Related WalksThe Tarmachan Hills (Howard's Last Munro) (26.4.22) |
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| My most recent visit to these hills was in 2022 when I was accompanying Howard on his Last Munro.
My first visit however was when Jill, Matthew and Toby were staying with us in Dunblane, and this was the only Munro I did with Matthew during that time. We left Dunblane at 8.30 and by 9.30 we were at the starting point, just up the road from the NTS Visitor Centre and before the Lochan na Lairige dam. The forecast was good until later in the afternoon, but when we arrived all the hills were still in some cloud. We set off up the very clear path up the south ridge of Meall nan Tarmachan, while the clouds gradually lifted before us, and by the time we were up on the crest of the ridge, everything was clear. |
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| On the ridge, looking up to Meall nan Tarmachan |
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| Meall Garbh from Meall nan Tarmachan |
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| We had a very pleasant, though rather windy, ridge walk, taking in the Munro and all four of its Tops. This picture, taken from Meall nan Tarmachan, shows the three Tops on the main ridge - Meall Garbh is closest, then Beinn nan Eachan on the right, then Creag na Caillich furthest away between them. The trickiest moment was the very steep descent from Meall Garbh, which involved some scrambling on rather wet rocks, but no serious slips. |
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| The lochan between Meall nan Tarmachan and Meall Garbh |
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| Matthew prepares for the Athens Olympics |
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| On the west ridge of Meall Garbh |
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| Me and my camera-shy companion at the summit of Beinn nan Eachan |
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| Looking back east along the ridge from Creag na Caillich |
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| We'd seen two other lone walkers, both of whom ended up ahead of us. They seemed to continue along the ridge after the last Top, Creag na Caillich, while we doubled back and made our way down Coire Fionn Lairige and over boggy moors to the quarry. This we managed to find by some nifty map-reading and there we picked up the track. |
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| The quarry track gave us a pleasant hour-long tramp back to the car with Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers ahead of us all the way. We reached the car around 2.30, making a round trip of 5 hours. We'd seen no real sunshine all day, but the hills had stayed clear, so I was at least glad to have climbed the Tarmachans while I could see them! |
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| On the way home we stopped off briefly in Killin to clamber around on the rocks beside the Falls of Dochart and take some pictures. |
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| The bridge by the Falls of Dochart |
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| The Falls of Dochart |
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