by munrowalker » Sun Jul 05, 2009 11:05 pm
Date walked: 05/07/2009
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Today was my first walk with my work's own Hillwalking Club and I'd held back from taking part in their walks till now as I thought it a good idea to try and get my fitness up a bit just in case they were really fit and left me behind. Well I'd done twenty Munro's so far and was managing to hit the times in the various Munro guidebooks I've got so thought I'd manage to keep up.....or so I thought....
Route was planned in to vary from the usual routes to cover Bein a' Chroin, An Caisteal & Bein Chabhair, no starting and ending at Derrydarroch for us.....that would have been too easy....instead we started in the car park at River Falloch where you'd normally head for Cruach Ardrain and Bein Tullaichean. This is quite an easy path to follow along the River Falloch with not that much of a gradient for the first couple of km, pace was good and weather conditions ideal if a bit on the humid side.
Path peters out near the bottom of the proper ascent of Beinn A' Chroin, but its pretty much a simple case of follow the river till it splits and take the right hand fork and the climb up the east side of the ridge which although steepish isn't that bad. Having said that club I was with were super fit and they practically ran up it, while I wheezed my way up.
Still, got to the top, it aint the speed that matters its the actually doing it in my book. Not sure what top was the actual summit of Beinn a' Chroin so we made sure we climbed the east and west ones just to be safe.
Then its a drop down to the beallach and then a 40 minute push to the top of An Caisteal, we knew we were going to have to return so one of the group had a great idea to drop rucksacks, me being the least fit of the group thought this was a god send and made the push up here much easier.
Now at this point most people would be heading back to Derrydarroch and keep Beinn Chabhair for another day....naww thats too easy.
Instead we dropped back to where we had stowed our rucksacks and then dropped down to the bottom for our ascent on the flank of Beinn Chabhair.
Now for me this was hard, absolutely no path at all and steepest climb I've done. Boy was I knackered, but again took it at my own pace, stopped got heartrate down and kept on plodding, while the group were miles ahead waiting for me at the summit.
But managed to make it, had had thoughts of splitting up from them and not attempting this one, but glad I did as was a good way to build up my strength for more hills again. They were real good in waiting for me each time I had to stop, which was really appreciated!
Now again the route back here would be expected to go back to Derrydarroch, but that was too straightforward (I was beginning to think whoever planned this route had done the usual route before and was wanting a bit of variety) so plan was to head west for Inveranan.
Quite straightforward route this, ground was quite wet and boggy but nothing a good pair of gaiters couldnae handle. You then start to get sight of pylons that bisect near the road that you are heading for and at this point path starts to drop down a lot more and into a wooded area before Inveranan, doesn't look that bad, but when you hit bottom and look back at the climb up through the wood, looks a lot lot harder!
Quick walk past campsite onto road and to Drovers Inn (I've maybe got name wrong) where we'd stashed a couple of cars earlier and walk was over. A cool 8 hard slog hours, but fantastic for all its toughness (well it was tough for me at least).
