Meall Bhuide - Hike Report - The Best Beginner's Munro?
Today’s adventure - conquering the Meall Buidhe in Glenlyon.
This marked our 18th munro bagged together and was very possibly the easiest one we’ve ticked off the list.
Munro Number: | 18 |
Date: | Apr 22 2023 |
Ascent: | 632m |
Distance: | 9.71km |
Moving Time: | 3:10:27 |
Total Time: | 4:06:07 |
Route Map
Route Elevation Profile
We were keen on getting back into the mountains and regaining our confidence again after the last outing conquering Meall Glas and Sgiath Chuil proved to be a really tough challenge of our fitness and psychological strength.
Talking to a few friends, we were recommended Meall Buidhe as a potential shorter and easier going mountain that would help us build up our fitness and also allow us to get Skye, our 12 year old border collie, out for one last munro before she retires from the hills.
The walk starts just at a car park a stone’s throw from the base of the Giorra Dam at the tip of Loch an Daimh. From there, you come back on yourself from the carpark to the starting point of the route which is marked by a large wooden map showing you the various paths up Meall Buidhe and its sistering hills.
We walked roughly 600m up this path and then turned off to the right to start our ascent up the south-east face of the mountain.
We’d been really lucky with the conditions. There hasn’t been a huge amount of rain over the past few days and the boggy path was dry and compact which resulted in some of the best hiking conditions I think we’ve experienced so far.
The path wasn’t all that clearly marked at times, and we’d have to double check with our maps to keep us on course, but overall it was fairly straightforward with no real technical skills needed at any point.
You eventually reach the druim (gaelic for ridge) and follow that along, passing by a number of smaller cairns.
Whilst it was incredibly windy on the path to the summit, it’s a fairly flat path that allows you to take the time to admire the stunning views of the surrounding mountains.
Overall, I’d rate this as a fantastic Munro - it’s not too challenging which makes it perfect for folks such as ourselves looking to build up our mountain legs (and regain confidence).
It might be a little challenging to get to given the fact it’s around 2 hours and 40-odd minutes from Glasgow, but definitely worth the visit!