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Heading for Tyndrum on Wednesday night the weather was less than promising but the BBC had assured me tomorrow was to be a different story. We made good time on the road up and soon arrived at Strathfillan, our camp for the night and after the obligatory battle with the tent headed along to town for the best (and most expensive) fish supper in the world at the real food cafe.
After a stormy night we woke to the light of glorious sunshine and zero wind. We packed up the tent and drove the short distance to Kirkton farm to start the climb at a leisurely 10am.
The summit of Ben Challum is not visible from its lower slopes but there is a significant visual marker in the guise of a fence which we were to discover ran almost all the way to the south summit. From the farm we made our way between two graveyards, crossed the railway line and immediately struck NE through fern until we reached the fence and a very faint path.
As we climbed the path became progressively boggier, the monotony only broken by the occasional stile and the now staggering views to Ben Lui and the Crianlarich hills.
The climb turned out to be deceptively difficult and it was fairly hard going but eventually we reached the flat(ish) relief before the pull to the south summit. Making for the target of a fence post silhouetted against the sky we struggled on to the top only to be greeted by a fairly steep drop separating us and the true summit.
Fortunately for us it looked much worse than the reality and we were soon on the highest point, not a breath of wind and stunning views all around.
