Beinn Mholach and Meall na Leitreach

Munros

None

Corbetts

Beinn Mholach
Meall na Leitreach

Grahams

None

Bothies

Duinish (Non MBA)

Distance/Ascent

Morning    8km     454m
Afternoon 10km   387m

Estimated Time

Morning: 3h 00min
Afternoon: 3h 30min

Notes

Cycle along the good track down the west shore of Loch Garry. It is questionable as to whether it is worth taking the bike beyond the end of the track to Duinish. It may depend on the conditions and your biking skills. Two nights in the bothy. Beinn Mholach in the morning followed by lunch at the bothy and Meall na Leitreach in the afternoon.

Start

Ample parking at Dalnaspidal

17-19 April 2015

Having popped in to see Alanna and Rob in Bonnybridge, I was late heading off for Dunish bothy. The bothy is well hidden amoungst the mounds of moraine. The pictures I had seen of it showed a collapsing roof. This has now been removed providing a lot of firewood. I pushed three wooden benches together to form a bed. I woke up to a perfect sunny morning.
After a boil-in-the-pouch all day breakfast, I headed up the morning's hill, Beinn Mholach. There were tyre tracks to follow much of the way and a couple of patches of snow to cross. There were a series of false summits but there was no doubt as to where the summit was due to both a trig-point and one of the Highland's largest cairns.
This hill may lack dramatic corries and steep crags but it has a feeling of remoteness and provides fantastic views south to the Ben Lawers group and the Tarmachan Ridge, sweeping round to the Black Mount, Glencoe hills and The Ben.
It was an easy walk back down to the bothy for tomato soup before heading out to Meall na Leitreach in the afternoon.
The ascent of Meall na Leitreach is not very interesting but it was nice to look back at Beinn Mholach and the bothy tucked away in the morraine.
I stopped for a Kit-Kat next to an attractive lochan (Loch Meall na Leitreach) before heading for the summit.
The summit gives good views of the Sgairneach Mhor, the Sow of Atholl and northwards up the Drummochter Pass. I climbed the Sow of Atholl and Sgairneach Mhor with my son, Thomas and his cousin Vladyk in July 2012 and it was good to view our route from this vantage point. That was the day after Thomas' 7th birthday. He did well to complete the route in slightly inclement weather.
The summit is marked by a small cairn, shown here with Schiehallion beyond.
Part of the wilderness experience is to eat my evening meal (Chilli Con Carne) in front of the bothy fire.
I woke up Sunday to another glorious morning. A very tame grouse seemed curious about me or maybe he was trying to distract me from the nest?
It was a pleasant bike ride back to Dalnaspidal via the well constructed bridge over the burn. I met firstly a woman running out to Beinn Mholoach and then Stob an Aonaich Mhoir. I gave her my printed laminated map as she only had her GPS. Further on I chatted with two fishermen, who were fishing for arctic charr which they were then going to use to as deadbait to catch some of the big trout found in the loch.