Friday 16 May 2025 - Fiarach

A drive to Glen Lochy was needed to drop Sue off so that she could climb Ben Lui and Beinn a' Chleibh - two Munro summits that had previously defeated her due to poor weather. There would be no such excuse today.

I drove back to Dalrigh and set off up a small hill, Fiarach, via an old road at the back of the large car park. I soon crossed a bridge over the River Fillan, either side of which provided the views in these first two photos.

After the bridge over the river, a winding path took me in a further kilometre to a bridge over the railway line to Oban. A goods train was trundling in the distance across the valley along the Fort William line.

After a further 2km, with little height gain, the wide track arrived at a gateway into a conifer forest. I turned sharp left here, after enjoying elevenses in the shade of the forest, with a cuckoo in attendance. 

It was a steep ascent in the tracks of a suicidal ATV. It's steeper than it looks; I've come from the edge of the wood at the far left in the next picture.

Eventually a plateau was reached, inhabited by a puddle that turned out not to be Lochan Fiarach. 

A right turn beside the exhausted fence posts and rusty wires brought me up to said lochan, and splendid views to the Crianlarich hills.

The 652 metre summit of Fiarach is at the edge of a precipice, referred to in the SMC guidebook as a dolerite 'wall'. Splendid views all round.

After a leisurely lunch below the summit I returned to Dalrigh by the same route. After yesterday's faux pas I was careful not to head down beside the wrong line of fence posts, but I was still pleased to pass the unmistakable Lochan Fiarach. 

The rendezvous with Sue worked out fine. She got down from her two summits and a paddle just as I returned to the Glen Lochy car park at about 3pm.

Here's my route - 10.5km with 470 metres ascent, taking 3.5 hours.

Plenty of time later for Sue to get shouted at in Loch Lomond as she swam in front of a boat heading to the pier...