KYQ4: Schiehallion

Summit

Tuesday 13 November 2019

Ascent: 782 metres

Distance: 10 kilometres

Time: 3 hours 54 minutes

Schiehallion 1083m 2hrs 6mins

Schiehallion is one of the most climbed Scottish Mountains and the place where contours were first invented to estimate the mass of the earth. The new paths created by the John Muir Trust in the last twenty years have eliminated some of the worst areas of mountain erosion of anywhere in Scotland. Schiehallion is climbed by 20,000 people per annum. This was my ninth visit, most of them in winter conditions. Today was no exception, the mountains were capped in snow above 600 metres and the forecast was for a clear day with some periods of cloud, freezing temperatures but very little wind. I had originally planned to go to hills nearer to home but the heavy snow a couple of days ago made me think twice about battling through deep snow to lonely summits. Schiehallion's path would make it easy for the first hour and the snow would make negotiating the ridge of large boulders leading to the summit less hazardous than in summer.

There was no rush so I didn't leave home until 8:30am. The morning was the clearest this winter and the roads were empty of traffic if not pheasants. A temperature inversion meant that Loch Tay was invisible in the low clouds but as I climbed out of Fearnan the sun picked out the winter hues of the landscape. I should have stopped to get photographs of Schiehallion, which looked majestic from the south but I was too keen to get to the Braes of Foss car park and start walking. There were two other cars parked up and another arrived just after me. The car parking pay machine was frozen up so charges were not in force. I wasted no time getting away on the well-made path that was rock hard from the overnight frost. It ascends gradually at first through a series of three gates to penetrate the high deer fences.

After the third gate, the path ramps up and it was snow and ice-free until about 550 metres when the path became icy and then from 650 metres it was covered in crusty snow. The walking became progressively more difficult as the depth of snow increased to 12 inches and every step had unknown consequences. In the circumstances, I kept a reasonable pace without any stops apart from a chat with a couple who had just started their descent. Their footprints on the ascent had meandered to and fro but had provided a general direction in the limited visibility so I was able to make a more direct route

I arrived at the summit at midday, more or less as I had intended, and stayed for about ten minutes to have a drink of coffee. I had hoped that the clouds would shift but there was little wind. I could have been anywhere, the huge boulders at the summit had been plastered by snow and the wind had performed tricks with the snow that no Artex artist could ever manage. The two walkers who had left the car park behind me arrived at the summit as I was about to leave and thanked me for making a track for them. It was their first visit and the long ridge to the summit always catches walkers unawares. It adds over a mile to the ascent over a boulder field that was sheathed in a bubble wrap of deep snow.

The descent was an easy jaunt down, very cold at first as a northerly breeze had begun to bite on the upper slopes. The snow assisted in making it possible to slide down some sections to 750 metres and then there was a tricky section over the icy path before reaching the bare paths at about 600 metres. A young woman was making a late ascent having just returned from Canada, she told me that she was desperate to feed her addiction to the mountains. Another walker was making an attempt but with no rucksack, gloves, torch or hat. He had forgotten to put it in the car and I suspect would be making a forlorn attempt, he would have to turn back as time was not on his side. I was down just after 2pm. As a winter walk, it had been near perfect and I was home, bathed and beered before nightfall at 4:30pm.