Mamlorn: Glen Lochay and Auchtertyre

Corbetts ->Section2->Mamlorn

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Section 2 910 Meall Buidhe 862 Cam Chreag 837 Sron a'Choire Chnapanich 830 Beinn Dearg 787 Meall Tairneachan 783 Farragon Hill 909 Beinn nan Oighreag 901 Beinn Odhar 886 Beinn a'Chaisteil 885 Cam Chreag 849 Beinn nan Imirean 818 Beinn Chaorach 806 Beinn nam Fuaran 806 Meall nan Subh 780 Meall nam Maigheach Section 5 Section 6 Section 1 Section 3 Return to Corbett index Return Home.

Beinn Chaluim at the head of Glen Lochay.    Beinn nan Imirean 844m  2769'  Ridge Hill  Map  Beinn Chaorach 818m  2685'  Chaorach, Sheep  Map  Cam Chreag  885m  *  Cam, Crooked,.  Map * Was not a corbett in the imperial editions. I do not have the relavent 1" sheet.

Beinn nan Imirean 849m

Beinn nan Imirean from Beinn Challum.

Barely noticeable from the south, this is just a swelling in the interminable moorland rising above Glen Falloch. It is quite noticeable from Troisgeach, but you will drive down Glen Falloch, just about noticing Sgiath Chuil and Beinn Glas, but the Corbett will not inspire any comment. It is not a good idea to approach from this side. Heather and hags await.

An approach from Glen Lochay is definitely easier and now a bulldozed road rises up to 550m on the north side of the hill. There is a possibly awkward burn crossing though.

I wonder if anyone ever uses the club hut at Batavaime these days, I have never seen anyone in there having passed by a few times now.

My visit to the hill was during Scotland's hammeriong by France in the 2003 World Cup. A while later I walked up Beinn Challum with someone who was actually at the match, finding out when I told him what I was listening to when slogging up the bulldozed road.

For such a nondescript hill, Imirean boasts a fine rocky summit with a wee crag. There is barely enough room for a cairn. The slopes towards Beinn Ghlas are also rough with outcrops of quartz and a big white boulder. I returned down these slopes and over Beinn Ghlas, a logical pairing, but of course everyone else does Sgiath Chuil as well.

 

 

Beinn Chaorach 818m
Beinn Chaorach from the Corralan Glen

'No hill is boring' . Well some are more interesting than others. Hamish Brown says that this hill's only feature is its trig point. If there is an award for the least interesting Corbett, Step forward Beinn Chaorach and receive your nomination.

These hills and those above the Auch Glen are often quoted as being a place where five Corbetts can be bagged in a day, a Corbett South Sheil Ridge as it were. I have pecked at the five and have put them in two chapters.

Cam Creag and Beinn Chaorach are often climbed from Auchtertyre Farm in Strath Fillan, near the site of St Fillan's Priory. This was once a major pilgrimage site and contained relics of the 8th Century Ulster Saint. It was renowned as a place of healing and specialised in healing the insane by first immersion in a nearby pool, when stones were to be retrieved from the bottom. Then after several rituals involving leaving belongings on cairns the victim was left bound in the Priory overnight.

St Fillans Cemetary.

I once walked a round of Gleann a'Chlachainn involving Beinn Chaorach and Cam Creag finishing with Ben Challum The route into the glen passes Auchtertyre and a notice telling you its not the West Highland Way. Eventually the track forks and the featureless slope above is the South 'Ridge' Of Beinn Chaoraich. After some hard work and little excitement I was able to find the trig point. I do not know if it is still there.

In 1985 there was a type of electric fence involving two low wires run all over the hill. This was powered by a wind generator on the summit. It was derelict then, but the wire is probably still strewn all over the hill so watch your step.

The Auch approach shows a little shape in the hill, but is of course complicated by the length of approach. A track runs for about 2km up Glen Corralan, between Beinn Odhar and Beinn a'Chaisteil. Many people operating in this area will be doing the five in a day. Good luck to them

 

Cam Chreag 884m
Cam Creag from Ben Challum.

The Auchtertyre round continues with the more interesting Cam Chreag, the hill at the very head of Glen Lochay. This hill has broken crags and is at a kind of crossroads, It can be combined with Creag Mhor and Chaluim and is therefore a Munro baggers Corbett. Many cross it when moving between the Munros. It gets firmly in the way of that particular ploy. Moving on to the Auch Glen Hills is a more contrived route.

Cam Creag was left out by J Rooke Corbett as the maps did not indicate 500' all round separation, the new survey has shown the hill to be higher than thought and it was admitted in 1981.

I continued easily from Chaorach, trying not to trip over the electric fence. The Chaorach approach is quite gentle compared with the other steep sides of the hill. On the summit an eagle passed close overhead and was soon lost in the distance, these hills carry hares and tarmachan and sheep just keep dying.

The day was rounded off by Chaluim, a long pull up above the fine Lochay face. This crag could give some lower grade winter climbing. Folk occasionally fall over it, it being out of character in these grassy hills. While this is a steep ascent the other ridge, ever broadening back to Auchtertyre is easy, mirroring the mornings climb up Chaorach. In March 2005 I enjoyed a school trip up Challum giving some very good views down on to Cam Creag.

 

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Revised April 2005