Meall Glas and Sgiath Chuil Route Information

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Meall Glas & Sgiath Chuil

Quick Facts

This is the summed total of all the climbing within a route and is a good indicator of the strenuousness of a route.

Total Ascent

1270 m

An estimate of the time taken based on a derivation of Naismiths rules. Our calculation is based on the horizontal and ascent components of a climb, we do not make a reduction for descent.

Registered users can customise these walking times by specifying their own walking and ascending speeds. They can also add a fixed time period for stoppages.

Route Time

5.5 hrs

The horizontal distance of the route.

Route Distance

15.36 km

The UK is covered by 204 Ordnance Survey Landranger 1:50,000 scale maps. Maps numbered 1 to 86 cover Scotland but for the highest mountains (Munros) only 23 maps are required. The name given roughly describes the area covered by the map.

You can click on the map name to purchase the map for £6.29 including postage which is one of the cheapest prices we have found.

OS Landranger Maps Required

51	Loch Tay & Glen Dochart

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A brief summary of this route.

Our summary will always contain one of easy, moderate or hard to indicate the severity of the route.

Notes

Relatively long route on grass and heather, but no crags.

Here we provide the nearest town to the start of the route where you will find basic services.

We then give directions from that location to the route start. Your approach route may differ.

Travel Information

Head to: Crianlarich

From Crianlarich (A85) travel E 7.5km to Auchessan.

Route Waypoint Map

The total ascent is 1,270 metres. Allow 5.5 hours to complete this 15.36 km route.

In winter months please check the local snow conditions at sais.gov.uk.

The hillphones service can inform you of stalking activities in the area.

Usually the shortest way to climb the mountain, making best use of tracks and paths to gain altitude. Route navigation requires map reading skills and an ability to navigate with a compass.

The information given here will enable you to annotate your map and plan your route. We do not give anecdotal descriptions on where to find the paths, worn by the feet of previous mountaineers.

Where the access routes are few or the ridge is narrow, paths are generally obvious. On open ground, following paths without using your compass may get you lost in poor visibility.

Route Information

Waypoint Detail

	Start at junction of A85 and minor road to Auchessan
		NN44782755	Distance	Altitude 170 m

1	Follow road through farm then ascend N on path by Allt Essan to Creag nan Ean
		NN44432943	Distance 2.03 km	Altitude 395 m

2	Continue N turning NW to ascend through crags near the Allt Coire nam Moine
		NN43593185	Distance 2.63 km	Altitude 810 m

3	Countinue NW to the summit of Meall Glas
		NN43123222	Distance 0.63 km	Altitude 959 m

4	Descend E to ridge and continue to minor top (908m)
		NN44143228	Distance 1.02 km	Altitude 908 m

5	Bear NE to summit of Beinn Cheathaich
		NN44393266	Distance 0.46 km	Altitude 937 m

6	Descend N for 380m
		NN44403303	Distance 0.38 km	Altitude 840 m

7	Bear SE and descend to bealach
		NN45483252	Distance 1.50 km	Altitude 610 m

8	Ascend ESE on steeper slopes of Meall a' Churain
		NN46273228	Distance 0.85 km	Altitude 890 m

9	Bear S and ascend Sgiath Chuil
		NN46293182	Distance 0.70 km	Altitude 921 m

10	Descend S towards Sgiath Chrom
		NN46323157	Distance 0.30 km	Altitude 830 m

11	Descend SW towards Creag nan Uan to return to ascent route.
		NN44782755	Distance 4.86 km	Altitude 170 m

A selection of weather forecasts local to this route.

Weather

West Highlands
by MWIS (PDF format)

West Highlands
by Met Office

Ben Oss
by Metcheck

Images of Meall Glas & Sgiath Chuil

Meall Glas (left) and Sgiath Chuil (right) taken from Beinn Heasgarnich 19/4/08

Image by Colin Fridge

Taken on the 24.2.06, near the summit of Sgiath Chuil, weather looks okay, but wind was gusting to about 40mph and it was very hard to stay on my feet, very cold but enjoyed the day anyway.

Image by Kevin Kirkwood

Sgiath Chuill on a reasonable winter day...cold winds stunning views worth it!!!! 06 feb 2008

Image by Dougie Mccoll

Sgiath Chuil from the ridge N of Beinn Cheathaich.

Image by Peter Burgess

Route Area Map

Legend

Munro

Corbett

Graham

English/Welsh Top

Accommodation

A selection of local accommodation options who advertise with Munromagic.com.

Where to Stay

We currently have no
sponsored accommodation listings for this area.

Rating & Reviews

Rating & Reviews

Rated:

from 7 votes

Click Stars to Vote
Your Rating

Written by Roger Green on 19 Aug 2010:

I completed this route mid August 2010 and didn't have any real problems. It was muddy and boggy but didn't seem especially bad and I found a route through all bogs without having to slow down. I deviated slightly to the West (half a mile or so) at points 2 and 3 which helped avoid some patches. More of a concern were the large vertical sided holes in the boggy sections 6 feet deep - I would not like to have fallen in! A patchy and faint path did exist but could be safely ignored. Route finding wasn't too tricky. The intimidating farm dog skulked off when shown my walking pole!

Written by Sc Joss on 02 Jun 2010:

Did this from the Glen lochay side instead. would recommend this as a less boggy option. The descent and re-ascent between the two is still depressingly large though and bear in mind unless you aim specifically for the bridges, you will have to ford the (shallow) river.

Written by Adam Rixon on 22 Feb 2010:

The one piece of advice I would give above anything else for this route is - do it in the winter when the ground is frozen!!! (Or at the end of a dry summer). The first 500m of ascent above Auchessan is basically over / through tussocky bog after the initial path peters out. This was a slog in totally frozen conditions - it would be unremittingly awful in normal weather. The same applies to the very boggy bealach between the hills. The snow and ice also adds some character to what are two fairly uninspiring Munros, and it made for fantastic glissades on the descent!

Written by John Gilchrist on 15 Jul 2009:

The path in the higher reaches is indistinct, disappears in places; leads you through the most awful boggy ground in others. Not a route to be undertaken in poor visibilty unless your navigation is up to scratch. Stunning views of Ben More and Cruach Ardrain on descent, though. Have to admit, kept asking myself why I didn't opt for one of these two instead! Baggers only IMHO, I'm afraid.

Written by Mike Watson on 13 Aug 2006:

Did the circuit on a gloriously sunny day. Little in the way of bogs (dry summer) and stupendous views! Deer fencing lower down as they are regenerating the woodland with Scots pine. Watch out for the over-enthusiastic dog at the farm!

Disclaimer. The details provided above are an aid to planning an expedition, but all distances, altitudes and bearings must be considered approximate. You must navigate with the appropriate map, a compass, your navigation skills and common sense, MunroMagic.com accept no responsibility for your interpretation of our route information.

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