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I always rely on car lifts to get to awkward
hills and tend to leave certain ones alone if I know I can't access
them. But increased use of the bike as well as a desire to finally do
these hills made me go for them by public transport, not the easiest
proposition in the world. But when there are only two Munros left in the
entire area unclimbed, desire ramps up a little and I really wanted to
get these done.
So I took the early (pre-6am) train from Westerton to Tyndrum, felt like
death beforehand but got fantastic shut-eye on the comfy sleeper train.
At Tyndrum I felt awake again perhaps in part due to the frigid air
there. Cycling was especially cold without the sun's warmth, so I put on a couple of
layers and started cycling up the West Highland Way
towards Auch. The uphill was hard work but I was repaid by a fantastic
early morning freewheel to Auch, with Beinn Dorain framed ahead lit by golden
morning sun.
I had a long day ahead of me but there was nowhere I'd rather be. The
cycle would be long (I estimated about two hours to the foot of the
hills) so I couldn't think too far ahead yet. At Auch I turned east and
headed beneath the Orchy Munros in the direction of Glen Lyon. At the
time I didn't realise a slight uphill made for hard going, though I was
fresh though and didn't notice. Slowly but surely, I passed Beinn
Dorain, onwards to Beinn Mhanach and as I passed this hill, Loch Lyon
pulled into view ever so slowly. And unlike maps or Google Earth
suggest, there is a 4WD track all the way into Glen Lyon. It can be
cycled relatively easily, which means no carrying the bike over bogs. I was happy to keep
the momentum up. I headed around the loch side, and
down to the river between Creag Mhor and Beinn Heasgarnich. Here I
dropped the bike with a note to any passing walkers/stalkers/etc,
mentioning I'd already been granted permission from the estate to walk
here. (I'd phoned Auch Estate the night before using the phone number on their
website. They were superbly helpful).
Meall Tionail
Enough of trains and bikes. Time to get on the hills!
Meall Tionail is a 'Corbett Top' of Creag Mhor and it was first on the
list. But it's 600 vertical metres of slog, so I left the bike near the
loch and resigned myself to taking the first steps of slog. I
just flew the metres to it's summit. There were a few false summits but
with music in my ears, I raced to the top and basked in the morning
sunlight, munching on some food and taking in the most spectacular
silence and space. Views extended to the horizon, the peace was almost
overwhelming, the silence of this land so powerful.
Stob nan Clach and Creag Mhor
Stob nan Clach is a Munro Top of Creag Mhor, but on the far side from
Meall Tionail. So I traversed Creag Mhor, went too high, and had to
descended unnecessarily gained height all the way around to Stob nan
Clach. It's a cool wee Top however with an interesting rock pinnacle on
the southern slopes I checked out. It was insignificant up close but fun
to check out. And with the Top in the bag I could finally get the
first Munro of the day in the bag. It took long enough. I headed around
the slopes, meeting a guy coming in the opposite direction from Dundee.
He, like me, had left home at a stupid time in the morning to get out on
the hills, but reckoned it had paid off. He was going from
Heasgarnich around to Challum, which is a fair trek. After five or ten
minutes chatting we left each other to our respective plans and soon
after I was sitting on the summit of Creag Mhor.
Beinn Heasgarnich
From Creag Mhor, Heasgarnich looks miles away! And it is - so after a rest
on Creag Mhor, I was on my way. I thought that by heading a short distance
down the SE ridge, the terrain would be easier to descend than the steep
crags that cover the descent slope. But hardly!
Word of advice: just head in a straight line off the summit - it really
is
easier. I ended up traversing insane slopes to get on something that
looked climbable, and once I got on the route coming straight off the
summit, it was easy. With the excitement of exposure gone, it was
time to get to the bealach. The descent went down and down and
down...
When I finally got there it made me think about how long I had to go to
get up Heasgarnich. The front 'pillar' (or is that too dramatic?) was
350m straight up and then the summit was a long way beyond that. I
switched my brain off and with music in ears, began plodding and picked away at the altitude.
