Creag Mhòr
| Creag Mhòr | |||
| Perthshire | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Creag Mhòr seen from the south-west | |||
| Range: | Mamlorn Hills | ||
| Summit: | 3,435 feet NN391361 56°29’22"N, 4°36’49"W | ||
Creag Mhòr is a mountain in Perthshire, amongst the Mamlorn Hills; it is in the Forest of Mamlorn, an ancient deer forest. The hill is found some seven miles north-east of Tyndrum.
The summit of Creag Mhòr is at 3,435 feet above sea level and so it qualifies as a Munro.
The mountains name translates from the Gaelic as “Big Rock”, an unusual name for a hill which is mostly grassy, however its top has craggy areas and the name refers to a series of rocky buttresses near the summit.[1]
Overview
Creag Mhòr is commonly climbed with the neighbouring Munro of Beinn Heasgarnich, which stands 2.2 miles to the north-east; the two mountains form the high ground between Glen Lochay and Loch Lyon. Creag Mhòr is one of the remotest of the southern highlands[2] being situated about five miles from the nearest public road, it is surrounded by other high ground which make it difficult to get a good view of the mountain from any valley, and the best aspect is obtained from the surrounding peaks.
Geography
Creag Mhòr is composed of three ridges, the ESE ridge (Sròn nan Eun) descends to Glen Lochay at the habitation of Batavaime and gives the usual route of ascent from that glen. Another ridge also descends to Glen Lochay, this initially goes south from the summit before swinging SE down steep slopes, which need care, to reach the glen. These two ridges enclose Coire Cheathaich (Misty Corrie), a former royal hunting ground which was made famous by Duncan Ban MacIntyre, the poet who worked as a gamekeeper in the area. He wrote the poem Òran Coire a' Cheathaich ("Song of the misty corrie") which gives a natural description of the corrie and its flora and fauna and includes the line "'S rìomhach còta na Creige Mòire" ("Lovely is the coat of Creag Mhòr").[3]
Subsidiary tops and ridges
Stob nan Clach (NN387351) on the south ridge is a subsidiary summit of Creag Mhòr, and at 3,137 feet it is listed as a Munro Top in Munro's Tables.[4][5] It is reached from the main summit by contouring round the head of Coire Cheathaich for half a mile or so.
A third ridge on the mountain goes north over the 2,936-foot subsidiary top of Meall Tionail ("Hill of the Gathering") before dropping down to Glen Lyon. This north ridge can be used for access to or from Beinn Heasgarnich, as the ridge can be left after a short distance and Heasgarnich can be reached by going east over the boggy Bealach na Baintighearna (2,146 feet).
Coire Chirdle
Meall Tionail has an unusual geographic feature on its western slopes; it is marked on OS maps as Coire Chirdle, but it is not a corrie in the usual sense as there is no hollow cavity in the mountain. Instead there is a clearly marked semi circle called an arcuate scarp below which is a bulge. This was probably created after the last Ice Age when the unstable hillside saturated by meltwater slipped down the steep slope.[6]
Flora
The nationally rare plant Bartsia Alpina grows on the slopes of Creag Mhòr, it is found as high as 950 feet, the highest occurrence in Britain. It grows on brown loam soil on the mountains alkaline mica-schist rock.[7]
Ascents
Creag Mhòr is an isolated mountain, hard to reach, and approaches require quite long walks to reach the foot of the hill. Ascents are possible from both the east and the west with the eastern approach from the road end in Glen Lochay being the most popular with guide book writers. This eastern approach starts at Kenknock (grid reference NN465364) which is now the farthest it is possible to drive up Glen Lochay as locked gates stop cars from going any further, however it is viable to use a mountain bike. It is a four-mille journey west up the glen to reach Batavaime at the foot of the south-east ridge from where the mountain can be climbed.
The approach from the west starts at Auch (grid reference NN323354) on the A82 and goes under the viaduct of the West Highland Line, then SE up Glen Coralan and over Cam Chreag to reach Creag Mhòr. If continuing to Beinn Heasgarnich from the summit, a direct line north-east is not recommended because the hillside is steep and rocky, instead use the north ridge as mentioned before heading east to the col between the two mountains to avoid dangerous ground.[8]
References
- The Munros, Scottish Mountaineering Trust, 1986, Donald Bennett (Editor) ISBN 0-907521-13-4
- In the Hills of Breadalbane, V.A. Firsoff, no ISBN
- The Munros, Scotland's Highest Mountains, Cameron McNeish, ISBN 1-84204-082-0
- The Magic Of The Munros, Irvine Butterfield, ISBN 0-7153-2168-4
- Hamish's Mountain Walk, Hamish Brown, ISBN 1-898573-08-5
- ↑ "The Magic of the Munros" Page 32 Gives translation and explanation.
- ↑ "The Southern Highlands" Page 163 “Creag Mhor is one of the remotest mountains in the southern highlands“.
- ↑ www.slainte.org. Gives information on Duncan Ban Macintyre.
- ↑ Database of British and Irish Hills. Retrieved 20 Jan 2012
- ↑ The Munros and Tops 1891-1997. Spreadsheet giving changes to successive versions of Munro's Tables.
- ↑ www.geotectonics.com. Gives details of Coire Chirdle Slide.
- ↑ Biological Flora of the British Isles. Gives details of Bartsia Alpina.
- ↑ The Munros: Scottish Mountaineering Club Hillwalkers' Guide.
| Munros in SMC Area SMC Section 2 - Loch Tay to Rannoch Moor |
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Stuc a' Chroin • An Stùc • Beinn a' Chreachain • Beinn Achaladair • Beinn an Dothaidh • Beinn Dorain • Beinn Ghlas • Beinn Heasgarnich • Beinn Mhanach • Ben Challum • Ben Lawers • Carn Gorm • Carn Mairg • Creag Mhòr • Meall a' Choire Leith • Meall Buidhe, Perthshire • Meall Corranaich • Meall Garbh (Càrn Mairg) • Meall Garbh (Lawers) • Meall Ghaordie • Meall Glas • Meall Greigh • Meall na Aighean • Meall nan Tarmachan • Schiehallion • Sgiath Chuil • Stuchd an Lochain |