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Hopefully I'm not jinxing myself here, but every time I have travelled west of Tyndrum for a day in the hills the weather has been nearly perfect. Sunday was another one of those days, bright skies and warm temps. So bright and warm that sunscreen and shorts were required. Started my walk at 9:45, making my way along the track past the farm and the lazy highland cows. Beinn a'Chochuill can be seen the entire way up the track so I could see what lay ahead - steepness. The track forked and headed around the lower slope of the hill where at one point I just turned left and headed up. Found the good path shortly thereafter and continued to climb. This was much steeper than I thought it would be and the pains of Saturday's walk were starting to set in. I took plenty of breaks up the hill for water and eventually reached the summit at noon. Great place for a Sunday picnic! The first thing that really catches your eye is the intimidating Ben Cruachan. Wow, some hill that is, I'll need my courage juice before tackling that beast. The views to Ben Starav and Glencoe were simply amazing, still a bit of snow on the highest peaks in that direction. Had lunch on Beinn a'Chochuill and proceeded down to the bealach before heading up Beinn Eunaich. Another steep climb and by this point I was stopping more often for a breather. Once at the top I had the peak to myself. Great view over to Ben Lui and the Crianlarich hills and then over to Beinn Dorain. Sat here a while taking in the sights and sunshine before heading down the south slope. There is a good path all the way to the edge where you break off straight down to the farm track. It is very steep, but you are quickly down with one steady foot in front of the other. Back to the car in 6 hours. There was a nasty accident on the road back to Tyndrum involving a motorcycle that hit a van. Hundreds of bikes were on the roads and way too many of them made some insane passes on the busy roads so it didn't surprise me to see one busted up. Hopefully everyone involved is ok.
I really enjoyed these two hills for various reasons. A. My boots stayed totally dry throughout the walk and gaitors were not required. B. There is a good path around the entire circuit. C. Great views in all directions. D. There were only a few people on these two and I pretty much had the summits to myself.
I would suggest this walk to anyone just beginning their hillwalking adventures. It would certainly set you up for some of the more strenous walks in the Glen Etive / Glencoe area.
