Cruach nan Capull

30 May 2010.

Participants - Just me
Where - Cruach nan Capull, 611m/2,005', Graham, Map 63, NS 095795

 I like going on trips to hills that involve a ferry journey- it's usually to one of the Scottish islands but today it was the short hop across the Clyde to Dunoon en route to one of the Cowal Grahams- Cruach nan Capull. The Saturn must be one of the oldest ships in the CalMac fleet; here it is approaching the pier at Gourock.....

and this is the view from the ship heading for Dunoon.....

                                    
I had seen reports of folk climbing this hill from the north, from Corrachaive Glen, but the map showed lots of forest and the route looked to be very shut in. Although it involved a longer drive and a longer walk, I preferred to climb the hill from Loch Striven where there is no forestry on the hill and therefore views all of the way. So I drove round the coast from Dunoon and parked in a large lay-by near to the church at Inverchaolain. A track started from there; I left it after a few hundred yards and took to the hillside which was steep at this point. There were traces of a path. Very soon, I was able to see back down the loch and to the hills of Arran in the distance.....

The view was spoilt a bit by this.....five container ships laid up in the loch waiting for the economic situation to improve. Apparently, they have been there for about a year.....

                                   
The view to the head of the loch was much better.....

Higher up, I came across an old fence and the views really opened up at this point. This view back down the ridge shows Loch Striven, the Kyles of Bute, the Clyde estuary, the islands of Bute, Arran and Holy Island with Ailsa Craig just visible if you look carefully.....

Not long after that I reached a trig; it was in a bit of a strange place I thought as the summit was still over a mile away. This is looking to the summit from the trig.....

The ridge became much broader now and there were only glimpses of the loch below. From this point, I could see the Paps of Jura on the horizon.....

                                    
There was very little more ascent to the top, which was marked by a small pile of stones.....

   
The only previous time I climbed this hill I dropped straight down to the glen from the summit and remember regretting it as the going was awful in places before I reached the track. Anyway, the views were so good that it would have been a shame to have left the ridge so I just turned around and went back the same way. This is another hill with a sea level start so I had to climb every metre/foot of its height; the summit and back was about six miles and it took me 4 hours.