Making a meal of Meall Chuaich

[tombombadilio]

Greetings, fellow walkers.

This is my shameful attempt at 'one of the shorter and more straightforward ascents amongst the Munros'. Pah!

The crux: in my nonchalant approach to the start of this final of the Drumochter hills for me, I had failed to notice that I had my map folded for the ascent of Carn na Caim and A' Bhuidheanach Bheag (the two immediately to the south) .

our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

The start of the Carn na Caim route that I was looking at on my OS: http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/maps/map2_14cg.shtml

Cue two aborted attempts to make a SSW beeline for the wrong peak. Thereafter, coming to the irrational conclusion that Ordnance Survey had actually made a hash of mapping this area - damn them! Never buying OS again!, said I.

Shockingly though, it took me about 3.5km to stop, open out the map and commence some self-flagellation.

A prideful man would blame this on the Drumochter hills themselves, for being samey and easy to mistake one for the other, many beginning at near identical A9 laybys. But I am not that man. It was shoddy, pure and simple. A salutary lesson.

Luckily, only a Scottish Hydro engineer out checking some water (or whatever they do) and another solo walker (who may have been eyes down, making good time) were about to witness this embarrassing deviation from the obvious path.

Thank god no one else knows…

Anyway, I wasn't the only one to fail that day - MWIS and the Met Office royally screwed up their assessments that the day would be a downer. But look at this - bit of blue sky and hazy winter morning sun! The day was totally redeemed

Approach to Meall Chuaich summit

Summit (the walker who may have been a witness to my deviation, walking away in disgust, I imagine)

Meall Chuaich pano (2)

Some nice ice

(On a (slightly more) serious note, does this debacle support the argument for not using 1:25,000? It's harder, surely, to do this with a 1:50,000 as you can see more of the map at any one time. Or does it just support the argument for people to not be stupid )

[gaffr]

Have never quite trusted these dodgy mickey mouse WH maps but then I have had most of my problems getting to the tops on the approaches.
My MM maps show all of the estate tracks which let you astray.

[Jaxter]

Ahh so that's what the top looks like couldn't see a thing from the summit when I was there.

Everyone makes mistakes, but so long as we learn from them it's ok

[tombombadilio]

Have never quite trusted these dodgy mickey mouse WH maps but then I have had most of my problems getting to the tops on the approaches.
My MM maps show all of the estate tracks which let you astray.

Glad I'm not the only one gaffe!

And MM maps? A quick Ask Jeeves tells me that is 'Map of Memmingen, Bavaria, Germany'. What use is this??

[tombombadilio]

Ahh so that's what the top looks like couldn't see a thing from the summit when I was there.

Everyone makes mistakes, but so long as we learn from them it's ok

Thanks Jaxter. Yeah, the weather gods totally pulled this one out of the bag! (But then repeatedly punished me by forcing me to turn-back from almost scaling Ben Vorlich, Sgor Gaoith and Mullach Clach a'Bhlair in three successive days! Why, gods?!? Have I displeased you?!?)

Saw your route, brave of you two to have scaled that massive cairn

But the Alan Partridge in me wants to say that's actually quite dangerous