Sunday 7 July - Meall Corranaich and Meall a' Choire Lèith

I lost the first attempt at this post so here goes again.

Drive over the hill road by Lochan na Làirige in summer, especially at weekends, and you'll find tents, campervans and bus-like motor homes all over the place. As a motorcaravanner myself I understand the attraction of parking up in such beautiful surroundings (I don't do it though) but it makes it well nigh impossible, sometimes, to get parked for a day on the hill.

With my last point in mind we were early today, it being a Sunday, but not quite early enough to be first at the small roadside cutting just beyond the north end of the Lochan. A young couple (who'd camped the night before) were getting boots on and were soon off up the path with a 'see you later, you'll soon catch us up'. Meall nan Tarmachan, done twice in winter from the dam (1977 and 1993), was a fine prospect, its craggy slopes falling to Lochan nan Làirige. I can't remember why we did it from the dam rather than the 'normal' route but both ascents provided proper mountaineering days as only winter conditions can. I wouldn't mind doing it again next winter - if we get a proper one.

The path across the moor is indistinct in places and we caught up with the couple as they searched for it whereas we just took the best line, faint path or not. By contrast, the path up the SW ridge of Meall Corranaich to the summit is excellent though for a moment I contemplated leaving it and going off-road up the west face's grassy slopes. However, the ridge would give good views across to Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers so I decided against leaving it.

The moorland approach to Meall Corranaich

The excellent path on the ridge with Loch Tay below

For once the weather forecasters had got it right and we were met by the predicted cold north wind as we emerged onto the level ground before the summit cairn. It didn't feel like a July day at all.

Beinn Ghlas

Meall a' Choire Lèith, 3km distant and looking more than that today, was easily reached. We made a diversion to the stony top above Coire Gorm (why I don't really know!) before regaining the north ridge and descending to a bealach at 780m. The final ascent from here skirted the edge of the crags of Coire Liath before reaching the flat summit area and the cairn where we were dismayed to find two rotting banana skins. Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic. No lovers of hills are you who left these here.

Lynne on Meall a' Choire Lèith

Why? 

We didn't tarry long at the top and could have descended direct to Coire Gorm to the path above the Allt Gleann Dà Eig (not marked on our map) but instead opted for a return to the bealach from where we could take our outward route back, as we did in 1983, or drop down into Coire Gorm.  Down into the corrie it was but it turned out not to be a particularly good choice. If there was a hidden wet hole in the vicinity I managed to find it, the one just before we joined the path being a particularly fine example. Better to just go back over the hills and get the views to Ben Lawers and the rest.

Looking back to Meall a' Choire Lèith

Looking towards Glen Lyon from the Allt Gleann Dà Eig - which meets the River Lyon near Balmenoch

At the car the sun shone and we finished off the tea. The couple arrived and we talked for a while. The girl was French and doing a PhD at St Andrews - her field work was being done in Glen Lyon but I failed to ask her if she was a geographer, geologist, geophysicist or whatever. We agreed that St. Andrews is a great place to be. Glen Lyon isn't a bad 'lab' either, we thought.

And a final point: Meall Corranaich is, in my view, better approached via Coire Odhar starting from the NTS carpark. If you can find a space.