The Herald - The Herald Magazine
GARDENING
MEALL Corranaich and its northern neighbour Meall a’ Choire Leith are the poor cousins of the Ben Lawers group, the ugly sisters that are hitched on to the round of the other more scenically attractive Breadalbane hills.
Straddling the watershed between Loch Tay and Glen Lyon, Meall Corranaich (3507ft/1069m) is often climbed along with Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers in a long horseshoe walk around Coire Odhar, the big open corrie that rises from the National Trust for Scotland car park on the Lochan na Lairige road. Meall a’ Choire Leith (3038ft/926m) on the other hand, is one of those rather awkward Munros, like Beinn Fhionnlaidh above Loch Mullardoch in the northern highlands, that sits out on an isolated limb, removed both geographically and in popularity from the busier summits.
While these have never been my favourite hills, I wanted to climb them again for a third tick in my Munros book and, as is so often the case, I had a curious, intuitive feeling that I might enjoy them more this time round. I had met my brother-in-law at the main car park and we drove along to a small parking spot at the north end of the Lochan na Lairige, just where the road begins to descend into Glen Lyon.
The waters of Lochan na Lairige were mirror-smooth as we climbed over the ridge into the head of Gleann Da-Eig then higher above the head of the glen towards Meall Corranaich’s south-west ridge. We had an easy walk round the head of Coire Gleann DaEig where a thin and delicate mist was shrouding the summit cone of Meall Corranaich. There are two cairns on the summit; the highest overlooks the hill’s north-east face and by the time we reached it the mist had become vapour-thin.
I had a real sense of expectancy, convinced the sun would suddenly burst through and we’d be cast into a world of intense colour, warmth and wide-ranging views, but it wasn’t to be. Instead, clouds swept in from the north, the luminous glow was extinguished in a shroud of grey and by the time we reached the ridge that separates Coire Gorm and Coire Liath just below Meall a’ Coire Leith we were swaddled in waterproofs.
Take care on the northern descent from Meall Corranaich for the main, wide ridge bisects and you should follow the eastern prong above Coire Liath. In poor visibility it’s very easy to continue innocently down the wrong ridge which misses the connection to the second Munro, Meall a’ Choire Leith.
We followed a well-worn path up the eastern slopes of the hill before crossing the summit plateau to the cairn. By now the clouds had cleared again and although the sun was still well muffled somewhere above us, the views were wide-ranging – across the gulf of Glen Lyon to Stuchd an Lochain and Meall Bhuidhe and beyond to the hills of Rannoch, the Carn Mairg group and Schiehallion and, closer at hand, the big, bluff summits of the Tarmachans.
As we descended the south-west slopes of Meall a’ Choire Leith, my recollections of how to get back to the car were dominated by memories of peat-bogs, swampy ground and endless stream crossings. Today, things couldn’t have been any easier. As a bonus the clouds cleared, the sun shone and by the time we reached the Lochan na Lairige road it was a fine day and the ugly sisters of the Ben Lawers range had been transformed into the belles of the ball.