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Braes o'Balquidder. |
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Section
1 Ben
Donich Section 0 |
 Meall an-t-Sallaidh from the slopes of Creag MacRanaich.
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The summit, looking towards Loch Tay
This wild and rocky hill is seen as a rocky tower at the head of the Kendrum Glen when approaching Lochearnhead on the A84. It was once moated by a railway too, but this was Beechinged in 1966, closed a few weeks early by rockfall in Glen Ogle. The trackbed is mostly intact and was used in my ascent of the hill.
Being a roadside hill on three sides Creag Mac Ranaich can be tackled from several directions, and this exercise is easy if not combining it with Meall an-t-Sallaidh. A quick ascent is often made from the head of Glen Ogle, but beware if going up in mist, you will reach a convincing cairn not far before the true summit. It's a fair bet that this has caught out a few in the mist. The track up the Dubh Glen from the north, or the Kendrum glen can be used, these now meet and a through track now passes over the bealach between Creag Mac Ranaich and Meall an-t-Sallaidh. This fact has yet to make it onto the OS sheets, In 2001 a new 1:25000 sheet was published of these hills. Still no track. This pass is flanked by very steep ground with some good looking crags, so beware if descending in these parts.
I did Creag Mac Ranaich with Meall an-t-Sallaidh on a cool June day. My chosen route was from Ledcharie , up Glen Dubh by the track and return via Lochan an Eirannaich and the old right of way between Balquidder and Glen Dochart. This route was helped by the enjoyable walk along the track of the old railway. I was in the footsteps of John Hillaby who passed this way en route to John o'Groats. He slept in one of the platelayer's cabins, sadly these have rotted away now. When he passed by the track had just been lifted, now it is a rabbit infested tractor track with a perceptible gradient as it pulls up to the head of Glen Ogle.I joined the track at a fine viaduct, and left it at another viaduct on the edge of the forest. The path up Glen Dubh is now a track, first on the West bank and then fords above a gorge with a fine waterfall to continue along the course of the path. It now goes all the way , over the pass between the two Corbetts,to Lochearnhead. From this track easy slopes head up towards a prominent notch on the skyline and to the complex set of tops that cap Creag Mac Ranaich. The top is the southern 800m ring, and has a smaller cairn than some of the other tops. The lochain on the map is mostly bog now. The craggy descent was not too difficult, it helps to keep to the north of the direct line to the descent, care must be taken here. As is usual in Perthshire crags can be flanked. The buttress to the south should definitely be avoided. It is a safe but bouldery descent, remember Corbetts don't usually have helpful paths to show you around obstacles. Soon the track over the pass is reached followed by some bog, and the grind up Meall an-t-Salaidh.
Meall an-t-Sallaidh from Beinn an t-Sidhean (above Strathyre).
Will ye go laddie go to the Braes o' Balquidder,
So off I went, only from a layby in Glen Dochart, and via Creag MacRanaich.
The Braes o' Balquidder are the spurs that are truncated above the lochs of Voil and Doine. A particularly steep one is Auchtoomore Hill , this buttresses the Corbett of Meall an-t-Sallaidh. You can go that way if you wish, but saner folk go round via the Kirkton Glen and the long northeastern ridge.
If Corbett bagging the hill is often combined with Creag Mac Ranaich, necessitating crossing some very steep and rocky ground, especially if descending Creag Mac Ranaich.
The A84 all but surrounds this group of hills and provides many choices of route, however, it is surprisingly difficult to work out a good way of doing them both together. Another irony is that it is very difficult to see the hills from this road. There is an Edinburgh-Oban bus service along this road.
Having safely negotiated the crags from Mac Ranaich and crossed the estate road and bog at the low bealach I had to work away up a similar craggy slope to the one that I had just come down. A well placed landslide had caused a section of the buttress to slump away and left a rake moving diagonally and easily across the face of the biggest crag. This route was seized upon and quickly led to the summit ridge, a little north of the summit. The ascent was enlivened by the calls of ring ouzels. A faint path lead gently up to the summit and yet another fine view, as suggested by its name. This hill would have commanded great strategic value once. Approaching trouble could easily be seen , down Loch Earn, from Callander or the turbulent West. This hill would have been well known to Rob Roy MacGregor. Today it gave its views, marred only by a slight haze.
The Summit: Ben Vorlich, Stuc a Chroin and Beinn Each in background
I returned after a lunch break amongst the summit boulders and headed north back towards Glen Dochart. The ridge towards Leum Eiranneach was knobbly and reminiscent of the ridge between Ben Ledi and Benvane. Towards the end, I hid myself under my cag to cut out the light and watched the World Cup match between Nigeria and Spain on an LCD TV. It was a very good match, and as I was staying with Dave Hewitt at the time, this incident passed into the pages of the Angry Corrie, and eventually TGO. Extreme I know, but I do like my footy.
The hazard of Leum Eiranneach was passed by a steep path on its true left. Who the leaping Irishman was and what state he was in after leaping is a mystery. What is not a mystery is why the ground is so green here. A band of limestone, so rare in Scotland crosses Perthshire, and it outcrops here. A great place for wild flowers, and surely a prized sheiling site. The lochan is not bad either, and this would make a lovely bivvy site. I decided to forgo the slog over to The Stob, and also watching South Korea v Mexico, and made a leisurely descent back, along a waymarked path to Ledcharie, with a much needed cooling off break, a swim in the burn.
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Revised October 2002
