Date:	1st March 1998
Mountains:	Stuc a'Chroin (975m)
Group:	Edinburgh Academy Senior Meet
Conditions:	Continuous snowfall all day at all heights

With a forecast of heavy snowfall all day, we decided to avoid travelling too far from Edinburgh in case we weren't able to get back. Right enough, the forecast was correct - almost immediately upon setting foot outside the minibus at Ardchullarie, on Loch Lubnaig, the snowfall began, and didn't stop until we were well on our way home.

There was little existing snow before it started, so the first part of the day was spent avoiding partially frozen puddles on the path up Glen Ample. Somewhere before Coire Chroisg we turned right and headed up the side of the mountain, in increasingly heavy snowfall.

The summit of Stuc a'Chroin was reached without difficulty, though still in snow showers - which abated somewhat from the initial ascent. We spent little time hanging around on the summit, and began descending via Creag Dubh, then cutting off left to return to Glen Ample.

The walk down Glen Ample was made somewhat worse in that all the bogs which, on our way up, we had avoided, were now covered in snow and so there was no way of telling what was/wasn't solid ground. Needless to say, we soon all had wet, muddy feet - something you can often avoid in Winter.

Now follows the moral of this story: Don't always rely on a GPS (especially when you forgot to set the starting/finishing point of the walk, and you don't have a map). Having stormed ahead to get back to the minibus (as per usual), we charged along the path into the forest above Ardchullarie More, at which ponit the path turns into a landrover track. However, the way to Ardchullarie was to turn right very shortly after entering the forest down a small path. "Following" the GPS, which told us just to keep going, we waded through snow for a good 20 minutes before realising that something funny was going on.

Being now quite close to the road, we reckoned we must have missed the turning, and so we cut through the forest onto the road, and proceeded to walk about 2km back along the main road - meanwhile being sprayed with slush by every passing car, and then covered in salt from the snowplough/gritter that went past. To our relief we turned a corner and found the minibus, now occupied by all other members of the group, and the day was over. Cold and wet. Return to List