10C - GLEN DOCHART NORTH
The summit of Sgiath Chuil that Graeme was so uncertain of in the dark and cloud. Photo tms.nickbramhall.com
6.2 miles 1000 metres
Start Thursday 00.12
Meall Glas 00.53
Sgiath Chuil 03.07
Finish 03.44
Squares: yellow - changeover, red - finish. Circles summits: green this leg. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 1.42 Actual 3.32
Graeme writes:
Another of Liz's marvellous meals was consumed. A pub stop was squeezed in near Crianlarich but I soon had to go to Glen Lochay with Steve. Alcohol induced tiredness drove me to sleep while we bumped up the glen with Steve at the helm but unknown to us I was in for a rude awakening. A noisy swoosh! Swoosh! And water was pouring out all over the foodstuffs, sleeping gear, and me in the back of the van. The cork had popped from the mighty fat water bladder which was swinging wildly in a pendulum fashion deluging everything beneath it. I jumped up grabbing it, and Steve, having stopped the van, rushed round to the back door opened it and was swamped by a tidal wave which had been dammed up between the mattress and back door. We were wet but both in stitches.
The deluge inside the van had been matched by battering showers outside but luckily it eased for my cycle up the track to the footbridge near Batavaime and susequent walk upstream to a ruinous cluster of shielings. The low misty drizzle didn't raise my spirits for the coming night.
I had a restful couple of hours in my sleeping bag and bivvy bag till Eddie and his torch beam descended upon me out of the night with joyous news that the hills were clagged with the “thickest pea soup fog he'd ever come across in his life”. He then yodelled his way off down the glen, fruitcake or what!
Although an uphill start it still took quite a while to raise my body temperature from its cold sleepy slumber and even longer for my leg muscles to activate themselves. Travelling on a bearing and skimming to the left of crags I managed to hit Meall Glas without too much fuss but Eddie wasn't kidding about the thick fog.
I must have checked my bearing three times at least, both physically and mentally with the map, before making my move, for I would be relying on it almost totally over the next 3 ½ kms of darkness and fog. To begin with there seemed to be various humps and hollows with slopes running in strange directions but I concentrated on following the compass and it all eventually made sense as I crossed streams beteen the two summits before hitting steepening ground. It was walking pace slow though since every crag no matter how small turns into a life threatening cliff when your visibility is down to only a few metres with a torch.
I proceeded up and over the north south ridge returning to the highest point when convinced there was no false rise. Then a 90 degree turn to head south cautiously. There seemed to be so many rolling ups and downs with clusters of crags I just couldn't pin-point where I was. It all looked so simple on the map. A definite cairn I could not find. Continuing south and dropping a little height I hit a cairn but the hill was running west to east. It must be the 851 spot height I thought donning more waterproofs as I was obviously cooling down not moving so much.
Another bearing for Sgiath Chuil was taken and I retraced my steps till I hit and rounded crags. On surmounting these the only cairn I could find was a few slabs no more than a foot high. I liked to think this was the top but was far from 100% sure. Either way I must have passed this point earlier.
Roaming around on these shoulders and slabby outcrops was like moving along the back of a giant creature, a dinasaur perhaps, which was emphasised a bit more when light began to creep in. I didn't escape the creature though without it coming alive under my feet, me virtually standing on a ptarmigan and her chicks which radiated outwards in all directions like cheeping fluffy balls. She harassed me for ages after, obviously annoyed I'd scattered her brood.
Running down towards Auchessan Farm was enjoyable being soft underfoot and relatively rock free. The heather lower down posed no problem for my long legs. There was a problem however below the stream junction at 449295 with a newly erected deer fence and forestry ploughing if I remember correctly. I detoured a bit but not excessively.
Cruising past Auchessan itself I activated automatic outside lights but didn't hang around for the farmer to fire some hot lead shot into my pants with his blunderbuss. Instead I sped up on the short section of tarmac and jumped into a fast getaway car which must have looked and sounded very suspicious.
On the short journey to the start of Ross's leg we whizzed past the mothership which I then returned to. Then washing myself in nearby Loch Iubhair it struck me how unseasonally foul the weather had been to me so far. Later when scrutinising guide books, (something I should have done before my leg,) I satisfied myself I had visited the top of Sgiath Chuil, probably twice actually but it emphasised how helpful a recce would have been and how much time it would have saved.
Peaks done 81 Hours elapsed 92 Peaks to do 196
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