The Mamlorn Hills surround the westerly end of Glen Lochay. Although the five Munros in this area form a natural cradle around the head of the Glen there is a significant drop in height between each peak ensuring a steep descent and then climb to reach the next peak. I had hoped to follow in the footsteps of Martin Moran and do all 5 peaks in one expedition as he had done during his Winter traverse of the Munros. However the threat of the possibility of completion of the route in darkness forced a re-adjustments of this aim and the five peaks were completed as two expeditions of three and two Munros.

Glen Lochay was completely new territory for me and along with Glen Lyon forms a very attractive area with a wonderful remote feel that comes highly recommended for exploration.
 

After driving round to Killin and along Glen Lochay, the car was parked on the rough ground at the head of the Glen. The route description given on Steven Fallon's excellent Munro site was used to help guide across the River Lochay and on towards the first summit of the day. Going was wet and boggy as height was gained on the heathery ground. Eventually a path appeared and this was followed to the summit of Sgiath Chuill and the fine views of Ben More. After retracing my steps, the very steep and pathless descent lead to the wide bealach. The ascent of Beinn Chealthaich was taken directly and then the ridge followed to Meall Glas. The descent to the track below Meall Glas was long, steep and craggy and I was glad of a refreshment stop when finally this down hill section was over. Wet grassy slopes eventually lead to Ben Challum's summit and the decision point to turn back down Glen Lochay rather than attempt to complete the other two Munros. The long walk down the Glen however was made even more pleasant by the sight of a deer herd grazing  on the grass near the river.

The realisation that the days were getting a lot shorter forced the decision to try and increase my speed on the mountains. For the past 10 years I have using Meidl Burma boots and very fine they have been too. There are a bit heavy so I purchased a pair of Innov8 Roclite trail shoes to see if lightening the load on the feet would add some speed. I finally decided that this was the time to try them out so there I was back in Glen Lochay the next morning shod with my new trail shoes. The initial part of the walk was the reversal of yesterday's return route and was completed in no time at all with a mixture of jogging and fast walking. So far so good. Creag Mhor forms the confluence of three distinct ridges and was approached by the steep but satisfying ascent of Sron nan Eun. Beyond the summit the rocky descent to the col between the peaks was then accomplished. After climbing the west ridge of Heasgarnich an easy walk lead across to the summit. Cloud at this point necessitated the careful use of the compass so as not to miss the summit cairn. The descent back to Glen Lochay was a joy with plenty of heather and soft ground to cushion a fairly rapid running descent. This was followed by a jog down the hydro road back to the car. As for the shoes - they were great, extremely comfortable and I moved quickly and easily on the hill. I have a feeling the boots have entered a period of retirement !