Munros this section :
Meall nan Tarmachan
Meall Buidhe (Glen Lyon North)
Stuchd an Lochain
Meall Ghaordaidh
Sgiath Chuil
Meall Glas
Cruach Ardrain
Beinn Tulaichean
Beinn a' Chroin
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Meall nan Tarmachan summit. |
Another day off, but I need supplies so make the short walk to Killin, where bagpipes are playing and I get a tasty pub lunch of Cullen Skink (a potato and haddock chowder). Back to camp, and I do rather better at the restaurant, venison burger tonight. Next morning a lovely path through young forest, and then a well built trail takes me up Meall nan Tarmachan, busy with people, seems a lot of folks are walking the highlands rather than risking foreign travel in the age of Covid. I descend onto the minor road above Glen Lyon again, well it is very nice, this time I walk down it, then follow the Glen itself a little way, then a minor road up to an impressive dam, I planned to camp around here but it's not 5pm yet... OK then, I climb 1km more, pitch the tent, then walk packless up and down Meall Buidhe, why not.
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Hydro dam in Glen Lyon. |
Next day it's back down past that dam, and straight up Stuchd an Lochain, I get overtaken by a pair of game old girls, they're finishing the Munros today, fair play. The weather is still amazing, it's so hot, my chocolate melts in my pack and the bogs are actually drying out. I pass many more dams large and small, lots of hydro power up here. Onwards, a quiet road, then some off piste to summit Meall Ghaordhie, and a very long climb down on trail. I walk a flat, easy road, I planned to camp by it but 'no camping' signs abound, so a long way to find another boggy forest.
Another day, straight up Sgiath Chuil, it's cloudy today, still warm though and no rain. On to Meall Glas, this one must be out of the way, there are no trails, and no people. Down again, back to the Tay, I walk a busy main road for a bit, it's a relief to find a path. I am some seven km ahead of my plan, one benefit of this being a pub at dinner time, yay bonus beer plus haggis before heading uphill to camp.
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Hebridean sheep! |
OK I am ahead of plan, and this was going to be a short day anyway, so I now have only eleven km back to Beinnglas Farm. Hmm, didn't I miss some Munros around here though? Yeah... I detour off to take out three of them. This of course means a twelve hour slog, starting with a long, long climb up Cruach Ardrain, followed by an easy climb without pack up Beinn Tulaichean, then a sketchy descent towards Beinn a' Chroin, I have to drop my bag at one point, and watch it bounce ten metres down before carefully following. At the bottom of the hill I return to the West Highland Way, walking south this time. It's nice, but I have to force march as time is getting on, when I finally get to the farm I think I've earned my beer and meatball pasta.
Photos to go with this post can be found here.