Creag Mhor & Beinn Heasgarnich & lots & lots of bogs!!!

After the group high of Saturday, it was back to a solo trudge today. I had previously driven down to Glen Lochay to bag these two Munro's last year...unfortunately on that occasion I never even made it out of the car park!! The rain started just as I arrived that time and whilst I was pulling on waterproofs I realised that the windscreen wipers were failing to keep up with the deluge!! Suffice to say I erred on the staying dry option and left it for another time...that time was now.

I had initially toyed with the idea of heading north, even posted it on CMB site on Facebook, but it meant a very wet river crossing for a pretty short Munro trip. That would have been fine if I had plans to rush back for tonight, but they had already been changed, leaving me with a longer window of opportunity. So I changed plans..north could wait...these two were getting done instead!!

The road from bridge of lochay hotel to the start point of this walk is a complete nightmare!!! Thankfully, now that I have finished the three from here, I will never have to drive it again!!

I arrived at the car park at the end of the road, just before Kenknock, at ten o'clock...and was immediately set upon by a swarm of angry midgies!! Thankfully I had Frank's cheap and nasty midgie killing repellent to hand and soon saw them off the premises. I followed the road around the trees and out into open land, following it past Kenknock and out to the Hydro road further on. From here the road splits and a variety of routes are available, for a number of Munro access paths. I turned right and started to follow the higher track, through the gates, then zig zag around till I found an obvious path heading left into the hills.

This path then wound it's way around the lower slopes of Creagan Fhearchair for almost 5k, crossing bridges over the Allt Badour and Allt Batavaim. The most pleasing aspect of this long boring slog in was the splendid view I was getting of Ben Challum from this side. I had climbed it earlier this year (see; A faulty gear box is not enough to stop me) when there was still plenty of snow to navigate through, I could make out the slope that I slid down practising ice axe arrests.
From the bridge over the Allt Batavaim I left the track, as it started to wind it's way down the hillside towards the Glen floor, and began a climb up grassy slopes towards Sron nan Eun.

There was no discernible path to follow through the grass, nor to negotiate the craggy jumble ahead of me. Thankfully the weather was clear so I could easily pick my way up through the crags, up a tight little gully (the grip on the soles of the Salomons is tremendous in wet rocks thankfully) then continued climbing the grassy slopes higher up on Sron nan Eun before finding the path at the top.

Once on this path it is easy to follow the route onto Creag Mhor, which looks quite rocky and steep from here, following the ridge for most of the way, crossing two other rises and dips in the contours, before climbing steeply up a zig zag path all the way to the summit cairn at 1048m. I caught and passed the only two other people I saw out here today, just before reaching the summit top. They didn't really speak and seemed keen to get down almost as soon as they had arrived. I did manage to persuade them to take my pic at the top, and they even asked about Jelly McBaby when they saw him.

As I sat on the cairn, eating my sandwich and Kendal mint cake (yum yum) the mist started to swirl in around me. I thought for a minute that I would be walking the rest of the day in gloom...but as quickly as it arrived it disappeared again. It had taken me three hrs to reach this point and I had factored in seven in total for the day.

Looking across at Beinn Heasgarnich, across the peat bogs in the bealach below, with it's steep re-ascent of over 400m at the other side, then almost 2k walk along the ridge to it's summit, I reckoned on another 90 minutes to reach there...leaving me another 90 minutes to descend and get back to the car.
From the summit cairn I set off west to avoid the crags all around me and pick an easier route down to the bealach, almost 400m below me. The views back up to the summit from here are craggy and impressive, as is the thought of the climb ahead of me. If my legs weren't feeling the pace by now then they soon would be!! Thankfully I don't think there has been a lot of rain here recently, judging by the dryness of the surface tufts anyway, though beneath them there was the potential for wet pools just waiting for a wrong step to take you to your knees. I managed to negotiate the down climb without any mishaps and bottomed out at the bealach and into the peat bogs that scarred the surroundings. Again, through navigational naivety and luck probably, I negotiated this obstacle without getting so much as my soles dirty.

The next obstacle was surmountable, but not without much sweat and swearing and aching limbs!!! I read a recent account of this climb and it used the word easy to describe the fact that there was (eventually) a path on the higher slopes...well Cameron McNeish (not for the first time in my Munro travels) you can f*ck right off!!! I'm a pretty fit (if slightly overweight) guy and I can tell you now my thighs and calves were screaming at me to stop all the way up that slope (in hindsight perhaps three days on the treadmill prior to this wasn't that great an idea!!). Eventually, with much huffing and puffing, I pulled onto the top of Sron Tairbh...only to see that I still had to go higher to reach Stob an Fhir Bhogha beyond!! I don't know if it was the climb, or the sun, or just a general tiredness affecting me today, but I seemed to be slowing down just when I would normally be speeding up with a summit in sight...or perhaps I was actually missing the company of the CMB boys??

With the weather being so clear there were extensive views all around, including Loch Lyon below, picking out hills I had done and realising that there were now none in the area that I haven't already done. This leaves a sadness of it's own...I like coming to this area and have enjoyed (mainly) the mountains and the overnight stops at the local hotels.

I followed the broad grassy ridge to it's conclusion on the summit plateau and cairn at 1078m where Jelly McBaby rested his own weary legs, ready for a pic. With both summits now bagged, and in the time frame I had imagined, there left the small matter of getting back down to the hydro road below. This in itself would be no easy task (arduous is the word I would use...or contrition is another good one) as the ground between here and there is riddled with peat bogs and patches of flooded grass...perhaps I would be slightly over the six hour window!!

I managed to get down to the boggy ground below without any slip or splash on my part...then set about negotiating the various hazards that lay before me. The road was getting increasingly closer, almost tantalisingly close enough to reach out and touch it seemed, but care still had to be taken in crossing the bogs...full on concentration was required at all times if I wanted to avoid...SPLASH!! I couldn't believe it...100m from the safety of the tarmac road and my one and only accident of the day. I was taking care, honest, and truly thought I could make the gap between bogs when suddenly the solid looking grass that I leaped onto turned instead into a watery quagmire...right up to my knee!! 4k from the car and now I had to walk the remainder of it with a soaking leg...goddammit!!

The 4k along the tarmac road felt as long as any part of the day, I had to keep resisting the urge to jog down it for fear that in my tired state I would stumble and fall flat on my face...not good.
Eventually I made it back to the car, after what felt like forever, in a respectable 6hrs 30mins. My pace may have quickened slightly when I heard the sound of gunfire close by...until I realised they were shooting at deer, not me!! All I had now was to drive a final time along the worst access road I have ever had the misfortune to be on...then Killin and the journey home. I now have a relaxing weekend planned and no Munro's until next Wednesday in Kintail with Louise and possibly Baino...how does one relax again??? lol  

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