Exquisite. Decided to start my Corbett collection with Meall na Fearna this year. It had been at least 10 years since I had been up Ben Vorlich so the wee road along Loch Earn rang no bells. Before then though, I opted for the wee Veggie breakfast in Mhor 84 - a great feed before this trek. As I parked just off the loch shore, I spied a wee avian friend on a rock and tested the new camera out. Ben Vorlich looked stunning in the Winter sun, with its white claes on. I did remember how good the path was up but rather than continue on towards Vorlich, I deviated down to the hill path, which runs between Fearna and Vorlich. As the path became boggier, I headed for the bealach between Fearna and Beinn Domhnuill. The snow was beginning to firm up, which made for much easier going. Once on the flattish aspect between the latter two hills, my objective came into view. However, Vorlich dominated proceedings and from this angle, it was a stunning Munro.
I trekked across and in between the boggy islands, which thankfully was easy to cross at this time of year and now that we had some freezing conditions. The final ascent on to the summit was done within a couple of hours and I was the blasted by a freezing wind. The view across to Vorlich and Stuc a Chroin was sensational. I took tea and sandwiches just below the minor cairn and re-traced my footsteps, while watching someone descending off the Eastern ridge. I was back at the car within 4 hours and have to say this experience was in the top ten, with conditions perfect and the solitude just what I needed.
