We started from Gleann Cia-aig at a little car park at the Eas Cia-aig waterfall, the intention being to climb Sron a’Choire Ghairbh and then return via Meall na Teanga. Quite an easy walk initially, taking in the largest kissing gate I've seen - must have been over seven feet high. The way up is an easy path alongside the river and the idea according to the book is to walk as far as a footbridge at OS188929 before making off to the hills. We, however, had forgotten to bring a map and left the path after the first footbridge, following a faint track which rapidly petered out forcing us to climb up the burn falling down the hillside. We quickly realised we were on the wrong trail but had gained height, via some awful terrain and did not want to go down again. This way up was difficult, even nightmarish in parts with us having to
scramble up several wet, rocky bits as the river got steeper. Having said this, it was a good experience and it certainly gained us height quickly. Gained height to where was what we were thinking as it was not 100% clear which direction we should go. I had not been too concerned at first as the way looked easy according to the Munro Book (and indeed technically it was easy) but having gone off course we were working by instinct now. Above the river course the terrain became a bit grassier and once through a deer fence we could see a rising mound ahead to the left. The mist was on the mound so we could see no further but it seemed the obvious place to head for. At this point we could now see the path down below continuing up the glen and realised the book had intended us to continue on up the river and not to go up these slopes. By following the book we would have ended up at the foot of Sron a'Choire Ghairbh but the route we were taking was effectively the return route from Meall na Teanga. Realising this we decided simply to reverse the route and climb Meall na Teanga first.
The climb was not difficult but it was just on and on, over a few peat bogs and grassy hummocks and each time we thought we had reached the hump it seemed to go on further. Looking at the map later I think we actually climbed between the West and South West ridges rather than the West ridge proper so gave ourselves a wee bit extra work. By now we were again in thick mist with a bit of a gale blowing up and with intermittent rain. Eventually we reached the top which we assumed to be Meall Coire Lochain after edging along some cliffs. All of this fitted in with the Munro book map and commentary which then indicated a dip between the top and the munro cairn. Down we went and up to the top where we found a cairn and assumed this to be the munro, though we were not, however, 100% certain. Photos were taken and then out of the mist a figure appeared. "Is this Meall na Teanga?" I asks and he says "Yes, it is." - At first I believed him - I don't know why but I always assume that other people know more than me on the hills and that they are always sure where they are -
Wrong as we again found out. The swirling mist cleared momentarily and I saw what looked like a higher top. Tops can be deceptive but the others agreed it seemed higher so we all moved towards it. After a few hundred yards, on checking my compass I found we were walking in a southerly direction, completely the opposite to what we wanted. This had to be wrong and we agreed to return to the cairn and think again. The guy had his Ordinance Survey map out and was explaining this and that (which we later realised was bullshit but it sounded right). Back at the cairn the mist swept away and down below we saw a narrow col with a path sweeping up to a large hill on the other side. This was Meall na Teanga, this was the col between the hills and that was Sron a'Choire Ghairbh ahead. We couldn't see the stalkers path but assumed it would appear. The other guy, now content, was going no further and disappeared back the way he had come, presumably having ticked this one off in his head.
Down to the quite sheltered col for soup and Guinness after which we decided to leave our sacks in the
col, climb Sron a'Choire Ghairbh and come back down. The climb did not look very hard and in fact looked ridiculously easy. Despite being puzzled that there was no path over the col, as the route from Kilfinnan to Gleann Cia-aig should have had, and there being no obvious stalkers path, we climbed up and fairly soon reached a sizeable cairn which had to be the top. At this point the mist swept away and we could see the whole vista and everything came into perspective. Over to the north was a large mountain which had to be Sron a'Choire Ghairbh. You could see what looked like a huge dip between the hills as you would expect between two munros and you could clearly see the stalkers path. The col we had crossed, we now saw, was simply the dip between Meall na Teanga and its top Meall Coire Lochain. We were now on Meall na Teanga and the guy who disappeared never really did reach the munro top. Sron a'Choire Ghairbh looked far away and the dip immense and though no doubt not as bad as it looked, we both agreed to call it a day. We were so cheesed off we thought bugger this for a game of soldiers and decided just to go back the way we came and leave Sron a'Choire Ghairbh for another day. I think the fact we had left the rucksacks in the dip was the clincher. Back down and again up the other side, this time we were determined not to go down the awful slope we had climbed and so kept to the ridge. This turned out to be a very easy descent and when we came out under the mist level could see the real footbridge we should have gone to. The usual tiring drop to the path but not all that bad and then the walk back was dead easy.
