Schiehallion
- bootsandbanter
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Munro No. 10 - Banter o' the Ben
📍Route: Braes of Foss car park → Schiehallion → Braes of Foss car park
📏Distance: 11.85 km
⬆️Ascent: 837 m
⌛Time: 5 hours
📅 24 July 2026
Weather: Cloudy, very windy, dry, summit in clag
Mood: Relaxed, sociable, content
Schiehallion (Fairy Hill of the Caledonians) was used in a famous 1774 scientific test to weigh the entire planet, and the project led to the invention of contour lines. Astronomer Nevil Maskelyne hung a pendulum near the mountain to see how much the rock's gravity pulled it sideways.
The Great Scottish Road Therapy
After waking up that morning, I decided I would tackle Schiehallion. I fancied an easier day.....well, easier by Scottish standards anyway. 😂 Let's be honest, nothing here is actually easy when it involves going uphill.
I enjoyed a leisurely coffee at the hotel and, for once, wasn't rushing out of the door. The drive to the Braes of Foss car park was only about 25 miles, but something struck me along the way. It's now my third day in Scotland and....I'm used to the single-track roads with passing places. Who even am I? 😆
For years those roads have made me nervous. Before every trip I'd be on Google Maps dropping the little Street View dangly man all over the route, checking every bend and passing place like I was preparing for an exam. Now? I just drive. I'm actually a little surprised at myself. Maybe what I needed all along was a Scottish exorcism. If I'd done this years ago, I could have saved myself a lot of extra walking to Lake District start points because I was too scared to drive certain roads!
A Good Start
The Braes of Foss car park is excellent. Toilets? £3 all-day parking? Absolute bargain.
I packed plenty of layers because the forecast promised strong winds on the summit. It always feels deceptively pleasant at the start though. There I was, setting off in just a vest, admiring the blooming purple heather, tiny wildflowers and forests stretching into the distance. Cloudy but beautiful.
I've learned enough over the years to know that mountains love playing tricks. They lure you in with sunshine before reminding you who's in charge.
Banter o' the Ben
About a third of the way up I started chatting to a family making their way to the summit. Chris, Marie and their two teenage children were from Edinburgh, and somehow we ended up walking and chatting together all the way to the top.
Honestly I never set out intending to spend half my hikes talking to strangers, but Scotland seems determined to make it happen. Chatterbox. Yappy wee summit banter. Every single day.
Chris was close to completing his second round of the Munros, which is some achievement. That's one of the things I love about hiking. You meet someone you've never seen before, share stories for an hour, then continue on your own adventures. It's a lovely little connection that lasts no longer than the mountain itself.
Welcome To The Freezer
The path was straightforward before giving way to a boulder field on the upper slopes. As the height increased, so did the wind. On went every layer. Jacket. Hood. Eventually gloves too.
By the summit it was absolutely freezing. The wind was flapping my jacket and trousers, visibility had vanished into thick clag and, after a few false summits, I finally arrived to absolutely nothing. 😆 Well nothing except cloud.
There was one tiny two-minute window where everything briefly appeared before the mountain pulled the curtains shut again. I found a sheltered spot behind some rocks, sat down with my sandwich and thought I'd wait it out. The Edinburgh family headed off while I stayed behind, hopeful.
30 minutes, maybe 40.....Nope. The cloud won. I was getting cold. That's mountain life on this little island of ours. Sometimes you get the postcard. Sometimes you get a white wall.
The Descent
One thing I absolutely loved that day was how my La Sportiva Mutant 2s handled the boulders. They felt incredibly stable. I was happily hopping from stone to stone with loads of confidence.
By around 750 metres the cloud had disappeared, although the wind was still battering across the hillside. I'd seen forecasts suggesting around 50 km/h, and I could believe it. A little lower and I took my jacket off. Another couple of hundred metres and I was back in the vest. It actually felt warm! It's amazing how quickly conditions change on these mountains.
Scotland's social butterfly
On the way down I struck up another conversation, this time with a lady from the Netherlands, and we chatted all the way back to the car park. Then, just as I reached my car, there were Chris and Marie with their family. Another 20-minute chat.
Honestly... I think I've spent almost as much time talking as walking during this Scottish trip. 😂 And you know what? I'm perfectly happy with that.
Scotland, you're a beaut
Ten Munros down now, and every day has brought something different. No summit views from Schiehallion, but somehow I didn't really mind. I've had blooming heather, endless conversations, mountain weather doing exactly what mountain weather does.
One thing I do realise is just how lucky I've been so far. 3 days in Scotland and not a drop of rain. I'm definitely not taking that for granted.
Scotland...
…you're an absolute beaut. ❤️
🔍 Final Thoughts
Schiehallion may not have given me the summit views I'd hoped for, but it gave me something else.
It was about finally realising I'm comfortable driving Scotland's single track roads, something I'd built up in my head for years. It was about chatting to complete strangers who felt like friends by the end of the climb. It was about watching the mountain change from warm sunshine to freezing clag, then back to vest weather before I reached the bottom.
And yes, it was also about standing on the mountain where contour lines were born. Rather fitting really, as those little brown lines have been plotting against my legs for years. 😄
10 Munros down, plenty more to come, and somehow Scotland is getting under my skin with every step. No rain, great company, beautiful landscapes and another day I'll remember long after the summit views have faded.
You don't climb mountains for guarantees. You climb them for possibilities.
Peaks
⛰️ Schiehallion (1,083 m) - Munro N10
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