Hill: Meall Odhar
Date: Sunday 6th March 2011
Company: Myself, Kevin, Malcolm and Beinn
Time: 3Hrs 30Mins
Dog friendly: Yes

After consuming a sizeable breakfast at the Tyndrum Lodge Hotel this morning, Myself, Malcolm, Kevin and Beinn set off walking from the hotel towards Meall Odhar. Instead of tackling the normal route via Cononish, we opted to ascend Meall Odhar via the old lead mine track on Sron nan Colan.

Click here to see a map of the route undertaken

Tyndrum Lodge Hotel:


From the hotel we walked a short distance along the A82 towards Bridge of Orchy before turning left down a small road alongside a burn. From the end of this road we followed signs marked "cattle creep".

Cattle creep under railway line:


Once through the cattle creep we followed a rough wide track up through the forest towards the old lead mines.

Sron nan Colan:


On reaching the first of the mines we then followed the zig-zagging track up through a vast number of stones and small rocks. Slag from the old mines. The old mine shafts are now surrounded with barbed-wire fences with attached "Danger Keep Out" signs. Rightly so, as the shafts look to be really deep .

Health and Safety sign:


Mine shaft:


The zig-zagging ascent was much more pleasant than expected. It reminded us of the screes on Skye albeit the rocks were mainly quartzite not Gabbro.

Malcolm looking back towards Tyndrum:


Zig-zagging ascent:


It didn't take long to reach the top of the old mines track.

Ruins at top of track up to the mines:


Another mine shaft:


Above the track and slag we made our way up grassy slopes towards the summit of Sron nan Colan.

Views across to Beinn Dubhchraig, Ben Oss and Ben Lui was a bit disappointing as they were capped in cloud.

Beinn Dubhchraig and Ben Oss:


Ben Lui:


Looking towards Meall Odhar from Sron nan Colan:


From Sron nan Colan, we made our way across to Meall Odhar.

Meall Odhar:


Looking back to Sron nan Colan from Meall Odhar:


Beinn Chuirn from summit of Meall Odhar:


We didn't spend long at the summit as we had a four-hour journey home to look forward to after the hill.

Kevin, myself, Malcolm and Beinn at summit:


We opted to return via the same route.

Malcolm at top of Sron nan Colan:


Lochan na Bi:


Looking back:


I found this to be quite an interesting route. Possibly nicer than ascending firebreaks through the trees on the Cononish side.