Weather/Conditions: Warm in the valleys, and breezier higher up - blue skies and sun all day and amazing visibility! A real quality summer day.
Distance/Ascent/Time: 12.2km / 1000m / 5h 45m
Accompanying: Dougie Blyth

With the Ben Cruachan Horseshoe climbed the previous day (Saturday), Sunday was the designated going home day. But with such superb weather across the Highlands, I didn't want to go straight home - Dougie and I decided to go for Cruach Ardrain above Crianlarich, before taking the evening train home.

So we didn't have too much time to spare, because neither of us owns a car. Cruach Ardrain is the only hill you can reasonably climb straight from Crianlarich itself, so we dumped our excess baggage behind the Youth Hostel and set off up the forestry tracks. It was a very hot day, but not as bad as in the morning, perhaps. I hadn't been up the forestry route in about a year and was glad to find that I still remembered the route.

We climbed the long metres onto Grey Height and then worked up towards Meall Dhamh. While it took considerable effort to reach, we still had another 200 metres to go until Cruach Ardrain!

The two resounding features of this trip were firstly the weather, but also the amount of time spent talking about the upcoming High Tatra trip. The mountaineering club has organised a week in this range and most time ended up being spent talking about what we're going to do on the holiday... And I can't wait! Also talk of other mountain ranges too, in the future, maybe.

But the weather was so good - one of those brilliant days that I now associate with being high on the hills in the Southern Highlands. It's so worth it.

Anyway, it was an easy going day. Nothing hard, just a quick jaunt up and down a hill... We headed down to Crianlarich, initially a bit edgy about making the train in time, but reaching the bottom in perfect time. I was lying down on the station platform and Dougie sneaks away... Five minutes later I hear the clink-clink of bottles and the legend of a man had brought two bottles of Millers which were promptly drunk on the train! Legend!

What an awesome day.

Accommodation!

Going Up

...and Down

Panoramas

Cruach Ardrain 90° SW - Ben Lomond, West Crianlarich Hills, Glen Fyne and Beinn Buidhe


Cruach Ardrain 90° NW - Tyndrum Hills, Etive Hills, Strath Fillan, Bridge of Orchy Hills, Breadalbane


Cruach Ardrain 90° NE - Breadalbane, Ben More and Stob Binnein


Cruach Ardrain 90° SE - Loch Earn area, Ben Ledi, Balquhidder, Campsie Fells, Loch Lomond