Glen Falloch peaks

Peaks: Beinn a'Chroin, An Caisteal

Area: Crianlarich, Scotland

With time and leave at my disposal, but few options in terms of getting away, I had been keeping a close eye on the weather. My plan was to head to Shetland, to fill an obvious interesting 'staycation' gap while I had the chance. However, the weather was looking better and better in the Western Highlands, to the point that it became essential to head up there instead. A rough plan was quickly hatched, and I headed off the morning after having my second pfizer jab. Less than 24 hours after that jab I was parked up at Crianlarich and heading up Glen Falloch in beautiful warm early afternoon sunshine (after coffee and baguette on the shores of Loch Lomond). I stopped off here en route to Skye three years ago, but abandoned my climb of An Caisteal in a thunderstorm. Today, I missed the path for An Caisteal and headed to the end of the valley towards Beinn a'Chroin instead. The top of the valley was pleasant in the sunshine, very green with babbling streams coming down from the upper corries and the two munros rising above. The path up Chroin was nice, steep initially, then weaving along a broad ridge to a forepeak which the path skirted. A little rocky section then leads up to another summit, which puzzlingly looked slightly lower than the forepeak: indeed, there are perhaps four distinct mini-peaks along the ridge. It seems this is a long-running controversy, which of the Chroin peaks is highest? It transpires that it is indeed the one I was on. I relaxed for a while, enjoying picking out the peaks in this region which are all distinctive and almost all of which I've done - Ben More, Cruach Ardrain, Ben Lui and the like. The descent to An Caisteal is surprisingly rocky and steep but I still enjoyed it, along with another rocky ascent up to the summit of An Caisteal, another munro. The long ridge back west over Sron Garbh was also excellent, superb views in front and up to Ben Nevis and the Mamores. I was a bit tired towards the bottom, which may have been the jab (all day I felt a little sluggish, perhaps 80%, and was certainly slower than usual: 3.06 for the round). I then had plenty of time for a river bath, the fish and chips in Tyndrum, before continuing to a car bivouac at Lochailort station.