Meall Tairneachan and Farragon Hill.

The high upland between Aberfeldy and Loch Tummel is dominated by two Corbetts, Meall Tairneachan and Farragon, the latter of which sounds like a character from Tolkein. They are overshadowed somewhat by the vast bulk of Schiehallion immediately to their west, but clearly visible from the summit of Kinnoull Hill - which is our regular afternoon dander. I had heard how wonderful Farragon is from a neighbour who was a great walker and climber, but who sadly (and unexpectedly) passed away a fortnight ago. So, with lockdown preventing us traveling further afield to summit new Munros, and with his words in my memory we decided to attempt these two.

Access from the road, (The B846 - Aberfeldy to Tummel Bridge road), is via the bulldozed track carved up through the forests and onto high ground to serve the Foss Barytes mine. There are spaces to park a few cars around the entrance to the mine road, but the obvious car park is not for the public, and presumably is designed for mine workers. 

The road climbs and zigzags up through dense pine plantations before breaking out just under the top of Meall Damh. From there is swings lift and climbs steeply underneath and parallel to the undulating summit ridge of Meall Tairneachan. A tiny cairn at the height of the road marks the point to leave the road and turn right onto the grassy, heathery slopes of the hill. The ridge has a trig point at its western end, and a cairn at the summit. a km or so to the east. The views are phenomenal - this area provides a unique view of Beinn a Ghlo and Ben Vrackie as well as Schiehallion.

The Barytes mine on the other hand is an eyesore. Bags of lime surround the streams, which are full of white deposits. One of my friends used to be a SEPA inspector up there and told me that the lime precipitates salts which then settle in the lagoons, which we saw dug all around the site. I also read that this site is due to close, as a larger mine (Barytes are used in North Sea drilling) is soon to get planning permission. I wonder whether the miners have to return this landscape to more natural conditions or whether they just leave that to time and nature!

Farragon Hill appears to be miles away from Tairneachan - so far in fact that we doubted we'd manage it. In truth, although a lot of height is lost between the two hills, the traverse (though boggy in places) takes only an hour. The final pull up Farragon is steep, and the summit all the more airy for it. There's a splendid feeling of remoteness there. We only saw one other person all day, and these hills are virtually pathless once the mine road is left behind. Faragon provides views from the Cairngorms to the Paps of Fife, with a thousand hills in between!

The walk out is long, and requires regaining a lot of lost height and bypassing the ugly mine workings before trudging back through the forest. Oh for a bike for the long descent! My late neighbour who recommended this route to me did it in extreme winter conditions, we did it in a nothing more than a chilly wind, but still found it a long, hard day! In my cupboard at home I have a nice bottle of Aberfeldy 12yo, distilled at the foot of these hills. As I rested my aching limbs that evening, I raised glass in recognition of my neighbour, who was a great mountaineer, for a fine recommendation.