The Mike Walker Blog - Climbing the Munros by Motorhome

The Crianlarich Munros - Part 1

Day 4: Beinn Challum

Another glorious day beckoned as I parked in a lay by on the busy A82 between Crianlarich and Tyndrum at 8.35am. I then headed northeast across the River Fallon and through Kirkton Farm, part of Scotland's Rural College (SRUC). Above the farm I got a little lost trying to locate the best way to cross the railway line. A tunnel under the tracks built for a burn didn't look accessible so I headed north west through fields to locate a farm track and a gated level crossing. Whilst crossing the track I spotted a footbridge about 100m down the line. All these were on the map so quite how I had failed to spot them I wasn't sure. Must be getting tired now.

Awkward stile over a deer fence on moorland above Kirkton Farm near Crianlarich

Above the railway line the route climbs steadily up short, relatively dry grass and through a fenced off area planted with native trees by the Hill and Mountain Research Centre. (This in order to create a new 'native' woodland designed to enhance the landscape and lead to an increase in biodiversity). Getting in to this fenced off area was simple enough through the gate - but getting out at the other end involved climbing over a rather high vertical ladder stile that was a testing experience for my aged bones.

Before long I was climbing on to Beinn Challum (South Top), a Murdo or Munro Top, and then crossing the shallow bealach to reach the summit of Beinn Challum proper. On some maps the Ordnance Survey mark this Munro as Beinn Challium (with an 'i'), Whether this is simply a mistake or one of the those deliberate errors the OS use on the maps to catch out copyright thieves is unclear. At 1075m this was the highest summit of the trip and I enjoyed a Moroccan style salmon light lunch from John West while I drank in the huge views. I could clearly see Ben Lui (Beinn Laoigh) to the southwest, Ben More (The Crianlarich Hills) to the south, Meall Glas (Glen Lochay) to the east, Beinn Sheasgarniach to the north and Beinn Odhar to the west, while sat beside the large cairn on the summit. It was 11.52am.

Again the popular route was to retrace my steps, but I decided to head down the northwest ridge to Bealach Ghlas-Leathaid, where a stile offers access over an electrified fence. The ground around Allt Gleann a'Chachain is a little boggy but a short climb up the lower slopes of Beinn Chaorach is rewarded by a clear track heading down the valley. Before long I was climbing back over the electrified fence via a stile beside a gate. The sign here said that more than 390,000 native trees have been planted in the upper Gleann a'Chachain valley between 1999 and 2009, creating more than 20 hectares of open mountain woodland and scrub. The main species planted were downy birch, scots pine, alder rowan, willow, hazel and oak. The planting of the woodland has provided an important new habitat for wildlife and has enhanced the landscape.

Beinn Challum summit cairn

This type of mountain woodland in rare in the UK. The exclusion of sheep and deer has allowed herbaceous species such as Wood Crane's-bill, Meadowsweet, Globeflower and Melancholy Thistle to thrive. These provide important nectar sources for invertebrates such as Scotch Argus butterflies, Large & Small Heath butterflies, Northern Eggar moths, Golden-ringed Dragonflies and Common Hawker Dragonflies. Black Grouse, Stonechat, Whinchat, Meadow Pipit and Willow Warblers have all bred in the area and other species such as Merlin, Raven, Golden Eagle and Short-eared Owls have all been seen. This might be partly because Field Voles are now abundant and other animals like Mountain Hares, Badgers, Stoats, Red Foxes, Common Frogs and Common Lizards use the habitat.

The track eventually joins Allt Auchtertyre and leads under a spectacular railway bridge to join the West Highland Way by the camp site at Auchtertyre. A short walk along the WHW leads back to Kirkton Farm & passes the ruins of St Fillan's Priory. The ruins of this Augustinian Priory date from the 13th Century and were endowed by Robert the Bruce in 1317. The nearby graveyard dates back to the beginnings of the Celtic church in the 8th Century.

I got back to the motorhome about 3.45pm and as I removed my boots & socks and chugged a bottle of Lucozade, I found the deafening noise of speeding traffic quite overwhelming. If I had ever needed a reason to spend more glorious days in the quite solitude of the Scottish mountains this was surely it.

All in all I had walked 77.4km (48.4 miles) and climbed 5123m (16,814ft) of ascent and loved every moment.

I shall be back very soon.