KYQ4: Meall Corranaich

Meall Corranaich (right) from Meall a' Choire Leith

Friday, 2 October 2020

Ascent: 790 metres

Distance: 10 kilometres

Time: 3 hours 34 minutes

Meall Corranaich 1069m 1hr 20mins

Meall a' Choire Leith 926m 2hrs 29mins

The forecast suggested a rare fine autumn day but there was a morning fog as I drove up to Killin, although by the top of Glen Ogle, the fog had dispersed and the Tarmachan and Ben Lawers were tantalising against the cloudless azure skies. I headed along the Loch Tay road and then over the Ben Lawers road towards Glen Lyon. It had seemed far too good a day to waste so I had decided to climb the two Munros north of Ben Lawers, there would be less climbing starting at 550 metres and my knee had flared up again during gardening duties in recent days.

Although it was still quite early, all the parking spots beyond Lochan na Lairige had been taken so I had to head down towards Glen Lyon before finding a suitable spot that was not a passing place on the single track road. Timber lorries and vehicles servicing the hydroelectric infrastructure use this narrow road so the passing places are vital. I have noticed that there are a lot more people out and about on weekdays with better weather than was the case before the pandemic changed the pattern of work. Perhaps it is those working from home taking advantage of the more flexible working conditions to enjoy the outdoors.

I had intended to climb the lower Munro, Meall a' Choire Leith, first but the path from the cairn at the top of the pass curved to the south and before I realised I was heading for Meall Corrannaich. I decided to stick with it rather than trampling over the boggy heather covered ground towards the old shielings below Meall a' Choire Leith. It was probably a good decision although the path had to double back and crossed several bogs before reaching the foot of the north-west ridge leading to the outlying tops of Meall Corranaich. The views over the Tarmachan with Ben More and Stob Binnein were superb.

Apart from the wet underfoot conditions, the day could not have been better, a gentle cool breeze and perfect visibility with the whole of the West Highlands coming into view as I gained height. There is a steep final pull to the summit and despite the cars parked below, there was no one else on the hill. The views across to Ben Lawers and An Stuc were excellent as were the views across Loch Tay to the fine range of Corbetts and Grahams that litter the watershed of Glen Almond. I spent some time enjoying this splendid viewpoint before beginning the 3-kilometre trek across to the adjoining Munro.

The walking is easy along a grassy ridge with a gradual descent of 300 metres before beginning a slightly steeper climb to the much lower Meall a' Choire Leith. I had almost caught up with a group of six younger walkers and their dog by the time that they reached the summit. They walked past the flat summit with a paltry pile of stones and made a descent to the south-west, I found a rock facing towards the west highlands where I stopped for 15 minutes to eat some lunch, take photos and admire the spectacular skyline. The dam at the foot of Lochan na Daimh was the focal point for the array of familiar hills that extend towards Ben Nevis. Another lone walker had parked himself on another rock a couple of hundred metres away, social distancing is magnified by a hundred in the hills and has become an art form.

I headed off to the south-west, there were no paths shown on the map and I could not recall any when I previously climbed this hill from the Cairn by Lochan na Lairig. I expected a steepish descent down the heather but to my surprise, a well-used dirt path wound its way down to the 600-metre contour where the path crossed the burn. The group of six walkers were having a break on a large erratic boulder. Their Staffordshire Bull Terrier seemed upset by my approach and raced up the hill to bark ferociously at me, I was pleased that I had brought a walking pole and was ready to use it as a defence when one of the walkers came charging up to put the frenzied dog on its lead. He said it was just trying to protect them. I did not realise that I looked so threatening to a group of men who were not even half my age, perhaps I should have shaved before setting out. I thanked him, shouted my hellos to the others, leapt over the burn and upped my pace along a very boggy route to the old shielings. The group set off to follow me and were a couple of hundred metres behind. I changed up another gear and crossed the next swollen burn without a pause. There was no time to worry about slipping as I did a hop, step and jump across some mid burn boulders. There was a slight climb along the boggy path for the final kilometre before it descended back to the road.

An elderly couple on a tandem had stopped by the Cairn, I had seen them early in the day as they were leaving Killin. They had cycled along Loch Tay and up Glen Lyon before making the 400-metre climb to the high point of the road. They were from Essex and were on a three-week cycle tour of Scotland, they had a camper van for overnight stays and cycled every day, moving the van every few days to explore different locations. They seemed completely content and mesmerised by the Scottish scenery. I bade them farewell as the Staffordshire Bull Terrier and its chums began their final descent to the road. It had been a good outing and my knee had held up apart from two occasions on the descents when it locked up.

Killin was busy as I passed through on the way home but the roads were comparatively clear and by 3pm, I was sitting in the garden feeling quite relaxed after an easy two Munros.