Jennifer’s quest for Munro heaven continues
and she duly gave up her Easter holiday, together with Matt, to tackle a few of
the Glen Lochay hills near Killin in the southern Highlands.
Despite continuing low temperatures and that
familiar biting easterly wind, the sun shone a good deal of the time and all the
summits remained clear. The snow line
averaged about 600m and crampons proved to be useful, if not vital, above 800m
where large ice sheets prevailed! These
grassy, largely corrie-free hills can appear rather dull to some, but they
certainly looked their best this time around in full winter raiment!
Sgiath Chùil
This multi-topped hill arranges itself into a
gently-sloped ridge running S from Glen Lochay over 3 almost identical height
bumps before ending abruptly above much steeper slopes that glower like a
ship’s prow over Glen Dochart. We
started from the new car park 1½ Km before the end of the public road in Glen Lochay, near
Kenknock farm. A hydro access leads left
over the river and up through a young plantation to a hydro pipeline pumping
house at 380m.
Once over the deer fence, we were on the open
hillside with plenty of pretty, if tiring, soft snow to trudge through before gaining
higher ground. What we did have to ease
progress, however, were stunning views along Glen Lochay together with some
welcome sunshine and blue sky! It didn’t
last though and the sun grew intermittent and the wind stronger as the day
progressed.
Despite an abundance of animal tracks in the
snow (hare, fox & deer), we saw nothing and no-one all day. The final climb up to the N end of the summit
ridge at Meall a’Churain proved easy in crampons and we soon traversed the
short kilometre over the 3 bumps to the half-buried summit cairn of Sgiath Chùil (921m; back wing (sheltering spot)).
A Frozen Webmeister on the Summit!
Despite the grand views all around, it was
not a place to linger when this cold and we headed down the way we had come,
Jennifer experimenting with different ways (and depths) of sinking into the
soft snow! It was a good first day.
Ben Challum
The long approach from Glen Lochay, coupled
with a lack of bikes, determined that we tackle Ben Challum from the S and the
most common route of ascent from Strath Fillan.
This starts from a convenient lay-by on the busy A82 opposite the
private access road to Kirkton Farm near the ruins of St Fillan’s Priory.
Today was sunnier and slightly warmer than
yesterday and a relatively crowded hillside reminded us it was a bank holiday
Saturday! The route from Kirkton is straightforward
with easy-angled grassy slopes climbing steadily over and around assorted
hummocks. The snow covered any semblance
of a path but you don’t really need one.
Just follow the wide ridge upwards and don’t feel compelled to follow
the remnants of every fence you come to – if you read the folds in the land you
can take a much more direct, but no less gentle, route.
Approaching the South Top
The ridge levels out for a short stretch
before climbing more steeply up to the south top of the mountain from where the
summit finally springs into view. Be
careful here in mist. A landslip has
displaced the summit ridge a few metres west from the south top so you need to
descend a short way to the W and locate the on-going ridge before proceeding on
to the summit.
Unsurprisingly, the summit was a busy place
today, but nothing spoilt the spectacular all-round view, the warm sunshine and
‘specialness’ of this particular summit at this particular hour on this
particular day. Sometimes it just feels
right! Ben Challum (1025m; Callum’s Hill).
It was pity to leave and we did so
reluctantly, past the S top, past the crampon-less walkers slithering on the
ice and past the numerous lumps and bumps we’d negotiated on the way up.
The Crianlarich Hills From Ben Challum
Great views up and down Strath Fillan to Ben
More, Stob Binnein and the Crianlarich hills in the E and graceful Ben Lui to
the W enhanced the easy descent and before we knew it, we were back at Kirkton
Farm and heading home for fishcakes by the fire!
Meall Glas
In contrast to the previous day’s uplifting
saunter up and down Ben Challum, this proved to be a sunless and tiring trudge
over rough and windy country! Most
hillwalking guides suggest Meall Glas can be combined with Sgiath Chùil, but I’ve
never considered it an attractive proposition and certainly not in winter. There’s just too much rough ground and a steep
climb too far for my liking! That said,
I accept my reluctance is more psychological than substantive - the heights and
distances involved being relatively modest.
The summit is more or less equidistant from Glen
Lochay to the N or Glen Dochart to the S and there’s little difference in
either route. We elected to start from
Auchessan Farm in Glen Dochart, as I have done in previous ascents, as the S
side of the hill might have offered more sun and less soft snow.
Creag Mhor From Meall Glas
In the event, we saw little of the sun today
and the mountain never seemed to get any closer as we wound our weary way up
grassy slopes, through tiring snowdrifts and along windswept open ground
towards the final summit slopes. Meall
Glas is fairly well protected on nearly every side by steep slopes, so beware
of the avalanche risk if you’re planning to climb it in winter! Today, the windslab was well-bonded and
stable but we still stuck to the well-anchored parts of the snow slopes. A strong and bitterly cold easterly wind was
sweeping over the ice-encrusted summit and it was one hostile place to be this
Easter Sunday! Meall Glas (959m; greenish-grey hill).
Matt Conquers Meall Glas!
Surprisingly, the descent went well and we
seemed to get back to the car in a fraction of the time it took to walk
in. We even managed to find a sheltered
spot beside the Allt Essan just above the farm where Jennifer and Matt enjoyed
their daily fix of lemon & ginger infusion beside the tumbling waters. Very nice!
Meall Ghaordaidh
Meall Ghaoraidh From Sgiath Chùil
Given their long drive home on this, our last
day, the guys were quite happy with my suggestion of a straightforward hill
with no long walk-in or complications.
Meall Ghaoraidh fitted the bill perfectly, rising as it does in uniform
slopes straight from the roadside a little way up Glen Lochay.
Ben Lawers From Meall Ghaoraidh
A new metal sign (the biggest hill sign
you’ll ever see) proudly points the way from the road just past Duncroisk and a
good track winds up through fields alongside the Allt Dhùin Croisg to
some ruined shielings. Leave the track
by a conspicuous metal post on the left and strike out across the open
slopes. There’s not much of a path, but
the grass and heather is short and the route obvious. There’s a slight levelling-out in gradient at
about 700m and this is where we once again encountered snow.
The Summit
We donned crampons at 800m in (correct)
anticipation of ice on the steep summit slopes and fought our way to the summit
trig point in a sudden blast of bitterly cold easterly wind! The trig point is encircled by a stone wall
and both were encrusted in deep shards of rime ice. The view down into upper Glen Lyon was
spectacular though and well worth enduring the arctic conditions for a minute
or two! Meall Ghaoraidh (1039m; hill of the shoulder).
We descended the way we came up – there isn’t
a lot of choice on this hill - and were back at the car in just over 3½ hrs. The snow and the conditions had made a dull
hill (if there is such a thing) interesting and it proved to be a fitting end
to a cracking Easter. Four days and 4
Munros, in generally stunning winter conditions. The fishcakes were quite good too…..
Check out my plans for the coming season at: http://www.hillways.co.uk/summer/summer.htm
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