I parked in the lay-by on the A82 Crianlarich to Tyndrum Road, north of Ewich, crossed the road and walked along the route of the West Highland Way to beyond Kirkton Farm and the Old Priory. From there I headed along the vehicle track going north-east to the railway line. As I had a dog with me I opted to use the bridge rather than the crossing point although the gates were tied down with rough vegetation on either side.
A wet and boggy path then ran up the side of a deer fence which I later crossed via a stile. I was now in low cloud. At another deer fence I had to clamber over a broken stile then there were a couple of stock fences to cross before I reached the open hillside.
I later left the path and made a slight diversion to climb the Sub Simm, Creag Loisgte. There were a few tops to take in as I couldn’t tell which was the highest point. I then returned to the path which followed old metal fence posts. The gradient later increased and the ground here was drier and led to two cairns, the second being the summit of the Munro Top, Ben Challum South Top.
After a short drop to a gully I climbed onto a narrow ridge before another short descent led to a col. From there I ascended to the cairn marking the summit of the Munro, Ben Challum. With no improvement in the weather I returned by the upward route, avoiding the summit of Creag Loisgte and using the level crossing. Low down I met a chap who was undecided whether he was going to the summit or not.
- Time taken – 5 hours.
- Distance – 11.5 kilometres.
- Height climbed – 950 metres.