Meall nan Tarmachan

Statistics

Area: Glen Lyon to Glen Dochart and Loch Tay

Munro: Meall nan Tarmachan

Date walked: 30/09/2008

Time taken:2 hours 30 minutes

Distance: 7.5 km

Ascent: 800m

Introduction

Meall nan Tarmachan is a single Munro summit on the exciting Tarmachan ridge which lies 4km due North of killin and Across Lochan na Lairige from the famous Ben Lawers range of hills.

The Walk

Today I was going to do something quite different. I chucked the canoe onto the roof of the car with the intention of canoeing on Lochan na Lairige in Glen Lyon then walking the Munro Meall nan Tarmachan.

So I drove to Killin and then took the A827 North East along the banks of Loch Tay for 5km and then turned off the main road taking the forest road North as it climbs and bends up to the old, now gone, Ben Lawers visitors centre. This is the starting point for Beinn Ghlas and Ben Lawers walk but that was being saved for another day. I continued driving along the road avoiding the sheep where necessary for another 3.5km to the end of Lochan na Lairige and turned down the steep track to the head of the Loch. The underfoot conditions were quite dry although it was a bit overcast at the time. There was a light wind blowing which was enough to cause a few bumps in the loch and would provide some entertainment whilst I canoed around.

So I put the canoe into the water and climb in. For the next 60 minutes or so I enjoy paddling back and forth and getting a good all body work out. It’s now time to leave the water and get on with the walk.

Now the vast majority of walkers, in fact probably all walkers, will start and finish the walk up Meall nan Tarmachan within 0.5km of the now gone visitors centre. But I was going to walk it from the head of the Lochan. So with boots on, I head Firstly North on the pathless terrain from the head of the Lochan for 100m following the fence line as it climbs the hillside. Then East climbing steeply ascending 150 meters or so. The fence line, with a 6ft high fence, then heads South and I follow it over Creag an Lochan. There are two high styles approximately 1km apart and I climb over the second style to get to the other side of the fence onto some flattish boggy ground. It’s now an easy enough ascent of 200m to the summit of Meall nan Tarmachan. The summit is a bit clagged in with no views so I retrace my steps back to the car at the Lochan.

As I said most if not all walkers walk this Munro from just past the old visitor center and usually do a traverse of the Tarmachan ridge. That walk is on my agenda for a future visit.