Meall na Fearna: A bit of an epic....

[Clova]

TRIP REPORT: Show trip details

MORE REPORTS: View all trip reports by this author

---

Hills climbed: Meall Fearna (alder hill)
Date Saturday 23rd June 07
Attendees: Clova and pal Rosemary
Time taken:6 hrs 30
Distance: 13km
Ascent: 660m
Weather: Started muggy, progressed to rain, hail, thunder & lightning,followed by sunshine!


We won’t forget this day in a hurry! Started off badly when a bit fell off the undercarriage of the car as
we drove through Callander – seemed to be a sort of bracket/caseing thing which didn’t seem to be
needed so, as we couldn’t find a garage man to look at it, we decided to push on.

Arrived at Ardvorlich on the south side of Loch Earn with no more problems and set off at 11.30am.
The hordes of fishermen were already set up with their wee tents etc along the lochside but how they
could stand the midges I don’t know! It was very muggy and clammy as we dripped in a cloud of
Skin-So-Soft fumes up the path which is the same one you take for Ben Vorlich.

Looking up the path towards Ben Vorlich with its head in the clouds

We arrived at the fork in the path where we took the left hand fork along a grassy path by the rather
hefty burn.


The fork in the track where you go left

It was in spate – no surprize given the weather we’ve had this week. We had a wee bit of difficulty
fording 2 of the burns but got across without wet feet. If only we’d known what was ahead of us we’d
have turned back there and then.

We carried on up the path which came out of the trees and climbed gradually up towards the col
between Ben Vorlich and Meall Fearna. Ben Vorlich was passing in and out of view through the clouds
and finally there seemed to be a breeze for which we were truly grateful.

Looking back toward Loch Earn

The path became a bog and disappeared from time to time. We stopped to put the waterproofs on as
the rain started. 10 minutes later we stopped to take the waterproofs off as the rain stopped and we
were melting. Bummer, just one of those sort of days. We came to a fork except we didn’t realise it
was a fork at the time and blissfully plodded on taking the left hand branch. For future reference
we now know from the descent that at this fork (NN635202) at a height of 485m, we should have gone
straight on. There’s even a post to mark the way! And a big boulder to the right is another good landmark..

This is the way we should have gone. Ben Vorlich on right.


This is the way we actually went and had to cut back across grass to the exreme right on the skyline

Anyway for once we realised after about 10 minutes that we were going the wrong way and cut back
over the rather sodden hummocky grass to get back on track. Except we never got onto the track which
seemed to have been swallowed up into the mire. Anyway, as we could see the ridge rising ahead of
us, we decided to forget about getting to the col and just cut across the hillside over numerous swollen
little burns thundering down. The flowers were covering the hillside in great profusion – particularly
butterwort and milkwort. I got the following 2 pictures from www.botanicalkeys.co.uk/flora/ which is a
good site to help you identify wildflowers.

Butterwort

Milkwort

Anyway, I digress....Finally we arrived back onto our route (good old GPS!) and reached a knoll at
715m, west and just north from the summit.


The wet grassy slopes leading up to the knoll on the centre left skyline


The narrow SE ridge of Ben Vorlich from slopes of Meall na Fearna

The SE ridge of Ben Vorlich looked fantastic but for some reason our summit was half concealed in
mist. As it loomed up it looked miles away ( funny how mist does that). Our spirits plummeted as we
surveyed the mass of peat bog below our wee knoll heading across to the steep rise to the summit. No
sign of a path. Just at that point the hail started belting down. We stopped to put the waterproofs on.
Then dropped down towards the bog but soon decided this might be a good time to refuel so we
got out the bothy bag and quickly were ensconced in the dry. Thank god we brought it today!

10 minutes later the rain stopped and suitably refreshed we carried on across the peat hags for half
a kilometre to the foot of the wee steep bit. There were a few deer hinds on the horizon and then one
rushed across right in front of us. If only we could move as easily and gracefully as that! Then the
lightning started, followed shortly after by an almighty clap of thunder. Yikes, that gave us a bit of
a fright. Now what? The summit was only about 50m of climbing straight ahead of us. We really
didn’t want to have to come back here ever again so decided to quickly get to the top and back down
again as fast as possible. Rosemary worked out that the storm was passing away from us by
counting the time betweeen the flashes and the thunderclaps so we felt a little bit reassured that we
would be ok.

We gasped up to the tiny summit cairn and immediately turned and headed back down to the bog.
No time for summit pictures I'm afraid! The conversation was about what’s the correct ratio now
for CPR (15:2?) and if I’m struck by lightning my phone’s in the rucksack! The flashes and rumbles of
thunder continued for about 30mins which was pretty frightening.

As we rushed as fast as possible across the flat boggy bit Rosemary stepped in a particularly wet
bit and was immediately up to her thighs in the sucking bog. Luckily there was a high heather bank right
beside her and with great difficulty she managed to pull herself out, without losing her boots, but
straining her calf muscle a bit as she did so. It’s a good thing it wasn’t me because given my height I
would have been waist deep in it. Just as well she had her waterproof trousers on as well because
she was in a right mess All the time the thunder was rumbling overhead and the rain was
coming down.

