[Trip Index] [Munro Index] [Home] 26th May 2003   Stob Diamh Ben Cruachan Map I parked the car on a narrow strip of ground by the road, just past the Ben Cruachan Visitor Centre and set off 9.50. Usual hunt round the power station looking for the right start point and then a proper start at 10.10, over the railway line and up through moderately steep woodland. I was following a path along the left-hand side of a stream but when I saw a couple making their way up on the other side of the glen I decided to cross over and follow them. After a while I emerged from the woods and continued along a path, through grass, until I came to an access track which took me up as far as the dam. The early stage of the path to Ben Cruachan The Cruachan reservoir The cloud was yet again low on the hills but it stayed dry as I followed the path up the southern ridge of the mountain, eventually reaching the summit of Stob Diamh at 12.35. Some round rocks, grass and a cairn. The couple were there too. They left before me but were to take the wrong route in the cloud so I found myself ahead of them again further along the ridge. At the summit of Stob Diamh Having read of the possibility of going wrong here I took care with the compass and made my way along the long ridge towards Ben Cruachan. There was more grass and stone but a definite path and the cloud did clear from time to time to reveal glimpses of the way ahead and Loch Awe below. I came to a vertical drop at one point on the ridge but it was easy enough to backtrack a bit and find a way past on the left. Other than that it was all pretty straightforward though quite a distance - would be a great walk if there was no cloud around you. I got to the top of Ben Cruachan at 2.40 - a small cairn and a broken trig point column. Some glimpses of views through the occasional break in the cloud. The couple turned up again and took my picture, as they had also done at the top of Stob Diamh. Ben Cruachan On the summit I also chatted to a solo climber who was munro-bagging - he was on his 120th so he was 8 ahead of me. Another two blokes turned up while we were munching snacks and comparing hills. The couple now started back down and I left 5 minutes later, followed by the 2 blokes and then the munro-bagger. Heading south I descended to a col from where a path led down towards a track by the reservoir. I'd read that it was a couple of kilometres shorter to carry on over the last 'top', however, and that was the way the couple had gone. It didn't look too bad so I followed them, but looking back I saw the 2 blokes and the munro-bagger all turning downhill. I soon got to the 'top' and after that the path came and went but I was out of cloud and could see where I was going now so I just yomped across to join the construction track by the western side of the dam. I got there ahead of the downill trekkers and then just followed the path back to the car (5.05)