Glamping in Glen Lyon

Glen Lyon 3/4th August 2019

For the DHC trip to Glen Lyon we had some slightly different accommodation. Due to a shortage of accommodation actually in Glen Lyon we went Glamping at Loch Tay. Anna, Tony, Robert, Ali, Nick, Gillie, Alan, Steve and myself had 4 Wigwams between us, which provided some very suitable accommodation and a nice location to base ourselves for a range of hills. In total at least 14 different hills were climbed (8 Munros and 6 Corbetts), some of them a couple of times by different people at different times during the weekend.

The weekend started on Thursday for Anna and Tony who could not make the whole of the weekend so brought their weekend forward. For Ali, Robert and myself the weekend started on Friday with Ali and I meeting up to do Beinn nan Oighreag. We ignored the book route and went up the ridge from NN571437 where Steve and I had previously scoped out a different route using a bridge not marked on the OS Map. It was a lovely sunny day with beautiful views into Glen Lyon and a nice grassy ridge to walk up (no photos as I forgot I was supposed to writing a blog – don’t tell Chris!). We completed the hill in under four hours so while I found our accommodation and then set off to Perth to collect Steve, Ali head up Meall nam Maigheach. On the top she met Anna and Tony who had climbed the same hill from a different angle. Robert meanwhile was climbing Mealll Corranaich and Meall a Choire Leith to the west of Ben Lawers. It was a nice easy walk and with the cloud lifting as he got to the top.

On Saturday there were six different walks done. Gillie and Alan did Beinn nan Oighreag via a slightly more scenic and boggy route than the route done by Ali and I the day before, which included part of the Tarmachan ridge! Ali headed for Meall nan Subh, a nice easy hours walk from the road. She then revised her original plan of doing the corbets on the south side of Loch Tay and stayed in Glen Lyon cunningly doing the second of Sunday’s planned hills (Beinn Dearg) to avoid a Ruth/Steve epic on Sunday. Who should Ali meet on the top but Anna and Tony! Steve and I headed for Meall Buidhe in Glen Lyon. It was a very hot and humid day and the first hill seemed very hard work. However the going got easier once we dropped down to Creag a’ Chaorainn and up to our second hill of day, Creag Doire nan Nathrach.

We were back to the car for 3.30pm so drove round the corner and did the hill Ali had done first thing (Meal nan Subh).

Robert meanwhile had a splendid day on the Glen Lyon 4 Munros, Carn Gorm, Meall Garbh, Carn Mairg and Meall nan Aighean. Like all of us he found it very hot and steamy on the climb up but had a hot sun and a cooling breeze on the walk round the ridge with very pleasant walking in shorts and tee shirt.

Nick meanwhile was exploring Ben Lawers and the amazing alpine flowers found there, revisiting places he had not been to for many years. Here are a couple of his shots.

Saxifraga aizoides

Cerastium alpinum in flower

Anna and Tony had to return to Banchory, but the rest of us all met up in the evening for a nice meal in the Bristo and swopped stories of a super days walking in great conditions with lovely views.

Sunday morning dawned a very different day from the preceding day with low cloud and rain. Nick headed to Aberfeldy to visit a friend. Robert continued his lonely weekend of walking on his own with his third attempt at Creag Mhor at the end of Glen Lochay. He had a tough day with the cloud being down all day and with intermittent rain. He says the climb up the hill was really tough, as there was a large enclosure for a new forest with mounds and deep holes and very rank grass which was soaking. Once clear of this it was into the cloud on rocky terrain. It took 5 hours and was by far the toughest day of his weekend.

Ali, Alan, Gillie, Steve and I headed for Cam Chreag. The cloud was very low and it was raining hard by the time we stopped for our banana stop at the end of the track.

This made Alan decide to turn round and head for the car, while the rest of us continued for the top. The cloud did begin to lift at the top and we had better views along the ridge than expected. As we walked back down the valley the cloud lifted and it turned into a lovely sunny afternoon. Ali headed back to her car and to send Alan home, as Gillie, Steve and I headed for the second corbet (Beinn Dearg). With a land rover track much of the way up the going wasn’t too bad other than for the last 2 km which were across some fairly rough ground. We celebrated on the top in traditional Steve style with chocolate (we highly recommend the passion fruit and mango dark chocolate from the Co-op!).