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Today marked the last of the Munros at Crianlarich getting the 'blue flag' on my Walkhighlands map, with a walk up Beinn Chabhair. Somewhere on the way up, i thought I should do my very first walk report. I really enjoy the reports our community write, its about time I had a go. So here it is - be gentle!
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Decided yesterday to definitely take today as leave. Weather looked really good on the forecasts, let's do it. Time was tight for this afternoon, so had a look over a couple of single hills close to home. Nearly went for Ben Challum, but decided to finish off the Crianlarich set and go for Beinn Chabhair.
Alarm off at 5.10am. I really should try a holiday with a long lie sometime! Out the house at 6am, my first ice-scrape of the windscreen this year. Joys of working at home, don't see to need to do this at the moment. Arrived at the Drovers Inn around 7, and set-off from the car at 7.10am.
Weather was mild, but cloud around 1000-1500ft. I hoped it would clear up. Few hundred feet up, got the first photo in.
After the first pull, the route reaches a plateau. The cloud was starting to clear, and the bog started to appear!
That said, its a very enjoyable walk, plenty to see along the way as you hop from one squelchy bit to another!
It really was a wonderful atmosphere with the lifting cloud and the low sun
After a lot more bog-hopping, Lochan Beinn Chabhair appears.
After the lochan, the ascent starts again. In my mind it was shorter than it actually was! At one point, the view north suddenly appeared. Beinn Dorain was clear - always think it looks like a huge traffic cone!
The views just kept coming.
After a couple of times thinking I was at the cairn (I actually love false summits) I was pretty sure I saw the peak.
It really was a fantastic morning. Wind was low, sun was out, sky was blue, I was at the top of a hill rather than behind a desk. Nothing like it.
I believe every hill has its day when nothing can beat it. Hard to argue that Beinn Chabhair was having a good one!
So #73 done. On the walk back, I wondered if this was a brocken spectre. I have only read about this. I tried to snap a pic as quickly as I could... it was disappearing as i took it. Thoughts welcome!
Had a quick walk down back to the car. Passed a dozen or so walkers on the way up. Arrived back at the car a few minutes before 12 o clock. Garmin says 4hrs 43 mins, with 3,537ft of climb.
And yes, it was wet on the plateau. But compared to Ben Lui or the Monadliath-3 walks I did this year, it was nowhere close to those!
If I was to do all these hills again, I would definitely tag Beinn Chabhair onto the walk of An Caisteal and Beinn a'Chroin. But it was a cracking day.
If you got this far, thanks for reading my first report!