Loch Callater and a stab at Carn an Tuirc

Friday 11th - Sunday 13th March 2011

Driving up to Spittal of Glen Shee on the Friday night, we set up our tents behind the Inn and quaffed a few beers before turning in.  It snowed consistently overnight and was set to continue steadily for the whole weekend.  A plan to climb Glas Tulaichean dissolved as a post-breakfast digestion snooze turned into a 2pm panic.  No time to climb munros, we packed up and jumped back into the car to head off to the bothy at Lochcallater, over the other side of Glen Shee.

 Inside Callater Stable - Plush as.

It took an hour and a half up the track, sometimes wading through deep snow drifts, to get to the Lochcallater stable bothy.  It has no fireplace or woodburning stove, so we were carrying a spare tin of gas to try to heat the place up a bit.  It's insulated well enough, but burning the stove did little but provide placebo-effect warmth.  Jack Daniels and Mr Kronenbourg helped stave off the cold.  Outside the snow continued.

Sunday morning we got up and headed over the bridge to find the track up Carn an Tuirc.  This was easily found but swiftly lost under the snowdrifts and a more direct ascent was decided.  The weather was settled at the level of the loch, but as we gained height, the wind whipped up and visibility became more restricted.

Lochcallater Bothy from over the river

With the low visibility, navigation was difficult and as we climed up the summit cone of Carn an Tuirc, we encountered slabs of ice with soft fresh snow sitting on the top.  The combination meant that there was a risk of avalanche and the possibility of being swept down into the featureless whiteout - meaning it would be near impossible to find anyone who fell and any injury sustained in the fall would quickly become fatal in the sub-zero conditions.

A bit parky.

Ice slabs

Crampon Time

Disappointed, we turned back to the bothy.  The going was tough as the consistent snow had created deep snowdrifts in the shallow gullies.  After a cup of tea at the bothy, we packed up and headed back down the track to the car - another hour and a half without a break to get back in daylight (just).

Heading back up to Glen Shee, the snow became quickly much heavier as we gained height in the car until wheelspin stopped us dead.  2 people pushing got us moving again, but the effort involved was too much and we didn't know how far it was to the top of the pass.  The only choice was to turn round and head back to Edinburgh via Aberdeen, adding a good bit onto our journey back.  Suddenly a 10pm return turned into a 3am return.

The Cairnwell and Carn Aosda

The Cairnwell (933m) NO135774
Summitted: Sunday 20th February 2011

Carn Aosda (917m) NO134792
Summitted: Sunday 20th February 2011

The Cairnwell and Carn Aosda are two of the most accessible Munros - in summer.  In the blasting blizzard conditions of February they weren't quite so easy.  Having left Edinburgh on Friday night, we reached the Spittal of Glen Shee Hotel in good time to pitch tents and get a few drinks in at the bar before turning in.

On Saturday it transpired that the overnight snowfall had blocked the road up to the Glen Shee ski centre and it wouldn't be cleared all day, so we ambled up Glen Lochsie instead.  Disappointing, as we had to change our plans completely.

On Sunday the road was open and we drove up to Glen Shee, where there were already hundreds of cars.  A quick stop in the Cairnwell cafe and we were up the hill, dodging skiers and snowboarders as we went.  Conditions on the ridge were fairly harsh - visibility of 50 feet or so, and a cold breeze blowing, but the summit was obtained easily and we quickly headed back down to ridge, in the direction of Carn Aosda.

The summit of The Cairnwell with wind-formed 'horizontal icicles' on the summit antenna 

It had been our intention to summit The Cairnwell, Carn a'Gheoidh and Carn Aosda, but a combination of weather conditions and a late start forced us to leave Carn a'Gheoidh for another time.  As the weather conditions deteriorated, we followed the ridge round to Carn Aosda, counting steps and following a bearing to navigate through the white squalls.

The summit of Carn Aosda

By the time we summited Carn Aosda, the wind had picked up again with a vengeance.  We headed back along the ridge with the intention of checking out the Carn Aosda hut, but a momentary lapse in judgement led us down the western flank of Carn Aosda instead of the south slope that would take us to the hut.  Having dropped most of the way down to the Baddoch burn, a brief window in the low cloud showed us our error and we were forced to head back up the hill once again.  The increasingly deep snow, combined by the fact that we had eaten nothing but the odd bit of chocolate for 5 hours meant that fatigue was setting in.  We reached the top and found a fence that would lead us to the top of one of the ski tows; which would take us the rest of the way down to the cafe.  The slopes were earily deserted now, as were the car parks when they came into view.

