Over The Hill

Well, I suppose it was my own fault, daring to suggest that it was "to hot" on Bidean nam Bian last week; obviously I have angered the mighty, and brought the wrath of the weather gods upon us, as today the summit weather was more akin to mid-November than a day in June, as we were shrouded in thick mist, drizzle and a very cool wind, as can be seen from the droochit looking crew in the photos opposite! A pity, as the focal point of this hill is the magnificent views it offers, Loch Rannoch to the north, east and west along the length of Glen Lyon and south towards The Lawers Range; the hill itself being less inspiring.

We set off from the Meggernie Estate car park and headed along the good track up through the forest on the western side of the Allt Ghallabhaich before dropping down to cross the river at the confluence with the Allt a'Choire Uidhre, a boulder hopping exercise, which was easy enough in the current low water levels, but would probable prove difficult or impossible in high water conditions. Across the river, the track continues steeply uphill and through the forest now lining the eastern bank of the river, a light open forest through which there are fine views of Meall a'Mhuic rising steeply above the Lairig Ghallabhaich. At this point we were following in the footsteps of those hardy drovers who drove their cattle to market in Killin, and those churchgoers who trod the "Kirk Road" from Loch Rannoch over the Lairig to go to church in Innerwick, a rough route over wild terrain and in all weathers; hardy folks those highlanders!

We left the "Kirk Road" just before it exited the forest, and zigzagged uphill to make our own exit of the forest and into the open heather hillside at the northeast corner of the forest, at which point the hillsides ahead, and anything above the 600m height, was shrouded in mist and low cloud, a situation that was to last throughout our time on the higher levels of this mountain. We struck off across the course heather towards the minor top of Meall Glas, at 713m well concealed in the mist, necessitating a few check on the compass before we reached the small cairn marking the high point. Here, we had the most fleeting glimpse of the waters of Loch Rannoch as the wind created a temporary hole in the mist, just enough to see a pool of blue before it was once again obscured by the mist.

The wind also brought with it the rain, a cool, and quite chilling rain, that had us donning the waterproofs before once again setting the compasses and heading off across the peat hags towards the broad and featureless summit plateau of Beinn Dearg, initially reaching a cairn, which in the mist could easily be mistaken for the summit, but simply marks the extremities of the summit plateau, the true "top" being a hundred metres or so further south. With no shelter whatsoever on this wide, flat summit, we huddled down around the cairn for a quick break, the weather not at all summer-like.

Departing the summit in thick mist, our intention was to descend westwards, skirting the the rim of Cul Lairig to the 703m bealach and thence south east along the spur towards the high point above Creag Ard. This we achieved, but not without an unintentional detour southwest for some 200 metres before regaining our intended track and locating the 703m bealach. Why the detour? Well it was due to an "unexplained" compass deviation which seemed to affect some compasses, not others, and certainly not those reliant on GPS fixes. Anyway, it was quickly spotted and rectified, and we were soon back on track for the south east spur.

Leaving the flat grassy surface of the southeast spur we were plunged into rough heather and eventually thick bracken as we descended south west and then south southwest towards the war memorial and small church situated at Innerwick, marking the final stages of this fine walk, marred somewhat by the rather foul weather we encountered on the higher levels of the mountain.

Thanks everyone for your company.