Near the top and looking up, I saw two guys sitting on a rock. When I arrived there
knackered and out of breath, they were sitting at the edge of the
high-level ridge winding across to the summit. They reckoned it would
take about half an hour, and as we spoke they said they had come across
Heasgarnich and wanted to camp somewhere on Creag Mhor. I just wondered
whether they knew the weather was going to be complete bollocks in the
morning, and that a high level camp would be rubbish. But I left them to
their plans and got on with my own, enjoying a high-level walk around
to the broad summit ridge of Beinn Heasgarnich. This is a huge mountain
but there is barely a cliff in sight. This is not a bad thing I think. It's
simply a vast sprawling mass, unthreatening and rising in
pleasant contours to a rounded summit ridge, throwing arms down to
embrace the shores of Loch Lyon.
Enough of the poetry. It's a beautiful hill and it's also a great
viewpoint, so I took a panorama in four parts and chilled for some
moments by the cairn.
Views were long-reaching in every direction. Satisfied, and eating the
last of my food, I headed northwards and back towards my bike for the
cycle back to Tyndrum, a place that from here seemed a long, long way
away.
Descent
The descent was okay but endless grassy slopes became tedious to
walk down. Now I just spent time sucking in the atmosphere of the place,
listening to the stags rutting in the glen enjoying this place while I
was still here. I'd wanted to come to Glen Lyon for a long time. I see
it as an immensely peaceful place, even if, I suppose, it seemed very
empty today. With damp feet from the bogs at the bottom of the glen, I
headed back over the last grasses to the bike. This is a part of every "bike 'n
hike" (I got that name from Ed Viesturs' book) I look forward to and
love. When I have sore feet and I'm in a bit of pain, I love to arrive back
at the bike and jump on, content that the walking is over. All that
awaits is a long freewheel down the glens, soaking in the freedom and
space around me, freshening up again after a hard day. It's no wonder I
love the life I set myself.
Cycle Out
And so a happy guy, I cycled around Loch Lyon a bit, diverting for a cow and calf
on an otherwise uneventful journey. In the distance I saw
a couple of people down by the loch side in a canoe who seemed to be
heading back to the Glen Lyon road head, providing that's where they
came from. They didn't see me but it was strange to see others in this
place, even if at a distance.
It was a hell of a slog cycling back to the head of the Auch Gleann, but
once I was over the top off the rise, it was a spectacular, fast downhill nearly
all the way through the glen. I had to keep concentration to navigate my
road bike through the gravel and potholes, and I picked up great speeds.
Fast enough to start knackering the bike and remind myself I don't have
a mountain bike nor a puncture repair kit! It went through most of the
streams without problems and I was back at Auch early, almost too early
to catch the train.
I had a couple of hours to kill until the train arrived and with no money, so
there was no point in cycling back. Instead I walked back with the bike
from Auch by choice, and took it very slowly, too weary to go quick.
Less time here is more time sitting about Tyndrum. It was hard work
pushing a bike along the uphill track but when I finally got to the top
of the pass I lay on the grass verge and slept a while, only awoken by
dad calling me on my mobile. Awake again, I freewheeled back to Tyndrum,
keen to do the final bit in style.
And then there was the long, penniless wait (I spent my last 50p on a
Mars bar in the Green Welly) before, finally, the train pulled up at
Tyndrum Upper and I headed home.
So how's that for Creag Mhor and Beinn
Heasgarnich, by public transport, in a day?!
It was only possible by taking at
least one sleeper train from Glasgow, and
also required taking a bike on that train. The Scotrail Sleeper claims
"Reservations Compulsory", but in my experience it has been absolutely fine to
get on without reservation or ticket. Even with a bike.
And finally, one more note to say that this trip was done by scraping 5p
coins from every corner of the house for the train ticket (not my usual
style) as well as making every effort to pack very light. I didn't take my
normal pack went for a normal bag instead. I consumed about 500ml of
Lucozade during the walk and some water beforehand and on the train up.
It was all done on a whim but it was a superb day no less.
Panoramas
360° panorama from Creag Mhor
Beinn Heasgarnich 90˚ zoomed: S to W.
Crianlarich Hills, Ben Challum and Creag
Mhor, Arrochar Alps, Ben Lui and Cruachan Range
Beinn Heasgarnich 90˚ zoomed: W to N.
Beinn Dorain and Bridge of Orchy Hills,
Etive Hills, Blackmount, Mamores and Nevis, Grey Corries, Loch Treig and
Ossian
Beinn Heasgarnich 90˚ zoomed: N to E.
Laggan, Drumochter, Cairngorms, Glen
Lyon, Lawers Range, Breadalbane
Beinn Heasgarnich 90˚ zoomed: E to S.
Ben Chonzie, Loch Earn, Balquhidder and
The Trossachs
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