Over The Hill

This was to be a linear walk, so our first task was to organise our cars in the correct places for our start and finish points. As we drove up the Pass of Brander we left two of the cars at the small parking area by the Falls of Cruachan railway station, and continued along the A85 for another 6k to reach our start point where the Allt Gruiniche flows into the River Awe.

Booted up, it was over the fence, and carefully across the railway line to begin the steep climb up the bracken and grassy slopes alongside the east bank of the Allt Gruiniche. The ground rises steeply from a starting level of 50m to a height of 500m in a very short distance, all designed to get the lungs and legs well oiled for the day ahead. Although still steep, the going eases slightly above 500m, and our first objective, the bealach between Meall nan Each and Stob Dearg came into view.

A slight dog-leg, north-east and then north-north-west took us around the tops of a couple of steep gullies that marked the route of minor streams flowing into the Allt Gruiniche, and then the bealach itself was ahead, its base scattered with huge boulders that marked the start of a large boulder section over which we would need to scramble en route to Stob Dearg.

The weather was living up to the forecast of clear blue skies and good visibility, and so the views opening up around us as we gained height from the bealach were quite extensive especially as we looked northwards to Loch Etive, the Lorn Hills and Ben Starav beyond. A good reason to pause on what was a hard haul over the boulders and up the steepening hillside. Once on the top, at 1104m a Munro-top, its proximity to Ben Cruachan denying it full Munro status, the rewards are well worth the effort. We took a lunch stop just below the top, and took in the wonderful views of our route ahead, along the ridge to the summit of Ben Cruachan.

Lunch over, we descended the rocky path to the bealach between Stob Dearg and Ben Cruachan before the final climb up the west slopes, where there is quite a tricky section that requires a minor scramble up some large slabs of rock until a small ledge that leads you around to the south side to join the path which ascends from the Bealach an Lochain for the final few metres to the summit cairn.

From our vantage point on the summit, the whole of the Dalmaly ridge was in view, and we could see a couple of very small dotted figures on the distant ridge, and were joined on the summit by a young lad just about to set off along the ridge. As he set off east, we started our southwards descent, down the rocky, eroded path towards the Bealach an Lochain. A short, steady climb from the bealach, alongside the remains of an old boundary fenceline soon brought us to the broad summit of Meall Cuanail, at 918m our third and final top for the day.

From Meall Cuanail, we headed south-south-east across the broad grassy ridge descending towards the reservoir and the impresive structure of the Cruachan Dam. The views over the reservoir and the horseshoe bowl created by the ridge, flanked on the west by Ben Cruachan and on the east by Stob Diamh were quite spectacular. From the dam, all that remained was to descend the steep path that leads from the dam to the underpass at Cruachan Falls railway station and our waiting cars.

This was a wonderful day, the weather was at its best, clear blue skies throughout, the route challenging and rewarding, and, as usual, great company - Thanks Alan.