munro bagging with kids: Stuchd an Lochain, 960m
route details
distance : 5.25 miles
ascent: 726m
walkhighlands time: 4.5 hours
our time: 8 hours
after a few years off bagging any munros, i decided it was time to get back into it, so set my eyes to a map to look for a good one to restart which is how i landed on stuchd an lochain in glenlyon. the last one we had done in 2022 was meall budhie, the neighbouring munro across the dam, so it only felt right going for this one.
bags packed & off for the 4 hour drive down the road. we had planned to arrive later at night with the hopes of wild camping somewhere in the area to avoid doing the long drive in the morning, but once we arrived at the dam it was clear the camp wouldn't be a bit of an issue. there wasn't really much options to pitch as most was exposed from the winds that were currently breezing past us, but also nothing really sheltered for privacy from the other overnight campers nearby. i decided i'd think on it a bit more after making a tailgate stove dinner, but by this point the wind had died down & out came the dreaded midgie. the thought of having to then find a spot, pitch & deal with all that wasn't overly appealing, so i decided we'd just jeep camp instead. it would be cramped, likely uncomfy but at least i wouldn't have to deal with packing up in the morning & it would be sheltered from any wind or rain during the night. perfect - that's what we would do instead.
by the time bed time (for little) had come, the midgies had really picked up so we were on a mission to get into the jeep & settled. of course the one issue is the fact you have to open the tailgate to get in, so we'd be sharing the space with many a biting bug for the night. rather than let it bother me, i just waited until they'd settled on the window inside then decided to blast them with some skin so soft, which seemed to really do the trick. we had the odd one or two still flying about us, but compared to the hundreds that were on the window now drowned, it was manageable. at least i could wipe down the window later on! little drifted off quickly, cooper settled in nicely next to us & i got stuck into a book.
turns out sleeping in the back of a jeep is actually fantastic. i had a brilliant nights sleep, only woken by the sun coming through the side window & by cooper doing little warning boofs at a passing sheep. much better option than sleeping in a midgie infested tent!
we had a nice leisurely morning getting up & ready for the day. having packed everything we'd need for the hill into a separate day bag before we set off, the only thing to do was wait around really. it would've been good to get going earlier since we were ready, but we had to wait for 10 since that was the prearranged time to meet other friends who were joining with their kids. thankfully the time past quickly & off we were going.
the sun was already up & shining, so it was going to be a long hot day in the hills.
i knew from previous reports of this hill & from looking at the map that the initial climb was steep, but boy, it just kept going on & on. thankfully the littles were all in good spirits despite the gruelling climb & there was enough of a breeze passing by that whenever we stopped, the midgies were kept at bay.
we had passed a few hikers already on their way back down who mentioned it only took them a couple hours to summit & return. they gave us the 'not much longer' speech, which is always funny when you're hiking with kids, because it's always so much longer.
after a few hours & what felt like a million steps climbed, we crested the final mound which revealed the plateau along the ridge towards the final summit climb, which was a welcomed sight. the plateau looked easy enough with a gradual climb at the end but also a fair bit away still. so we decided it would be a good idea to stop to have lunch here before we tackled that. cooper welcomed the break & put on his best puppy dog eyes, begging for a slither of crumbs, but he would have to wait a while longer to get a treat.
refuelled by some sandwiches & some snacks, we set off again.
the ridge walk was surprisingly nice. the wind did pick up a fair bit, but nothing that was unsettling to walk in & thankfully was behind us to give us that little push. after maybe an hour or two, we reached the summit which had a few other hikers dotted about. the littles were delighted to reach the top, especially by doing it on their own legs. a proud achievement for everyone. this summit marked munro 41 for me & 4 for my own little.
it's not the most impressive summit, only marked by a small cairn, but it was made better with the views it gives off. it being such a clear day meant we could see 360 views of the surrounding areas, so we spent some time pointing out hills we recognised & places we had been.
cooper finally got his summit carrot too, which meant he was delighted.
after about 30 minutes break on the top & some photos, we decided it was time to make our way back down. it's not always the most fun coming straight back the way you've just spent hours coming, but at least we knew where we were going & could see the distance to the car getting smaller with each step.
it was around 5 oclock when we reached the steep section towards the start which we were now descending. my feet were starting to hurt a little by this point since i had my big hiking boots on rather than my trail runners & the steep downhill sections weren't helping. i was starting to wish i'd brought a good meal to have for dinner at the jeep so we could've just had another jeep camp, rather than the 4 hour drive home. however i didn't bring anything, so instead me & my little started thinking alternative options to get us through this last section. we settled on a good, hearty chippy dinner instead.
perfect, stomach now rumbling! about an hour later we reached the car & what a sight that always is. after close to 9 hours of hiking it's always a great feeling to get the big, heavy boots off for comfies instead.
we said our goodbyes to everyone & relayed how proud we were of the littles. it was a first munro for some of them, so we were extremely proud of them.
