UKH

Let's call a spade a spade: no one is going to claim that these two Munros are the most exciting. Whoever said there are no dull hills was stretching things a bit. But get past the boggy lower slopes and these big grassy lumps have a certain something. It's the attraction of wide spaces, enlivened with open views to the more distinctive skylines of neighbouring ranges. This unassuming and soggy hinterland offers a comparatively strenuous leg-stretch, with less in the way of decent paths than you might expect from 3000-foot peaks in the popular southern highlands.

9.32 miles, 15 km, 1,162m ascent, 6:30 – 7:30 hours. Killin

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In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I’ve seen the dull hills quote attributed to Hamish Brown, though never sourced so that may be apocryphal.

thanks for this Dan - personally I think these two hills are needing a bit of promotion, they often seem to be perceived as a boggy miserable day out to save for a November dreich day.  I think the opposite is true after a dry spell on a quiet mild weekday (when you’ll likely have them to yourself) - and there are few popular and easy to reach from the central belt munros that give such a feeling of space (or as you have pointed out, relative pathlessness).

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I enjoy this pair, though a dry spell or hard frost does indeed improve the experience! There is a drier option from the Glen Lochay side, apart from fording the river at Lubchurran, but that's normally pretty shallow. I also like doing Sgiath Chuil and its eastern tops from Auchlyne (top trivia: with 106m of re-ascent, the 883m top is the most prominent unnamed summit in the UK). 

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

Don't think I'd visit these from the south again, boggy and busier.

Approaches from the North are quieter and better terrain. The Corbett to the west can also be included. 

https://kinleyhazel.wordpress.com/2019/01/28/a-2-paddle-route-for-beinn-nan...

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

I enjoyed a day out on these in decent weather. As you can add the bonus Corbett that Kinley2 mentions from this side too (we did).

In reply to kinley2:

First visit, went up the north side, descended to the south - days before the paths.  The south side was rather rough.

There are no dull hills.

In reply to Mark Bull:

Indeed - Sgiath Chuil is a classic example of a Munro that's arguably better if not done with its neighbour. I've gone from Auchlyne a few times, summer and winter, most recently on a lovely day in late May this year when I didn't see a soul.

Very good. I once landed on that by mistake from the N in a fantastic winter inversion, thinking it was the main summit. Was too busy looking around when I popped out above the cloud at 850m-ish that I wasn't taking much notice as to where I was going.

In reply to Dan Bailey - UKHillwalking.com:

Looking back, most of my memorable Munros have been allegedly "dull" ones like these because I saved them for winter nights.

These two beauties were on a university mountaineering club trip to Glen Coe when I figured out I could get the club van to chuck me out, to everyone's bemusement, at Auchlyne at 8pm on a February Friday. A  cheerful promise to see them all at the Clachaig on Sunday left me free to set off solo with a headtorch probing the snow and a plastic bivvy bag for the occasional "sleep".

(OK, that's enough nostalgia, Grandad. Let's get you a nice cup of tea.)

Mark Bull - great fact. You win QI.