This Fiona offered two very different experiences with the walking on the lower part of Meall a’ Chrathaich on wide, gently ascending tracks and the upper section on steep, rugged and boggy terrain with zero paths. While lower down was quite warm with a breeze at times, higher up the weather seemed to come from an entirely different season. It was cold, fiercely windy and chilly.
Start to summit: Meall a’ Chrathaich
The walk starts from Bhlaraidh, just off the A877 in Glen Moriston. There are other options for start points to the north east and north west but Glen Moriston made sense to me due to the straightforward drive from my home near Inverness and the plentiful tracks through Bhlaraidh Wind Farm.
However, to reach the start at Bhlaraidh, I needed to park some 800m further west along the road and then walk back on the grass verge. It is a busy road so caution is required.
Once away from the main road, the terrain is immediately a rough track that heads past a few houses. A short way north, I faced a gate with a tall stile to the side. The stile on the north side has a loose step, which threw me a little.
I continued north again, with woodland either side, for around another kilometre, before coming to a T junction and a wide windfarm track. I turned left and progressed fairly gently uphill and deeper into the wind farm.
Unusually for a hike in Scotland, signs marked the elevations of 200m and then 400m at the side of the track as I continued northwards. The signs are obviously part of the windfarm.
As I walked on the wide network of windfarm trails, mostly serving the huge wind turbines, I kept an eye on my map to ensure I took the right turns at various junctions.
I completed my chosen route as an anticlockwise lollipop, although it would be perfectly reasonable to go clockwise. I also considered doing an out-and-back route, which would have been the shortest way to reach the summit of this Fiona, but once I was on the top, I changed my mind to complete a circuit.
The track took me closer to Loch a’ Chrathaich and then, after passing the furthest north turbine on my outward route, I needed to leave the smooth wide track behind to head on to the rugged terrain. It was immediately obvious that the easier strolling would be replaced with tough hiking uphill.
My feet became wet in the muddy bog and the thick vegetation made hiking slow and arduous at times. To start with, I was still relatively sheltered from the full force of the wind but from around 600m elevation it suddenly became a struggle to walk on into the winds.
I was buffeted hard several times and had to stop, steady myself and then walk on. I was grateful for my hiking poles for balance and plenty of clothing layers for warmth.
Thankfully, it wasn’t long before I reached the trig pillar at 679m elevation. Taking a photo wasn’t easy because the wind was so strong and I didn’t spend much time looking around me.
Summit to finish: Completing the loop
Rather than retrace my steps, I decided head south off the mountain. I could see this would be a shorter option to reach the easier-going windfarm tracks again and with the wind now a little more behind me and less frantic, it made sense to walk off the Fiona this way.
The landscape was quite steep and uneven with more boggy sections but it didn’t take long to reach the windfarm tracks to the southwest.
Again, I needed to keep an eye on the route finding at various track junctions. The windfarm tracks are created to serve the turbines, rather than to aid walkers.
A lower elevation, I found myself passing the edge of Loch Liath and walking on to a less manufactured track; the sort of farm-style track tat I am more familiar with in Scotland.
I continued south-east and into a more wooded area, passing Bhlaraidh Reservoir and its dam. Eventually, I reached the same track that I’d ascended from the road and returned back downhill. I was more wary of the stile as I climbed over it again and made my way back to the road and along the verge.
I had seen no other walkers on the entire route, although I did pass a few windfarm workers in vehicles.
This is not the prettiest of walks due to the windfarm but it did offer a mostly straightforward outing. I also enjoyed the views of the autumnal vegetation. My moving time was less than four hours because I walked briskly uphill and jogged downhill.
The details: Meall a’ Chrathaich, Glen Moriston
Distance: 20.5km
Total ascent: 890m
Note: It’s also possible to add the neighbouring Fiona, Càrn Mhic an Toisich from Glen Moriston, to the route although I had previously completed this as a separate walk.