More Munros : Tyndrum to Oban

Munros this section :

Ben Challum

Beinn Heasgarnich

Creag Mhor (Glen Lochay)

Beinn Mhanach

Beinn a' Chreachain

Beinn Achaladair

Beinn an Dothaidh

Beinn Dorain

Beinn Eunaich

Beinn a' Chochuill

Stob Diamh

Ben Cruachan

Saying hello to the Gruffalo.

Tyndrum is an odd sort of place, there are two giant hotels, a few roadside cafes, but not many houses.  There is a small patch of woodland with a carved Gruffalo, which is something.  Back to the West Highland Way - it has been nice to do a bit of this, I must come and do the whole thing some time.  Before long though I have to leave it, up the long path to Ben Challum, and I'm a bit worried by the rest of the day, the plan has some gravel track, and lots of random pathless wilderness.  Well, it turns out OK, a good route up Beinn Heasgarnich, looks like this would normally be very boggy, but with so much sun it's nice and dry.  It feels very out of the way here, there are no people, and my high and windy campsite feels pretty isolated.

One last sunny summit - Beinn Heasgarnich.

The tent survives a windy night, I pack it up and head straight up a Munro, the first of four today, mostly without trails between them in what feels far from civilisation, but my route is good, I even manage to take a shortcut in the afternoon, this is good on a long day.  It rains on me up on Beinn a' Chreachain but I cope, then the summit of Beinn Achaladair is so windy I can't set up the camera on its little tripod, selfie it is then.  Once again my camp spot is high and windy, but I think the tent can take it.

The next day I wake up to find the tent is inside a cloud, it is unsurprisingly wet and cold.  Ah well, can't have nice weather the whole trip... at least, my tendon is feeling better, good thing as it is straight up Beinn an Dothaidh, a crazy steep climb, in yet more gale force wind.  From there I climb down to a saddle and make a packless ascent of Beinn Dorain, then further down for a pub lunch, yay, haggis and neeps.  The rest of the day is supposed to be flat unpaved roads, so easy going, sadly a long section is actually a line of bog through trees, then there's some no-trail bog I hadn't noticed, not much fun in the rain.

A sight for sore eyes - the Taynuilt Inn.

Next morning I make an early start, 7am, it looks like a long day.  To begin, straight up Beinn Eunaich, on trail but brutally steep, up to a summit in a cloud of course.  The next two Munros aren't so bad, but the day's fourth, Ben Cruachan, is a monster, the high point of a long ridge of up and down bouldering, then of course I have a long, long descent.  It is enlivened somewhat as I pass a film crew setting up for a new Star Trek movie, there are futuristic gun emplacements, and also a replica of the arched Queen Victoria monument I passed back in 2019, interesting.  It's 8pm by the time I reach Taynuilt, thank goodness I have a bed at a guesthouse, and why yes, there is a nearby pub for beer and burger.

The last day of this leg involves an short, easy if windy walk to Oban, on a minor road through pleasant Glen Lonan.  Oban proves to be a very busy tourist town, lots of the pubs are full, but I do find beer, and indeed an excellent curry, just a shame about the long walk back to the campsite.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.