t an issue, but I could imagine on the saddle between the two hills and Coire an Lochain route finding in mist could be a challenge
- Meagaidh group from near summit
Arriving just before the Sgriodain summit and the view of the summit and cliffs down to loch Trieg was quite impressive. I took the opportunity to just sit at the summit and enjoyed a good 20 minutes admiring the view over toward the Easains, Grey Corries, Mamores, Glencoe, etc.
- Almost at the Sgriodain summit
- Treig view
- Stob a Choire Mheadhoin from summit
- Meagaidh and Ardvrekie again
Eventually I had to get myself moving, on the easy walk over the Sgriodain south summit and then the undulating saddle before the easy walk up onto Chno Dearg. Here I took the opportunity to just sit again, taking in Meagaidh, Ardverikie and Alder
Another 20 minutes or so just taking the time to relax and enjoy the surroundings
- Sgriodain summit as I left to go to Chno Dearg
- View toward Glencoe region from saddle between the two hills
- Chno Dearg from saddle
- Looking back at the route travelled
- Beinn na Lap
- Chno Dearg summit cairn
- View from Chno Dearg #1
- View from Chno Dearg #2
Then it was a matter of the walk back to the car. Although the walk down off this hill was pathless and at times pretty boggy I still found it enjoyable. Sure, I should have worn my gaiters, as I my troosers were filthy by the time I’d finished
But hey, what’s a bit of dirt?
- Sron na Garbh-bheinne as I arrived back at the land rover track
- Stob a Choire Sgriodain at the end of the day
Regardless of the bog it was a fairly gentle walk down and I was soon back at the car and heading off home with two more in the bag