Beinn a' Chuallaich

Beinn a' Chullaich from east

Beinn a' Chuallaich from north east

Below Meall nan Eun

Summit with Schiehallion to right

Looking west down Loch Rannoch

Schiehallion 

Above Loch na Caillich

Loch Erochty from Meall nan Eun

Loch Tummell and Schiehallion from Queen's view

Rob Roy Way completion

Sunday, 30 September, 2012
Distance:   8 kilometres
Ascent:      700 metres
Time:         2 hours 16 minutes

c  Beinn a' Chuallaich       892m        1 hr 17 mins

Gregor was on a quest to run/walk the Rob Roy Way over the weekend. He managed 48 miles on the Saturday and today was the easier day in theory. He started at Loch Tay and went on to Aberfeldy and then Pitlochry.  I dropped him at Loch Tay and with a few hours to kill before collecting him decided to climb Beinn a' Chuallaich above Kinloch Rannoch.

I parked to the east of the hill at about 300 metres at grid ref 706616 on the B847 and began the climb up a sheep track which took me to about 550 metres before it petered out.  There was a strong westerly wind which was helping dry the ground from the overnight rain but, despite my best efforts to keep my feet dry, the heather was matting together a bog for much of the remainder of the ascent. I aimed for the bealach between Meall nan Eun and Beinn a' Chuallaich where I was hit by the most ferocious wind I can recall for quite a few years.  Even my beanie was blown off and, after I huddled down behind the massive cairn for some respite, my rucksack was plucked from my side and tossed 20 metres down the hill by a gust.

I tried to take photos but the wind was unforgiving so I headed back going over Meall nan Eun and then dropped down to Loch na Caillich where I had disturbed a large herd of deer during the ascent. In the distance Loch Errochty was displaying a rim of exposed rock that is the nature of hydro electric dams even in summers as wet as the recent one. The heather which was so unforgiving on the ascent provided wonderful autumn colours and gave an easy ride down the slopes to the road.  Balfour Beattie were well advanced in installing the new pylons along the route of General Wade's Military Road.  They have moved rapidly since the decision last year.  It is the way of things, seven years of desultory consultation and delays on decisions and then less than two years to build the new powerline. All because politicians of all persuasions were too nervous to take decisions in the face of some public opposition. Once the penny dropped with the politicians the outcome was a no brainer: there are no votes in no power.

I had time to spare, Gregor had been diverted by pylon work near Kenmore so I dawdled back to Pitlochry, stopping at the Queen's View above Loch Tummel. I had last visited here in the early 1960's on a family holiday when my pleas to be allowed to climb Schiehallion had fallen on deaf ears. I was tempted to climb it this afternoon for the seventh time but the winds were against it.

Pitlochry was reached mid afternoon and after coffee and a long read of the papers there was time to visit the Pitlochry Festival theatre, the fish ladder and explore the town.  Gregor turned up after 6pm. The forest above Pitlochry was being harvested and he seemed to have made a diversion through most of the forest in his attempt to refind the trail on the short section from Strathtay.  The suspension bridge over the river Tummel was a suitable finish.  I had earlier searched for the official finish to be told by someone in the Tourist Office that it was about to change but signs have not been installed yet. Signs are a bit hit and miss all along the Rob Roy Way. Nevetheless running and walking 79 miles in a weekend plus all the extra loops was a noble effort to increase his fund raising for Childline.