Looking towards Loch Ness during the descent from Meall Fuar-mhonaidh
GrahamsMeall Fuar-mhonaidh and Glas-bheinn Mhor
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Other hillsNone
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BothiesNone though I could see a building at the end of a track to the northwest that could be worth investigating.
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Distance/Ascent14km 777m
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Estimated time7h 30 mins
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NotesThe pottery near the start provides beverages and cakes and is very welcoming.
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14 July 2024
I had been suffering from some knee pain and stiffness as well as a pain at the top of my calf. My left leg was fine! It meant that I was not sure if I would do both of the peaks. The forecast was for a very low/almost zero chance of rain. I woke up at around 5 a.m. without an alarm and set off up the hill a little before 8 a.m. The drive took a little over 90 minutes. Meall Fuar-mhonaidh was covered in cloud.
The route ahead is clear. It passes pleasantly through woodland before reaching more open heathland, where I saw some stonechat. Unfortunately, I did not have my 300mm lens on me but I still framed a male stonechat perched at the tip of a leafless branch. Having a background of the hillside would have meant that it would have made a great photograph. Maybe I will take my boys there to just do Meall Fuar-mhonaidh and take a telephoto lens, though the chances are, I will not get the same opportunity.
There were some deer stalking signs saying that the cull starts on the 1st July and politely asking to stick to the paths. I was aware that the second hill very much involves going off the paths, but this was a Sunday and there is no shooting of the deer on Sundays. To be honest, it would not have stopped me anyway!
I spent quite a lot of time on the summit, setting up the tripod for some 12 second selfies as the sun tried to break though the mist. Then a slice of pizza for elevenses.
It was early and I was feeling fine so I continued down the SW ridge and on to Glas-bheinn Mhor. The route was pathless with occasional signs of Argocat tracks from stalking parties. In places it was a bit squelchy but never too bad. Meall Fuar-mhonaidh may be the more significant hill but it is Glas-bheinn Mhor that was given a trig point. My GPS suggested that I was 72 metres off the summit and I explored the other high points. I concluded that the trig point is at the highest point. Maybe, the coordinates were not entered accurately?
The weather was clearing and I was really enjoying the pleasant warmth and only the slightest of breezes, so I lingered for some time before carefully heading towards the north-east end of Loch Nam Breac Dearga. Most people drop to the loch and head for the gap SE of Nighean A'Mhill, but I remained about 20m above the loch and headed for the gap between Nighean A'Mhill and Mac A'Mhill before contouring round. Many do a rising traverse to the north-east ridge of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, but I did minimal re-ascent to join the path. While my painful knee was never excruciating and came and went, it acted as a reminder to be careful, generally dropping down steps onto my left leg. The benefits of walking poles are debatable but I was definitely appreciative of my wife's present on this occasion. If my one was to "go", at least I would have some support from the poles.
My camera has double card slots and the one that I save to in DNG format was back home in my MacBook so I only have the jpgs on the second card with less dynamic range, but the photos are still fine for my purposes here.
The route ahead is clear. It passes pleasantly through woodland before reaching more open heathland, where I saw some stonechat. Unfortunately, I did not have my 300mm lens on me but I still framed a male stonechat perched at the tip of a leafless branch. Having a background of the hillside would have meant that it would have made a great photograph. Maybe I will take my boys there to just do Meall Fuar-mhonaidh and take a telephoto lens, though the chances are, I will not get the same opportunity.
There were some deer stalking signs saying that the cull starts on the 1st July and politely asking to stick to the paths. I was aware that the second hill very much involves going off the paths, but this was a Sunday and there is no shooting of the deer on Sundays. To be honest, it would not have stopped me anyway!
I spent quite a lot of time on the summit, setting up the tripod for some 12 second selfies as the sun tried to break though the mist. Then a slice of pizza for elevenses.
It was early and I was feeling fine so I continued down the SW ridge and on to Glas-bheinn Mhor. The route was pathless with occasional signs of Argocat tracks from stalking parties. In places it was a bit squelchy but never too bad. Meall Fuar-mhonaidh may be the more significant hill but it is Glas-bheinn Mhor that was given a trig point. My GPS suggested that I was 72 metres off the summit and I explored the other high points. I concluded that the trig point is at the highest point. Maybe, the coordinates were not entered accurately?
The weather was clearing and I was really enjoying the pleasant warmth and only the slightest of breezes, so I lingered for some time before carefully heading towards the north-east end of Loch Nam Breac Dearga. Most people drop to the loch and head for the gap SE of Nighean A'Mhill, but I remained about 20m above the loch and headed for the gap between Nighean A'Mhill and Mac A'Mhill before contouring round. Many do a rising traverse to the north-east ridge of Meall Fuar-mhonaidh, but I did minimal re-ascent to join the path. While my painful knee was never excruciating and came and went, it acted as a reminder to be careful, generally dropping down steps onto my left leg. The benefits of walking poles are debatable but I was definitely appreciative of my wife's present on this occasion. If my one was to "go", at least I would have some support from the poles.
My camera has double card slots and the one that I save to in DNG format was back home in my MacBook so I only have the jpgs on the second card with less dynamic range, but the photos are still fine for my purposes here.
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Footnote
I saw a common lizard and it shed its tail while I tried to reposition it to photograph it. They do this as the tail wriggles and writhes to distract a predator with the lizard itself remaining motionless. I felt bad about this, but I know that it grows its tail back. The biology of it is interesting in that it sacrifices its tail to improve its chances of survival.
I have handled larger lizards without this happening so whether the tendency to do this decreases with age, I do not know.
I have handled larger lizards without this happening so whether the tendency to do this decreases with age, I do not know.