91: april sleet
ardlui to crianlarich with a couple of hills thrown in: i began in spring, bare trees, but some warmth from the sunshine. after i left the west highland way, crossing the falloch for a second time it clouded over. after negotiating a field with bulls and a bridge over the railway which one is forbidden to cross (or so the sign says), the ascent began for real, high above the gorge carrying the eas eonan. the fairly narrow burn was in spate, making crossing difficult. there appeared to be a bridge marked on the map. i think i found it:
i decided against using it though. fortunately there was a narrow enough crossing point just beyond it.
from there a fairly featureless, more gradual rise took me back to winter on top of cruach cruinn (588m). spitting rain became heavier with sleet thrown in near the summit (which may not be correctly named: the os map shows the name given above nearer to an outcrop beyond the col with my next target).
the wet trudge to my second summit, creagan soilleir (646m), took me into streaky patches of the snow i could see plastered on the misty slopes of beinn dubhchraig towering above me, in breadalbane to the north, and on the clearer peaks across glen falloch.
creagan soilleir sits on the same summit plateau as the slightly higher marilyn summit, fiarach (652m), the main goal of the walk. the short spell of rain had concluded, allowing a pleasant stroll between the two (almost back in spring). however, as usual, time was against me. from the summit it was hard to pick out a good route through the forest barring the way to crianlarich. would i catch the train? doubtful. i decided to gamble, and made it through the trees with surprising ease to regain the west highland way. this good fortune allayed my fears of having to spend four hours in crianlarich followed by a nine mile walk home from garelochhead.......
i decided against using it though. fortunately there was a narrow enough crossing point just beyond it.
from there a fairly featureless, more gradual rise took me back to winter on top of cruach cruinn (588m). spitting rain became heavier with sleet thrown in near the summit (which may not be correctly named: the os map shows the name given above nearer to an outcrop beyond the col with my next target).
the wet trudge to my second summit, creagan soilleir (646m), took me into streaky patches of the snow i could see plastered on the misty slopes of beinn dubhchraig towering above me, in breadalbane to the north, and on the clearer peaks across glen falloch.
creagan soilleir sits on the same summit plateau as the slightly higher marilyn summit, fiarach (652m), the main goal of the walk. the short spell of rain had concluded, allowing a pleasant stroll between the two (almost back in spring). however, as usual, time was against me. from the summit it was hard to pick out a good route through the forest barring the way to crianlarich. would i catch the train? doubtful. i decided to gamble, and made it through the trees with surprising ease to regain the west highland way. this good fortune allayed my fears of having to spend four hours in crianlarich followed by a nine mile walk home from garelochhead.......