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I drove Helen & Paul up to the Lawers Hotel and parked the car in the rain. Checked with staff and it was OK to park in lower car park. We told them we would be eating when we got back. Otherwise it is £5 for the pleasure.
The rain went off and the clouds parted. It got hot and steamy very quickly in the trees as we walked up the path. A few twists through the farm to get there but signs out to help along the way. Midgies not too bad in the trees. When we got out and onto the NTS open ground there were none as there was a good breeze. Not much of a path to the foot of the first hill. If I were doing just the two Mealls again, I'd walk along the river up to the bealach between them and do the furthest Garbh, first, then Greigh and come down the steep drop rather than slog up it. It is a big slog and it slowed everyone up who did it that way. Speaking to a few, they wished they hadn't climbed it either.
Path up Meall Greigh by
Joe Kincaid, on Flickr
Lawers Range from Meall Greigh by
Joe Kincaid, on Flickr
It was very windy and exposed, so we walked on and found a sheltered spot before the bottom of the bealach was reached. Only the bottom part is boggy, the rest is fine. The climb up Garbh is pretty wet too till the first corner of the fence is reached, then its good to the top.
Top ridge with Lawers, Meall Garbh by
Joe Kincaid, on Flickr
An Stuc and Lawers from top Meall Garbh by
Joe Kincaid, on Flickr
Had a look at the path down to bealach with An Stuc but decided it was better to get down and back to car before the weather closed in. So we just retraced our steps to the first bealach and cut straight down to the dam. Fairly good walking all the way down, just had a few wet bits to avoid.
Lawers + Meall Garbh above dam by
Joe Kincaid, on Flickr
Over the burn, we picked up the track and then the old road down and over the burn to rejoin the outward route. It started to rain seriously here and so it was a wet walk back to the car. We dried out in the hotel though as it was very cosy and had a good dinner before heading home.
