Munros One Hundred and Ninety Five to Ninety Seven
Route: Beinn a'Chlachair, Geal Charn and Creag Pitridh
Munros: Beinn a' Chlachair, Creag Pitridh, Geal Charn
Date walked: 16/08/2020
Sunday, 16th. August, 2020:
This was the last day of a trip from Loch Awe to Dalwhinnie and, with clear blue skies and massive early morning temperature inversions under high pressure during the previous two days, I was hoping for more of the same today. Camped on a beautiful green meadow on the banks of the Allt Cam just west of its junction with the Allt Loch a'Bhealaich Leamhain, I woke to the expected clag and the usual clouds of voracious midges in the half light... but stirred myself anyway and midge-proofed myself with a head net, long sleeves, a pair of Ron Hills and long socks. Rather than carry water and other encumbrances, I forced myself to drink a litre and a half out of the river, put some marzipan and cheese in my cagoule pockets and headed up into the already thinning mists.
I didn't hurry as I wanted to see the views but kept pace with the slowly rising cloud base as Loch Pattack glinted intermittently behind me. Eventually, however, hints of blue and the south eastern ramparts of Beinn a'Chlachair showed up ahead and a brief burst of effort brought the spot height (of either 972m or 977m, depending on the scale of your map) underfoot. From there it was a magical stroll across boulder fields in bright sunshine to the prominent summit with fantastic views in every direction, especially to the snowy eastern corries of Aonach Mor and the unmistakable profile of Ben Nevis away to the west, floating above a bed of low valley mist.
As is often the case, I didn't have a camera but, quite honestly, I now find that this means I remember the days better; I think that, with a camera constantly in our hands, many of us just end up remembering the photos rather than the experience of being out there on the hill. I retraced my steps back north east away from the summit but then headed a little further north to descend steeply to the Bhealaich Leamhain before heading up Creag Pitridh and then Geal Charn as the mists below melted away in the strengthening sunshine. Four guys by the fractured cairn on Geal Charn told me that it was just after midday (the first time check I'd had since getting off the train on Friday) so I headed over the subsidiary top to the east and down to my tent where, after a short sit with my feet in the river and a bout of packing, I pointed my feet towards Dalwhinnie. I got there with just one ten minute stop for some cheese and a drink of water - so certainly getting fitter - but, having walked off my map and being relatively unfamiliar with Dalwhinnie, it was a little annoying to add half a mile to the route by choosing to cross the railway line in the wrong place.
Still, it had been a wonderful day and a great end to a great trip.
This was the last day of a trip from Loch Awe to Dalwhinnie and, with clear blue skies and massive early morning temperature inversions under high pressure during the previous two days, I was hoping for more of the same today. Camped on a beautiful green meadow on the banks of the Allt Cam just west of its junction with the Allt Loch a'Bhealaich Leamhain, I woke to the expected clag and the usual clouds of voracious midges in the half light... but stirred myself anyway and midge-proofed myself with a head net, long sleeves, a pair of Ron Hills and long socks. Rather than carry water and other encumbrances, I forced myself to drink a litre and a half out of the river, put some marzipan and cheese in my cagoule pockets and headed up into the already thinning mists.
I didn't hurry as I wanted to see the views but kept pace with the slowly rising cloud base as Loch Pattack glinted intermittently behind me. Eventually, however, hints of blue and the south eastern ramparts of Beinn a'Chlachair showed up ahead and a brief burst of effort brought the spot height (of either 972m or 977m, depending on the scale of your map) underfoot. From there it was a magical stroll across boulder fields in bright sunshine to the prominent summit with fantastic views in every direction, especially to the snowy eastern corries of Aonach Mor and the unmistakable profile of Ben Nevis away to the west, floating above a bed of low valley mist.
As is often the case, I didn't have a camera but, quite honestly, I now find that this means I remember the days better; I think that, with a camera constantly in our hands, many of us just end up remembering the photos rather than the experience of being out there on the hill. I retraced my steps back north east away from the summit but then headed a little further north to descend steeply to the Bhealaich Leamhain before heading up Creag Pitridh and then Geal Charn as the mists below melted away in the strengthening sunshine. Four guys by the fractured cairn on Geal Charn told me that it was just after midday (the first time check I'd had since getting off the train on Friday) so I headed over the subsidiary top to the east and down to my tent where, after a short sit with my feet in the river and a bout of packing, I pointed my feet towards Dalwhinnie. I got there with just one ten minute stop for some cheese and a drink of water - so certainly getting fitter - but, having walked off my map and being relatively unfamiliar with Dalwhinnie, it was a little annoying to add half a mile to the route by choosing to cross the railway line in the wrong place.
Still, it had been a wonderful day and a great end to a great trip.
Click to mark this as a great report. Register or Login free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Comments: 1
Munros One Hundred and Ninety Two to Ninety Four

Date walked: 15/08/2020
Views: 216
Munros One Hundred and Eighty Nine to Ninety One

Date walked: 14/08/2020
Views: 197
Munro One Hundred and Eighty Eight

Date walked: 11/08/2020
Views: 217
Munros One Hundred and Eighty Six to Eighty Seven

Date walked: 10/08/2020
Views: 366
Munros One Hundred and Eighty Four to Eighty Five

Date walked: 29/05/2019
Views: 664
Munros One Hundred and Seventy Nine to Eighty Three

Date walked: 27/05/2019
Views: 836
Munros One Hundred and Seventy Six and Seventy Seven

Date walked: 26/05/2019
Views: 682
Munro One Hundred and Seventy Six

Date walked: 12/08/2018
Views: 670
Munros One Hundred and Seventy Two to Seventy Five

Date walked: 10/08/2018
Views: 859
-
Chris Henshall
- Activity: Stravaiging
- Pub: The Clachaig
- Mountain: Glaramara
- Place: Shenavall
- Gear: My Tent
- Member: None
- Ideal day out: Multi-pitch rock climb at about HVS followed by a scramble to a rocky summit on a sunny day.
- Munros: 199
- Wainwrights: 204
- Hewitts: 155
- Filter reports
- Trips: 5
- Munros: 14
- Trips: 3
- Munros: 9
- Trips: 6
- Munros: 19
- Trips: 5
- Munros: 12
- Trips: 5
- Munros: 7
- Trips: 3
- Munros: 7
- Trips: 10
- Munros: 30
- Corbetts: 1
- Trips: 2
- Trips: 3
- Munros: 6
- Trips: 5
- Munros: 15
- Corbetts: 2
- Trips: 3
- Munros: 6
- Trips: 4
- Munros: 9
- Trips: 1
- Munros: 2
- Trips: 2
- Munros: 4
- Trips: 5
- Munros: 7
- Trips: 8
- Munros: 24
- Trips: 7
- Munros: 16
- Trips: 8
- Munros: 15
- Trips: 4
- Munros: 8
- Joined: May 30, 2014
- Last visited: Mar 02, 2021
- Total posts: 105 | Search posts