walkhighlands

Schiehallion, Compleation.

Route: Schiehallion

Munros: Schiehallion

Date walked: 22/10/2022

Time taken: 5 hours

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 730m

On Saturday 22nd October 2022, a group of friends and I climbed Schiehallion. A first for all of us, but for me it was also a last; my final Munro, number 282. Journey's end. And what a journey it's been.

I wrote a few months ago in the general forum about my struggles with depression following the covid lockdown. I was astonished by the response from members of this forum sharing their similar experiences. Knowing that I wasn't unusual in going through hard times has been a huge help, and a motivation to get out and try to return to the level of activity I was at prior to covid. It's going to be a long road, but at least I've taken the first steps.

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On the way up

Anyway, Schiehallion. What can I say about Schiehallion that has not been said before, better, by smarter people? Probably nothing, so I'm not going to try.

I chose Schiehallion to be my last Munro about the time I decided I was going to try and climb them all. On a wet day walking from Loch Ossian to Rannoch Station I happened to look to the east and saw an improbably steep looking mountain in the distance. Learning that it wasn't actually as spectacular as that one angle made it seem didn't diminish Schiehallion's appeal to me. It makes a good final Munro for four reasons;
1. It stands alone.
2. It is easy.
3. It is easily accessible from the central belt.
4. It is a nice walk.
At that time Schiehallion was about the only Munro fitting all four criteria which I hadn't climbed, so Schiehallion it would be.

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Walking into the clouds on the way up

Trying to find a day that my friends could actually join was much, much harder than the walk itself. It would have to be a school holiday as several of them are teachers. The October half term was the only real opportunity, and Phoebe was actually in the country for once, so we settled on the 22nd.

In the end there were eight of us; Me, my father, Alex, Iona, Phoebe, P. , Jack and Danny. I've known them all for a long time and walked with all of them extensively. You couldn't ask for a better group!

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Danny was there for my first Munro (which ended with an MRT callout) and Alex has climbed some 50-odd munros with me over the years

My parents booked us into the Schiehallion hotel in Aberfeldy, where we spent the night before in luxury. I'm not much for alcohol but the occasion demanded that I have a pint of Schiehallion lager at dinner. The following morning my father and I drove to the braes of foss, where we were soon joined by the group from England (Alex, Iona, Danny) and the group from the east (Phoebe, P., Jack).

At about 11 we set off. The cloud was low, but it was still, warm and fairly dry. Nobody was checking the maps, but you really don't need to! There was no doubt that we'd make it to the top. This was to be a victory lap, not an actual challenge. A formality so that I could have friends with me.

The downside to having friends with busy schedules is the need to arrange things far in advance, before you know the forecast. The met office had been pessimistic about our chances for a good day, and I am pleased to say they were proven wrong. We got views from the top, even if a lot of the surrounding hills were covered in cloud.

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Beinn a'Chuallaich, which I had climbed a few weeks before

It was even clear enough for Phoebe to whip out her paints and do a few landscapes!
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If you have instagram, check out her page - https://www.instagram.com/phoebepaintsrocks/?hl=en

Prosecco was duly brought out at the summit along with the homemade brownies and we settled down for a lunch, enjoying the unexpected views. We then headed back down.

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Schiehallion on the way down

We regrouped headed to pitlochry for a celebratory meal, where my friends showed once again how amazing they are with a celebratory necklace shaped like a relief of the Cuillin ridge. Phoebe also let me take home the watercolors she'd painted of the trip, which are now hanging on my wall at home.

So what's next?

There's something to be said about the structure of hill bagging in motivating oneself to actually get out, and in encouraging you to visit areas you otherwise wouldn't have known about. Had I not needed to travel around so much I would likely have spent a far greater amount of my time in Lochaber, Torridon and the northern Cairngorms. But they're also prescriptive and I find it difficult to go and climb something which won't "count" (as though that matters).

So as I draw up plans for the corbetts, I'm going to very clearly state that I'm not bagging them. I have no specific plans, definitely have not already picked out the one I'd like to finish on, and you absolutely won't see me out in the driving rain trudging to the top of some godforsaken lump that happens to be on a list written by someone in the early 20th century.

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Comments: 5



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Comments: 1
Views: 2114


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Date walked: 17/11/2018
Distance: 46km
Ascent: 2000m
Views: 1749


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Attachment(s) Munros: Blà Bheinn
Date walked: 07/06/2018
Distance: 10km
Ascent: 1000m
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Fractral


Location: Edinburgh
Occupation: Code Monkey
Interests: Walking, Trail Running, Climbing
Activity: Munro compleatist
Ideal day out: Long ridge walking

Munros: 282
Tops: 83
Corbetts: 68
Fionas: 45
Donalds: 28+8
Wainwrights: 121
Hewitts: 114
Sub 2000: 7
Islands: 5



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Statistics

2022

Trips: 1
Distance: 10 km
Ascent: 730m
Munros: 1

2020

Trips: 1
Munros: 6
Corbetts: 1
Fionas: 1

2018

Trips: 2
Distance: 56 km
Ascent: 3000m
Munros: 6


Joined: Nov 09, 2017
Last visited: Mar 18, 2024
Total posts: 73 | Search posts