An Caisteal

An Caisteal
Perthshire
The summit of An Caisteal from Twistin Hill on the north ridge
Range:	Crianlarich Hills
Summit:	3,264 feet NN378193

An Caisteal is a mountain amongst the Crianlarich Hills of Perthshire. It reaches a height of 3,264 feet at its summit, and stands four miles south of the Perthshire village of Crianlarich.

Overview

An Caisteal, at over 3,000 feet, qualifies as a Munro. It is located in a popular area for hill walking within a group of seven Munros and fourteen tops which stand on the eastern side of Glen Falloch in the Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park.

The mountain is usually climbed in conjunction with the neighbouring Munro of Beinn a' Chroin to which it is connected by a high col to the south east.

The mountain's name translates from the Gaelic as “the castle” and is believed to refer to the prominent castellated rocks close to the mountain's summit which serve as an easy way of identifying the mountain from a distance.

Geography

An Caisteal is a mainly grassy hill with some rocky outcrops on its higher slopes. The mountain is formed by four ridges which radiate from its summit, the north ridge goes over a series of undulating rocky knolls known as Twistin Hill to reach the subsidiary top of Sròn Gharbh, 2,326 feet (709 m), before dropping down to the A82 road in Glen Falloch. This northern ridge is the most popular route of ascent and Twistin Hill has some curious features on it as it approaches the summit, there are a number of small caves close to the path and a deep cleft cuts into the ridge. The north west ridge also terminates in Glen Falloch after crossing the lesser top of Stob Glas, 2,329 feet (710 m), this ridge can be used for ascent but is not as popular as the route over Twistin Hill.

The other two ridges are shorter and link to other mountains with the south west ridge connecting to the Munro of Beinn Chabhair a mile or so distant and includes a sharp rough descent and ascent over a low col with a height of 2,031 feet (619 m). The south east ridge links to Beinn a' Chroin across the Bealach Buidhe, 2,641 feet (805 m), and the headwaters of the River Falloch. Drainage from the mountain reaches both the east and west coasts, and most of the rain drains by way of the River Falloch and Loch Lomond to reach the Firth of Clyde at the west coast, though some drains from the southern slopes to Strathyre and the River Teith to reach the Firth of Forth at the east coast.

Ascents

An Caisteal is usually ascended from Glen Falloch — there is a large lay by for parking on the A82 at grid reference NN369239 although it is also possible to start from Derrydaroch farm 1½ miles the southwest. The route goes under the railway by a sheep creep and follows a track by the River Falloch upstream for half a mile before striking southwest to climb Sròn Gharbh direct across pathless grass. A path is then picked up at the summit of Sròn Gharbh which leads across Twistin Hill and past "The Castle" rocks to reach the summit.

References

• The Munros, Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1986, Donald Bennett (Editor) ISBN 0-907521-13-4
• The High Mountains of Britain and Ireland, Diadem, 1993, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-906371-30-9
• 100 Best Routes on Scottish Mountains, Warner Books, 1992, Ralph Storer, ISBN 0-7515-0300-2
• Hamish’s Mountain Walk, Baton Wicks, 1996, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5
• The Munros, Scotland Highest Mountains, Lomond Books 2006, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 1-84204-082-0