Weekend in Crianlarich May 2003 - Ben Cruachan Photo Gallery and Ben Lawers Photo Gallery
Apart from the rain the drive to Scotland on the M74 is one of the more pleasant long distance journeys until you reach Glasgow's everlasting rush hour. Over the Erskine Bridge and having Loch Lomond for company, I was escorted by a vibrant rainbow that seemed to follow me along the loch. I reached the Youth Hostel at a very wet Crianlarich at 8:15 and met my walking companions at 8:45 for an inconclusive route planning session.
Saturday morning in Crianlarich and there was a covering of snow on the higher levels of Ben More, we decided to stick with the original plan in spite of the weather. We drove out towards the Power Station of Ben Cruachan and parked at the side of the road. The walk started on a constructed path under the low railway bridge and then through the woods above Loch Awe on the steep path to Cruachan Reservoir.
We kept to the right hand side of the reservoir and after reaching it set off up the steep green hillside towards Beinn a'Bhuiridh. It was a long, steep haul but at least the long grass provided a reasonable foothold even in the damp conditions. At the summit plateau we were greeted by the mist, continuing upwards we reached the two summit cairns without being able to say which was the highest.
From the summit we took a bearing and descended down a grassy, bouldery slope that didn't look as though it had seen very many walkers. My confidence in the navigation was justified when we reached the col that we were looking for. By now the rain and cold couldn't be ignored any longer so it was time put on waterproof pants. Damn those long zips when they trap the fabric and it is wet and windy and your hands are getting cold.
From the col we headed upwards towards Stob Diamh, as we got higher the ridge became more defined and more rocky. It began to feel like I imagined that walking in Scotland would be like, especially when we got to the snow, shame about the view. We stopped and had lunch on the subsidiary summit of Stob Garbh which at 980 metres high is a two metres higher that Scafell Pike. It is curious that we Munroists refer to these subsidiary summits as “tops” when they are really nowhere near the top. This top was exhilarating enough to be mistaken for the summit of Stob Diamh until a check with the GPS told us that we weren't quite there yet.
It was an easy walk along a bouldery ridge until we reached the summit of Stob Diamh an extra eighteen metres higher than the “top”. Had to trust the navigator again as we turned left at the summit, no visibility, no landmarks and no path on this rocky ridge. As we made our way slightly descending along the ridge the mist suddenly cleared and revealed the ruggedness of the surroundings and the beauty of the views. Looking down there was Cruachan reservoir with Loch Awe stretching away far into the distance. By the time we reached the start of the ascent to Drochaig Ghlas there were views of Loch Etive with sunlit snow capped mountains silhouetted against the dark clouds that would put more snow on the caps.
The climb up Drochaig Ghlas was a delight, clambering over a bouldery path as the weather stayed clear enough to enjoy the rugged beauty of the mountain. Following the ridge there was another top, unnamed on the map, at the head of Coire Caorach from where Ben Cruachan itself was in full view, I couldn't wait to get to the ridge to be climbed ahead.
The ridge itself was very pleasant, climbing over boulders seems so much less exhausting than walking up steep grass. Then we got to the slabs, slanting downwards, that couldn't easily be bypassed. We had been following footsteps in the snow up to this point but they vanished not giving any clue as to the way down. A couple of us inched down the slabs to see if there was a way down, all I could see was a four foot drop onto downward slanting rocks that I didn't like the look of. Then the hail hit us, stinging pea sized hailstones driven by a strong wind were not what was required at that stage. The hail was accompanied by mist so that the visibility was now poor and we could no longer see the way ahead.
After some prevarication, I was volunteered to lead the way down a gully by the side of the slabs. Steep grass, loose boulders and a fair covering of wet snow meant a slow descent to the base of the slabs followed by a precarious walk up steep snow covered grass and boulders back to the path. The slabs didn't look any easier from this side, still a four foot drop with no obvious holds for the climb downwards.
It was still hailstoning as we started the final climb to the summit of Ben Cruachan, steeper, more snow and with a couple of awkward movements required to get around some of the larger boulders. By the time we reached the summit the hail had turned to light snow and anxiety had turned to relief. The descent from the summit was relatively straightforward over stones but not too steep down to a small col.
From there a path lead easily downwards mainly over grass until we reached Cruachan reservoir again, walking around the edge until we reached the dam. A ladder down the face of the dam led to the continuation of the path, now extremely soggy, that led us back down to the road. As we got close to the road the weather decided to play its final card and the rain came down in torrents. After ten hours walking we piled into the car as soon as possible and headed back to the hostel for a well earned shower.
Sunday morning arrived and it wasn't raining, first rain free view of Crianlarich, not very much to see though. We drove east past the small town of Killin and turned up the single track road on the left to the Ben Lawers Mountain Visitor Centre to meet members of Linlithgow Ramblers.
From the car park an easy path leads towards Beinn Ghlas but instead of climbing the hill we turned left to travel the base of it until we reached the col between Beinn Ghlas and Meall Corranaich. The views so far were quite clear and from the col a sun dappled valley lead down to Glen Lyon.
A path, still grassy but well used leads towards Ben Lawers, traversing the lower side of the mountain at an easy gradient. The snow covered top of An Stuc peeps from behind the bulk of Ben Lawers before the mist and a hail shower take away the view. The path leads to a col between Ben Lawers and Beinn Ghlas, still misty but the crags of Lawers put on a rugged face. The path up to Ben Lawers summit is steeper, rocky and under snow. The higher we climbed the more snow there was until at the summit it was winter again, although just occasionally there was the hint that the mist might clear. In view of the conditions and the “mixed ability” of the members of the party it was decided not to follow the ridge to An Stuc.
We retraced out steps downwards and just when I thought it was going to to be misty all day the sun suddenly came out. Fantastic views again of the surroundings and the distant lochs and mountains. So, the weather was good enough now for the party to continue on to Beinn Ghlas.
The path upwards from the col to Beinn Ghlas is well used, easy and pleasant with good views all around, Meall nan Tarmachan looked especially inviting, until the weather played yet another trick. We could see the cloud coming towards us and when it hit is was snow driven by a strong wind, real snow that covered the front of my jacket. The blizzard kept us company all the way to the summit of Beinn Ghlas but shortly after starting the easy descent it all blew away and looking back towards the summit it was clear as well.
Finally a pleasant walk back to the car park and the end of an excellent weekend apart from the four hour drive home.
Andy Wallace 10th & 11th May 2003