Cruachan revisited

[past my sell by date]

Taking in all Cruachan's seven Munro tops in a day is quite a major undertaking even for a fit young walker. I guess separating them into two days - the Dalmally** horseshoe on one, and the remainder on another would make sense, but when I did the normal Munro circuit anticlockwise around 20 years ago I was so knackered when I reached Cruachan that I couldn't even summon up the energy to climb the eighty odd metres to Meall Cuanail - never mind take in the second highest top Stob Dearg - often known as the Taynuilt peak.
** Why has Dalmally been mis-anglicised? The Gaelic transliteration is surely Dalvally
For the last 20 years I've always felt guilty about leaving out this major Scottish peak - only 20 m lower than the Munro. So when a fine Sunday was promised, I set off early determined to put this right. The roads were surprisingly quiet - maybe because it was a week after the bank holiday, and I was there in an hour, but the parking by the station was full and I had to stop a couple of hundred metres further East. There were clearly quite a few folk already on the hill. I went through the tunnel and followed the track which headed L for a while and then climbed steeply through oak woods - gorgeous at this time of year

Lovely oak woods

Above Another view: below Eventually the woods open out, the angle eases and there are stunning views of Loch Awe

Abiove: Violets in a crevice: Below looking towards the pass of Brander[

The dam soon appears

And I climbed over maybe the most rickety stile I have ever crossed. "Elf and Safety" would not approve. Once over it, It's a straightforward walk up and on to the dam via the metal stairs

The reservoir from the dam

I followed the track to the end of the reservoir and headed L up Coire Dearg towards the 825m Bealach an Lochain between Meall Cuanail and the main top: Below: A bit higher

A wider view - Meall Cuanail centre

Looking back Beinn a Bhuiridh

Further on - it's a long pull-up 430 m or so in all. Two Glasgow lasses were just behind me - they had two friends further back , but I stayed ahead of them. Another very fast man shot by at breakneck pace, but his small West Highland terrier struggled to keep up with him

Meall Cuanail again

At the bealach - looking East: in the gap L of Beinn a Bhuiridh are Ben Lui and the Crianlarich peaks

Above: looking W to the small hills on the South end of Mull Below: Further S - the Paps of Jura with Scarba on the R: - I could just see Colonsay beyond
I stopped at the bealach, while the first pair of girls pushed on up the eroded track which climbs steeply for the first 50m or so towards the summit. I followed them after a bit of a rest. There were still a further 300m to the summit

After 50m or so the angle eases a bit: looking up

A wider view from around the the same point: Meall Cuanail on the R, with the Arrochar Alps in the distance

Zoomed view of the same area. the prominent peak just L of centre is Ben Ime

First view of my target Stob Dearg

Another view up the boulder slopes to the summit

Looking E from the same point: the big dark lump in the distance (centre L) is Beinn Dorain

I eventually caught up with the girls on the final slopes, but we all found the boulders awkward and I think we should have been a bit further L. Their companions soon joined them and before they headed round the circuit they took a summit photo for me - a fairly rare event
Cruachan is a fabulous viewpoint - maybe the best in the Southern Highlands, but It's never as clear as in Winter

Summit views - mostly at maximum magnification

Above: There isn't much high ground to the South: beyond Loch Awe is Loch Fyne and Arran in the distance: Below Detail Arran

Above: The Arrochar Alps : Beinn Donich far R, then Beinn an Lochain : Ben Ime centre with the Cobbler's twin peaks to its R Below: Southern Mull

Ben Lui - L of centre with the Crianlarich peaks behind: In the R foreground the 739m Graham Meall nan Tighearn

Above: Another view a bit further L Below: Zoomed - At the back are Ben More, Stobinian (almost hidden) and Cruach Ardrain

Zoomed further

Above Across the Firth of Lorn to Mull - with Rum behind - and Ben More (Mull) on the R Below: Detail of Rum - Hallival R with Askival on its L

Looking on along the ridge

Above: The Etive and Glen Coe peaks - Ben Starav L Below: Up Loch Etive - Trilleachan L with the Ben at the back - towering over the landscape

The Taynuilt peak

Scarba - and Corryvrechan - if it had been clearer I could have told which way the tide was flowing

I started down the same descent path, but after only about 20m cut down R towards the bealach. There were a number of "scrambly" sections on which I'm not as fast as I used to be but the climb back to Stob Dearg posed no problems although there was only the vestige of a path - clearly few people visit this splendid peak

On the descent - looking back to the main peak

Stob Dearg summit photos

Above: Looking down the lower part of Loch Etive to the falls of Lora under the bridge at Connel Below: Upper Loch Etive, Trilleachan and the Ben: Snow cover was very patchy but there is some showing in the North - Maybe the Affric peaks

Looking back to the main peak

Ben Starav L - with the twin peaks of the Buchaille behind in centre and Creise to their R

Above: Looking over Beinn Eunaich L of centre to Achaladair, Beinn Dothaidh and Beinn Dorain: Ben Challuim far R Below: Detail of the Snowy peaks in the previous photo: looking down Glen Lyon I guess to Sheasgarnaich with Ben Lawers behind

Apart from climbing most of the way back up the main peak, the only way to Meall Cuanail seemed to be a diagonal traverse - but there was no sign of even a "trod". There was also an area of continuous slabs that I decided to traverse above

[Above: The main summit and the diagonal traverse down to the Bealach an Lochain Below: Detail of the slabs[/i]
There were no significant problems with the descent and I stopped and had a drink from a tiny stream a few hundred metres above the bealach. I expected to find water on the descent from Meall Cuanail so I didn't try to fill my bottle

Looking back up the descent

and on to the bealach
I managed the short ascent to Meall Cuanail quite easily and descended beside the fence - but I found no water at all and was pretty thirsty when I reached the dam.

Looking back from Meall Cuanail - the descent looks quite a bit longer from here
I didn't fancy the water in the stream below the dam, so when I reached the dreaded stile I was well knackered - There was no way I was going over it, so pushing my sack in front of me I crawled through the "dog" hole - . My legs had now ceased to do what the brain was telling them , so I took the steep section in the woods with extreme care - and when I got back to the car I was amazed to find I had been out for not far short of ten hours
Where had the time gone? I had been on the main peak in a reasonable time (for me) of under 4 hours and I'd spent quite a time on each of the three summits admiring the view. But the trip to Stob Dearg and back looks to have taken over 3 hours
I drove back to Tyndrum and had an excellent and very reasonably priced bar meal at the Tyndrum inn

[Jaxter]

Nice to see someone has some luck on Cruachan

Can highly recommend the steak pie at the tyndrum inn!

[dav2930]

Looked a cracking day out with splendid views. Cruachan is a very fine hill - I remember it well, though I haven't been up it since 1999. Maybe it's time I revisited it too!

[past my sell by date]

Nice to see someone has some luck on Cruachan

Can highly recommend the steak pie at the tyndrum inn!

I had the gammon egg and chips - good wholesome food at a reasonable price

[past my sell by date]

Looked a cracking day out with splendid views. Cruachan is a very fine hill - I remember it well, though I haven't been up it since 1999. Maybe it's time I revisited it too!

It is a great hill and the Taynuilt peak is a very worthy Munro top No. 74 in the height tables and - as I found out - not as easy to get to as it looks coincidentally it was 1999 that I did it