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This was the second day of our Bank Holiday weekend adventure in Glen Lyon and we decided to go for Meall Ghaordie from the north. So it was a navigational exercise through the trackless wastes but fortunately with good visibility so we could see exactly where we were going.
We faffed around at camp for a while, having bacon eggs and sausages for breakfast and making a stew to put in the haybox for tea (well actually cardboard box stuffed with crushed up newspaper) so we didn't get away till about noon.
Having looked at the TR from Nathan79 we decided it looked a bit hairy going up the waterfall so we opted for the longer but less steep route up to the head of the corrie and onto the ridge to the east of Cam-Creagh. The weather was mostly cloudy and fairly cold but with occasional bursts of beautiful warm sunshine and a few short showers of rain.
There's an excellent parking spot and bridge over the River Lyon at the weir just east of the Stronuich Dam where a track leads up to another dam. This wee dam was stealing all the water from the Allt Loaghain.
- wee dam stealing the burn
- Rudolph having a drink from the Happy Cup
There was a bit of fence there which those with longer legs (like me) could step over quite easily and then we went straight up over rough ground without any trace of a path.
- looking up to Stronuich reservoir
- lump of moss
- Here's me and Shish. Quite by accident we have bought the same coat, the same rucksack and the same gaiters. Our children say we are the same person, but we deny it!!
Looking up to our right once into the corrie we could see the route Nathan had taken and there were still patches of snow up here and also in the steeper, East facing parts of the corrie, so we kept to the more sunlit, less steep slopes and it was lovely. We met large numbers of tiny frogs and saw some tadpoles in a wee puddle.
- most of the frogs were a lot tinier than this one. maybe this is the mummy frog
- this one looks mean and his colour is quite different.
- when you stand on the tussocks the water boatmen jump out
We stopped for our first lunch just before the final pull up onto the ridge. At that point the summit looked a bit bleak, but the sun came out just as we reached the top, where the views all round were smashing. There's a great shelter at the top of this hill, with the trig point in the middle, so we stopped for second lunch but not for very long, as it was windy and cold.
- First lunch
- The sun came out at lunch time. Glad we didnt go up through those cliffs
- bit of snow to be intrepid in
- Looking East to Tarmachan
- coming over the ridge you get a view of Loch Lyon and the Bridge of Orchy hills
- Rudolph and Coldwetandhungry on the summit
- Shish on the summit
- attempt at arty shot from the summit
On the way down we had fun sliding down a snow slope pretending we were skiing. not so easy for Shish as she did not have any poles!
- snow patch and a bit of weather coming over
- ooh this is fun
We came down more or less the same way we came up, although went a little further along the ridge for the least steepness.
- trying to be arty again
- Look out for ankle-breaking holes where water runs just underground - lots like this everywhere.
- nearly down, just this wee steep bit to go
- Happy Cups back at camp.
Back at camp, we pulled the stew out of the haybox and it was really yummy - beats dehydrated food any day.