The Hills Are Alive

March – April 2022

Ben Challum
An Caisteal
Beinn a’Chròin
Càrn na Caim
A’Bhuidheanach Bheag

Over the past few week we have managed to squeeze in a few Munro’s. Each has presented its very own weather outlook from hiking through deep snow to hiking in a hot, almost summer like kind of day.

Our first Munro was going to be Ben Challum. Ben Challum is part of the Glen Lochay Hills, located in the North of the Loch Lomand & Trossachs National Park.

We parked up in a layby not far from Kirkton Farm and followed the famous West Highland Way for a short while, which brought back amazing memories of our time spent hiking this trail.

Just after passing Kirkton Farm there’s an old cemetery as well as the ruins of St. Fillans Chapel.

Today felt like the beginning of summer never mind spring. Temperatures were above 10° with no wind which can only mean one thing – shorts!

We continued to climb up through a grassy field and not before long amazing views began to open up. The further up we went we began to see Ben Lui, Ben More and Stob Binnein.

This Munro gave a sense of feeling like you were in the middle of nowhere as it sat well back from where we had began our hike. It had felt like a relatively quick hike to reach its lofty top and we were soon on to its short ridge which descended briefly before we began climbing to the Munro summit.

From here views were good. After taking it all in we began our very quick decent down and we were back at the car early afternoon which felt pretty strange for us. This had been a fairly easy Munro but one which presented a fine hike.

Hope you enjoyed The Ben Challum video above 👆😍

Our next set of Munros were An Caisteal and Beinn a’Chròin – these Munro’s are situated in Crainlarich.

Summertime felt like it really was here today with temperatures hitting 17° which made these two Munro’s very pleasant indeed…I simply love hiking in heat.

With a ridge walk, a couple of small scrambly sections, spectacular views including those of Loch Lomand and Ben Nevis and even a lunchbreak at the top of Munro No2 in shorts and a T-shirt (its unheard off), I’d say these Munro’s were pretty rewarding giving us everything we could ask for.

Hope you enjoyed the An Caisteal and Beinn a’Chròin video above 👆💙🏔

Càrn na Caim and A’Bhuidheanach Bheag were next to conquer. Some say these Drumochter Munros can be slightly featureless, so we deliberately planned to walk these whilst there was still snow to give them a bit more character and make them slightly more difficult.

However, and very surprisingly actually, we were greeted with deep snow still laying at the tops. So with no sign of a track, we followed the fence posts, most of them partially buried in snow.

The walk took slightly longer than expected due to the snow being so soft and our feet suddenly and constantly disappearing through its deepness on almost every single footstep.