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My walking had been disrupted over the last wee while and it was three weeks since i walked the three at Loch Laggan,so with all other distractions out the way i decided to skip the bad weather on saturday and opted for the two Munro's at Loch Lochy on the sunday,come rain or shine...........luckily it was the latter
Setting off from the house at 5am i arrived at Kilfinnan (after a game of dodging the deer at Rannoch Moor on the way) with the sun starting to shine,so i quickly got my pack ready and set off with the feeling of Autumn all around me i was in my element,coupled with the fact i sensed that i would get the views from the summits.....something i have missed on my last three walks.
The track along the Loch is easy going and could be easily cycled but i chose to walk for a change and after half an hour i reached the cut off point and took the path up through the forest which didnt last long and it was great to have such nice scenery and views upon emerging from the forest section.The path up to the bealach was good,if not wet and made for quick progress and upon reaching the bealach the views to the west were stunning and i could now see the paths to both Munro's.
These hills can be done in any order but i chose Meall nan Teanga first as i had my eye on descending back to the van via the ridge over Sean Mheall and Meall nan Dearcag,mainly for the views it would present to me of Loch Lochy and a different view of the Munro's themselves.Off i went up the path which was boggy in places and before i knew it i had reached the summit of the first Munro,Meall nan Teanga.
After having no views for what felt like months on the hills the views from here were breathtaking in every direction so i sat and had some coffee and took it all in,watching the cloud come and go before deciding to head back to the bealach and start the ascent of Sron a'Choire Ghairbh.
From the descent of Meall nan Teanga the route up to Sron a'Choire Ghairbh looked really steep but the zig zag path takes most of the hard work out of it and you quickly reach the summit,where again i was in my glory with the views so another 20 minute stop to have lunch was in order and i also sat and decided which route i would take back to the van.Time wasnt an issue for me and the weather was holding out so chose the descent route over the ridge,i reckoned if i didnt i would regret it so with the wind starting to pick up i headed for the ridge which was a fantastic walk and the views down to the Loch didnt dissapoint.I hadnt researched the route along the ridge at all so i wasnt 100% sure exactly where the descents would be and ended up just picking my way down off the ridge as i went.Just before i started the final descent down from Meall nan Dearcag i had another break to take in the scenery and finish off the last of my coffee which was bliss,the views were great,the feeling of solitude that i enjoy so much was in full flow and i just sat there,absorbing my surroundings and enjoying the moment before leaving for the van.
The last part of the walkout was over a couple of fields that i thought would be nice and easy but with the recent rainfall and the slope they were on it was like trying to walk down sheet ice with the ground giving way at each step,which needless to say i ended up on my backside more than once
Arriving back at the van i was so happy i had altered my route to come off the ridge rather than walk back on the track and reflected on a great day out on the hills which has ignited my desire to be back out every week,especially with the snow just around the corner as i love winter walking
here is some pics from the day
- start of walk at Kilfinnan
- cut off for forest path
- the bealach has come into view
- views out west from bealach
- Meall nan Teanga
- summit of Meall nan Teanga
- on the ascent of Sron a'Choire Gharbh
- summit of Sron a'Choire Gharbh
- Loch a'Choire Ghlais
- the ridge leading to Sean Mheall
- summit of Sean Mheall with Meall nan Teanga and Sron a'Choire Gharbh in the background
- Loch Lochy
- Meall nan Dearcag
- on way to Meall nan Dearcag with Ben Tee on the right
- view from Meall nan Dearcag
- my descent route from the ridge
- Meall nan Teanga,Sron a'Choire Gharbh and the ridge