Rosemary after she extricated herself from the bog:the summit of Meall na Fearna behind her

Eventually we reached the other side of the knoll and could see the way back quite clearly. The rain
eased off although the whole grassy hillside was now just a mass of water. Finally the sun came
out and the air was clear and cooler. The birds, which had been lacking in evidence on the way up
(maybe they knew what was coming?) now were out and swooping around in the sunshine –
mostly pipits and wheatears it seemed. We found the path coming down from the col (if you can
call it a path )

"The path"

And followed it back to the fork with the post mentioned earlier. Here we stopped and peeled off the
waterproofs again and sat in the sun by the big boulder for a well-earned break.

At the boulder, ridge to Ben Vorlich behind


The raging burn near the boulder


Rosemary dries out in the sun...can you see the steam rising?

We thought we were passed the worst but when we reached the first of the burns crossing the path
we realised more excitement was to come. The burn was a raging torrent of thundering brown and
white water with no obvious way across. After 20 minutes of searching for a crossing up
and down the burn we came back to where it crossed the path. Just below this there was a possibility.
Rosemary managed to struggle across but with my shorter legs I was stuck, as with one slip I
would have been swept down over a wee waterfall into the torrent. I’m not exagerating here -
it was pretty awful. And of course as we pondered what to do, the midges were having a feast.

We were thinking we’d have to sit it out till the water level dropped or I would have to fight my way
down the other side of the burn through pretty horrible terrain, but there was another burn rushing in
on the right as well which I would have to get across. Anyway after about half an hour I managed to
get across over the ford at the path with Rosemary on the other side to haul me over. The water
was over my knees and the pull of it was incredible. What a relief! With adrenalin still pumping
we carried on down the grassy path. The second burn crossing was easier as the burn split just below
the path. We were still in over our knees getting across it though.

We got back to the car pretty much soaked to the skin. Loch Earn shimmered peacefully in
the sunshine and the fishermen were still placidly enjoying the tranquil scene. They had no idea
what we’d been through!

After a complete change of clothes it was off to the pub at Strathayre where Rosemary swiftly
downed a whisky and ginger (good for shock, she said!) Sadly, being the driver I had to
make do with a shandy. We decided we should never have said this morning that this was a
bit of a boring hill! It certainly took its revenge on us.

[Schiehallion]

OMG Sheila! Bit of an exciting day! Glad you're both in one piece. Will avoid that one unless its been dry for a wee while.

Pity you couldn't find a garage man..... mmmmm, blue boiler suits and steel toe cap boots Ahhhhh....

[Irene]

What an adventure! That is certainly one day never to forget.

[ChrisM]

Blimey! What a trip.

I've never been on the hill during a thunderstorm and I don't wanna either!

Thanks for the report.
_________________

[Clova]

[tiz]

Well you have a fantastic if not traumatic memory of today Shelia. Lightening is err great fun on the hill. Walking with my wife back down from Scafell Pike lightening saved the day. It managed to get my wife down the hill after throwing a right paddy. The ground was sort of humming.

[ben-y-hill]

who says hill walking gets the stress out of you?!

you're supposed to sit on your ruck sack I believe to get you off the ground and reduce the chance of a strike. I'm impressed people were out given the weather this weekend. I read on a BBC web site that a couple of people in Edinburgh witnessed a cloud starting to form a funnel from its base over the city at some point. This was then followed by torrential rain and the 'funnel' disappeared. Sounds like it had an idea in its head to form a tornado!

[L111CHT]

i got caught in a lightning/thunder storm on lochnagar once, was quite surreal, you could definitely feel the buzz in the air.

but last year on holiday in Bulgaria we witnessed the mother of all electrical storms. thunder claps and lightning like a blimmin disco strobe for 12 hours non stop. part of the hotel's roof was demolished and about a foot and a half of water flooded the local shops. i don't scare easily but that night i never slept a wink....

[kathy]

I remember thinking this would be a boggy hole! Terry and I did this one in the winter....and took exactly the same route as you! Unfortunately we didn't notice until late on and had rather a long trek to the actual summit.
Did you pack fresh underwear? I would have needed it after such a trip . Nicely done!!!

[Clova]

[Finbad]

sounds like a fair adventure. Is a whiskey and ginger the same as a whisky mac? Every time I tell my boss that I'm off walking he sugests a whisky mac afterwards.

[Clova]

[tombuidhe]

He He !!

Good report Sheila ! Sounds like you had great fun up on Fearna

A worthwhile alternative approach to Fearna is from lonely Glen Artney to the south. This is the way we climbed her back in 2002.

[Ally]

What a good read. I was up Ben Vorlich & Stuc a` Chroin in the that heatwave we had back in late April, despite falling over a rock on the summit of the latter, gashing my shin, loosing my watch (wich meant i had to re-climb the stuc` from the Bealach an dubh Choirein to get it) twas a great day out on my jacksy .

[Aultguish]

Great report, I read it before doing the hill on Tuesday and following your picci of the first left fork I got that one right. After crossing the burns you talked about I plodded on and I also missed that post and took the left path, (I should have paid more attention to your report). So just headed upwards.
And yep the "Peat Bogs" what a nightmare they were as it had been raining hard recently. Took ages to get across to the hill.

Instead of going back to the Haggs I just headed straight down Fearna to the path which was much easier going.
_________________
Cam of the Aultguish