Creag Ruadh, Glen Tarken

9 April 2015

 

Participants: Just me

Where: Creag Ruadh, 712m/2,335', Graham, Map 51, NN 674292

 

I climbed the western of the two Glen Tarken Grahams, Creag Each, a few years ago but until today had not got round to tackling its neighbour Creag Ruadh. Probably because it looked as though it was a long way from anywhere in the midst of moorland!

 

It was another warm, sunny day although quite a bit hazier than earlier in the week. The track heads uphill steeply from the loch side past some old houses now converted into barns. Where it started to level off, there was a good view back across the loch to Ben Vorlich. Still plenty of snow on its northern aspect.....

 

 

The track passed Creag Each......

 

 

and then dropped down a bit passing what looked like a small hydro scheme before rising up again to cross the moor. Creag Ruadh looked a long way away from here.....

 

 

I doubt if Glen Tarken is much visited apart from hill baggers- and grouse shooters in the season. It has a nice remote feel to it. You can follow the track up one side of the glen, round the top and back down the other, a nice walk in itself.

I carried on along the track to round about its highest point before taking to the slopes. Creag Each looked a distance away now......

 

 

There was no path, it was just a case of trying to follow what grassy bits that there were. This would be a bit of a bugger when the heather is higher in the summer. There was some heather burning going on so I went a bit further east than I would otherwise have done to keep well out of the way. There were some nice wee lochans higher up as well as some really rough ground.....

 

 

There were two tops, quite rocky in places- obviously where the "Creag" in the name comes from with a steep grassy slope between them.....

 

 

The eastern top looked higher but when I got there it clearly wasn't. So it was back along the ridge to the main top.....

 

 

which had a small cairn perched on a rocky bluff.....

 

 

It was a pity that it was so hazy as this would be a fine viewpoint on a clear day. This is looking to the Lawers group.....

 

 

The heather burners seemed to have moved on by this time so I was able to make a more direct descent to the track following a stream a lot of the way. After about 15 minutes I looked back and there was someone else on the top! They never caught up with me even though I had a long stop when I reached the track so I have no idea where they came from or where they were going. The haze cleared slightly and I took this photo of the south Loch Earn Grahams on the way down.....

 

 

I'm definitely slowing down though- this hill took me as long- 5 hours 20 minutes- as the recommended book time for the two hills! But time is incidental when out on the hills.