[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 11th August 2001   Meall a' Choire Leith Meall Corranaich Map It was drizzling in the morning as we contemplated doing Ben More so we went to Killin instead and looked round the Folk Museum there. It cleared up a bit around midday so we fixed up B&B at the Drumfinn Guest house on the main street (Bob & Jenny Semple - £18) and went to see what these two hills, the final two unclimbed peaks of the Ben Lawers group, looked like. We drove on past the Visitor Centre to a large cairn by the roadside, just north of the Lochan na Lairige. Already 550 metres above sea level, so a good start. It wasn't actually raining now so Andrew, a bit reluctantly, agreed to give it a go. It was grassy and wet underfoot and for some reason we set off round the triangular loop in a clockwise direction rather than, as the book says, anti-clockwise. Just didn't read it I guess. The weather stayed dry for about an hour till we got to the proper slopes of the first hill, Meall a' Choire Leith, where Andrew struck off east along what he thought was the easier route, whilst I ascended NE thinking it the more direct, if a bit steeper. Both routes came together in the end and eventually we topped the rounded, bare, pretty unmemorable summit, by which time it was raining - light but steady. Couldn't see much by way of views. We set off for the next peak anyway and met a bearded bloke on his own coming in the other direction - he obviously read guide books properly. Following an obvious path we laboured up Meall Corranaich, a much higher peak, through poor visibility, rain and a howling, tearing wind which seemed intent on driving us over the edge. It had started to get a bit cold, mainly through wind chill, so I had donned the Berghaus by this point. Although Goretex it seems to have lost its waterproof qualities somewhat, for it was soon sodden inside and out. Eventually after a long, hard slog we got to the top where there was a small cairn. Bare, windswept and rocky - too cloudy for any views. We had a long, careful look at the map and the compass, agreed the way down, and Andrew promptly set off in completely the wrong direction. I yelled to him he was going the wrong way and he stopped and looked at me but the wind made it hard to be heard. I pointed to the right route… but he just carried on! The right way was SW following a line of old metal posts; Andrew was going S, following the wrong posts. These soon ran out and he changed direction to SSW but still wrong. I wasn't going to follow him and have to reascend but soon he was lost in the mist and dips of the mountainside. Didn't know what to do then - I waited for a while and eventually set off down the correct route wondering how I'd explain to the inquest that I'd left him on the mountain without map or compass. Was pretty annoyed. Cold, wet and miserable after the descent from Meall Corranaich I carried on down, occasionally hallooing but it was useless in that wind. But eventually a small blob grew out of the cloud, way over to the left & he hove into sight. Was pretty glad as it was a bit worrying. After that it was a straightforward descent following a path through long, wet grass but not too steep. Tired, wet and miserable. Andrew pissed off and saying he & I wanted different things: he reckoned he just wanted a nice hill walk in good weather whereas I wanted to tick off Munros at any cost. Maybe. Pedometer: 15000+ steps and I've forgotten the rest. That evening we went out for a pub meal and started at the W. end of the village - the Falls of Dochart Hotel. There we found out they didn't serve baked potatoes in the evening, & I didn't want their only veg option (veg lasagne), so we moved on. Ignoring the fearsome raucousness of the Tighnabruaich Hotel where the local desperados reveled, the next restaurant was full and the one after that had stopped taking orders at 8.00 (on Saturday night!!). By this point Andrew was so fed up that when we came to a mobile chip shop he said he wasn't going any further, he was just going to get something from there whatever it was, and that was final. The conversation then went: Andrew: Could I have chips and peas please. Chipgirl: No peas left. Andrew: Alright, chips and beans then. Chipgirl: No beans either. Andrew: Well what have you got that's vegetarian? Chipgirl: Nothing. The chips are done in beef fat. Well, it made me smile. Anyway we plodded desperately on to the next hotel, the Killin Hotel, where we got a veg curry. Then a pint or two in the Creagard Hotel & the Falls of Dochart Hotel.