We'd been out for about 7 hours, taking no more than a minute to stop every so often - never sitting down.  Our clothes were frozen solid and had acquired horizontal icicles of their own.  The temperature was dropping significantly on the way from the cafe to the car, as the last faint sunlight disappeared.  The thermometer had said -10C on the summit, with 60 or 70 MPH of wind chill bringing it down to about -35 Celcius.  Snow goggles and gloves were essential and any exposed skin would become painful within no more than a few minutes.  Now that it was dark the temperature on the tops could easily have dipped to -45 or lower, so we were very glad not to get stuck out on the hill any longer - an overnight outside wouldn't have been too much fun.

Back at the Car

The Munros West of Glen Tilt

Beinn Dearg (1008m) NN853778
Summitted: Saturday 28th August 2010

Carn a'Chlamain (963m) NN916758
Summitted: Saturday 28th August 2010

An Sgarsoch (1006m) NN933837
Summitted: Sunday 29th August 2010

Carn an Fidhleir (Carn Ealar) (994m) NN905842
Summitted: Sunday 29th August 2010

There are four Munros to the immediate west of Glen Tilt that can be climbed over a long weekend without too much bother - Beinn Dearg, Carn a' Chlamain, An Sgarsoch and Carn an Fidhleir (AKA Carn Ealar).

Leaving work a little early to jump on the 4.40 train to Blair Atholl, I arrived with a good bit of daylight and  hoofed it up the track towards the Allt Sheicheachan bothy.  Just as I was leaving the trees above Old Blair, I decided I wanted some fuel for the fire, so I grabbed a sizeable log and mounted it on the top of my rucksack, balancing it with one hand.  This didn't make the uphill slogg any easier, but I knew there would be no fuel to be found at the bothy.  I arrived at the bothy with a little daylight to spare and set to work on smashing up the log.  Being damp in the core, and of a dense yet springy variety of pine, it wouldn't break, so I left it inside to dry out.  Instead, I wandered about for a while, grabbing armfulls of dead grey heather, which I used to keep a miniscule fire going for well over three hours by continually adding twigs every few minutes.  It was a hassle to keep such a small fire going without burning out all the fuel, but the only alternative was sleep and it provided a little light for me to have a whisky or two.

The following day I was up at dawn and set off at 7.50 up the Allt Scheicheachan track.  Where the track bends sharply to the right. the path continues for a short while before switching back and rising onto Meall Dubh nan Dearcag.  From here you can see the summit for the rest of the way.

Beinn Dearg from Meall Dubh nan Dearcag.jpg

Having started off at over 450m, I was at the summit by 9.30am.  It was time for a sandwich and a short break, huddled behind the wall around the trig point - which is, unusually, made of stone and mortar instead of concrete.

The summit of Beinn Dearg

Heading north and then west onto Elrig'ic an Toisich I followed the Caochan Carn a'Chairidh down to the Feith an Lochain.  Not easy going, as there is no path, and there are a million little pot-holes where tiny tributaries of the burn flow underground.  The sky had cleared, so I lay on a bit of shingly beach by the Feith an Lochain for a while to eat some biscuits and pick a route up to Carn a' Chlamain.  I decided to head up to Cuil Riabhach, as it looked like the easiest route onto the ridge that would take me up to the summit.

Heading up to Cuil Riabhach

The groun here is very rough and when I got onto the ridge it started to rain heavily enough to warrant waterproof trousers.  A little further along the ridge the sky cleared again and I got a view of the Tarf Hotel, and could see the top of Carn a' Chlamain.  I was happy now that I could see my next two targets and it was still early afternoon.  I was looking forward to getting to the bothy early and having plenty of light to cook and plan the next day.

Summit of Carn a' Chlamain 

 The path coming up from Glen Tilt 

Looking down Gleann Craoinidh 

I didn't hang around at the top as it was blowing an icy wind and I was keen to get down to the bothy to get a decent space.  There were a few people on their way up to the summit, so I decided to push on down Conlach Bheag and along Feith Uaine Mhor to the bothy.  There's no path here, so it 's heavy going.  It rained on and off and the burn snakes erratically along the bottom of the glen, making it impossible to see the bothy until about 100 yards away.

The 'Tarf Hotel'/Feith Uaine Bothy

I got myself settled into the wooden-clad room about half an hour before a group came down off Carn a' Chlamain and got themselves set up in the double-room next door.  Surprisingly there was plenty of cut wood lying around, as the cladding on the front of the building had been replaced.

The next morning I was up early but the weather was very poor.  The wind hurled rain at the windows so I decided to hold off on going out for the day until a little later.  At about 11 the weather lifted a bit and I set out along the Tarf water to An Sgarsoch via Sron na Macraniach.  It rained on and off, but nothing too severe.  The wind was still high, especially on top of An Sgarsoch, where I could quite easily lean into the wind without falling over.

