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Weak Cold Front clearing Highlands overnight leaving a bright sunny day with little significant cloud and a 10 mph northerly wind - excellent!! Time for another walk so daughter (Siobhan Flute to you) and I set off nice and early. We had a comfort break at Tyndrum's famous Green Welly and started our walk at 8.51AM. We researched the walk on Walkhighlands of course and the description together with the Walk Reports builds up a very good picture of the actual route. Being a careful kind of bloke (almost to the extent of being boring) I checked my GPS thing at the start of the walk. The Eastings were perfect but the North/South coordinates placed us 500m north of our actual position - in poor weather that could be a bit dangerous. I then checked it at the two summits and got exactly the same result - anyone else have this problem? I believe it could be down to atmospherics. Anyway, once we had tucked the car just off the road we set out on the nice easy track -
- pretty obvious track
- The walking is easy and soon it's time to take to the hill as described by Walkhighlands
- Just about time to get off of this track and find a path
The walking is now very good on dry grass and the views really open up as promised
- towards the head of Loch Awe
- easy going
- Cruachan Range
- This GPS still puts us 500m north of our actual position dad
Soon it was up th the beallach . Daughter arrived first and gave whoops of joy at the panorama which suddenly appeared. I quickly followed and did the same - try it at that point, there is a great echo!!
- Dad look at that view!!!
- Thank you Lord for giving us all this!
So then, after admiring and being entranced by the panorama for some time it was off to the summit
- That's not the top yet, there's another couple of bumps to go
Finally we're there - absolutely amazing! The views defy any verbal description!
- Give me five - what a place - brilliant!
- Cruachan from the cairn - a target for this summer
We spent a good half hour at the top eating - sugar butties for me, corned beef for her, and drinking irn bru - what a treat! But then we had to think about our next target - Beinn Eunaich - and the route is pretty obvious.
- Beinn Eunaich from top of Beinn a'Chochuill
As you get closer the route is even clearer and looking back you can see exactly where you've been.
- Just been up there - aint I clever!
Looking ahead the climb looks quite steep but it's not really and towards the top quite rocky which it is but not as awkward as Schiehallion where the rocks are much bigger.
- Rocky at the top
- Yeah, it's rocky but quite easy
The cairn suddenly appears and there you are, the second top of the day - brilliant!
- Secod top and just look at that sky - cirrus at about 25000ft you know.
The views from this top are equally splendid and we spent a long time admiring hem. Then it was off down on an easy descent along the grassy ridge. If you keep your eyes peeled you may see some interesting things like a Ptarmigan with it's family of chicks. They are too young to fly of course and mother was keeping a very close eye on them but I was able to get close enough for a couple of pics.
It was down to the peat haggs next and onto the final short steep, but not too steep, descent to the track. That final mile or so reminded me that I had feet because they heated up something terrible by the time we got to the car - what a treat taking the boots off. Luckily we had also left a reserve of water at the car because, although we had consumed five litres between us on the walk we were still thirsty and drank the reserve with delight - apart from the pint or two we poured over hot feet. What a brilliant walk, one of my best so far. Can't wait to get out again. Cheers Y'all.