 The summit of An Sgarsoch

 I didn't hang around too long as it was freezing.  My hands were going numb just from exposing them to the wind whilst I took a few pictures.  It was time to head on to Carn an Fhidhleir.  On the way down to the coll between the two summits I bumped into a couple of guys who were doing the same route in reverse.  There wasn't much of a path down to the coll, where I stopped to eat some food before tackling the steep ascent up to Carn an Fhidhleir.

The sky was clear again at the top, so I chilled out for a while in the sunshine, as it was quite warm when sheltered in the lee of the summit cairn.  My exit strategy was to head south along a ridge of 5 peaks that would take me to Meall Dubh Chlais.   It was more difficult than I had thought, but eventually I made it back to Tarf Water where I strode across the river, sometimes thigh deep.  The hundred yards were a soggy trudge to the door where I emptied about a litre of water out of each boot.

The following day I put on wet boots and set off at 6.50 back up Carn a' Chlamain to get down to Glen Tilt, skirting round just short of the summit to get onto the landrover track that heads down to Chlachghlas.  It's a long trudge down Glen Tilt and the rough track surface made sure my feet were pretty sore by the time I hobbled into the shop in Blair Atholl to get some well-earned juice and snacks.

The Beinn a' Ghlo ridge (Carn Liath, Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain, Carn nan Gabhar)

Carn Liath (975m) NN936698
Summitted: Saturday 2nd May 2009

Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain (1070m) NN946724
Summitted: Saturday 2nd May 2009

Beinn a'Ghlo/Carn nan Gabhar (1129m) NN971733
Summitted: Saturday 2nd May 2009

Having taken the train up to Blair Atholl directly after work on Friday night, I set out early on Saturday from the River Tilt Park campsite.  Hoofing it about 5km up the road to the 'car park' by Loch Moraig I was there before the arrival of the daytrippers in their cars, but was quicky overtaken by many due to the heavy load I was carrying.

The Carn Liath Hut - Open then, locked now

The path passes by the Carn Liath hut, which at the time was open, but very spartan inside. Nothing but a table and 3 benches.  No fireplace and plenty of gaps in the walls to let the draughts in.  However, if I'd known it was there, I would have walked up to it the night before and saved myself the cost of the campsite.  Now it is locked up (since early 2010).

Inside the Carn Liath Hut

I hadn't bothered to measure the distance of the Beinn a' Ghlo ridge, as I didn't need to.  I had 2 1/2 days to do 3 munros and return to Blair Atholl for the train home.  I had a tent, sleeping bag and everything else I needed for a long weekend, including a bit of whisky, and the tent (Vango Spirit 200+) that would easily stand up to being pitched on a windy ridge.

The summit of Carn Liath

Despite the heavy rucksack I summited Carn Liath in bright sunshine well before noon and carried along the ridge to Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain.  After dropping down off Carn Liath, the temperature dropped and the snow came in, but lasting only as long as it took to get up to the summit, which was in a bleak mood.

The summit of Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain

Beinn a' Ghlo from Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain (wide)

Onwards to Beinn a'Ghlo, I dropped down between the two and ate my (late) lunch in the Bealach an Fhiodha, where the wind was less intense.

The last uphill stretch up from the Bealach to the summit of Beinn a' Ghlo is a short steep section followed by a long ridge - not too difficult, but I was glad to get the last of the day's height gain done.  I had decided that as I had done the 3 Munros, I wanted to drop down to the river Tilt to get out of the bad weather.

The summit cairn from the trig point on Beinn a' Ghlo

Looking down towards Glen Tilt

Now I had to get down to the river Tilt, which was easier said than done.  I headed North down to Meall a' Mhuirich, past a thick cornice over Coire cas-eagallach.  I followed the spur down, dropping height as I went until I ended up to the west of Meall Gharran, following the burn.  The burn dropped away as a waterfall and the gully was far to steep to down-climb with a rucksack so I headed back over to Lurg Smeur (marked only on the 1:25000 OS) before an extremely treacherous down-climb to Allt Fheannach and the footbridge, where I found a nice flat spot to pitch my tent.  By this time, I'd been on the go for 12 hours, so I cooked up a spag-bol bag meal, washed it down with some hot chocolate and went to sleep.

Camping spot by the river Tilt footbridge

On the Sunday, I trudged back down the Glen Tilt to Blair Atholl, on a track that seems to go on forever.  I haven't measured it, but it's maybe 17-18Km from the footbridge to the station, but Glen Tilt is an unusually long glen.

Glenfinnan to Achnacarry

Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st March 2010

Leaving Edinburgh on the Thursday evening at 6, we arrived late at Glenfinnan and hoofed it up to Corryhully, all 4 of us (Myself, Moray, Chas and Barbara) soaked to the skin by the time we arrived. There was a German student, David. The fire was quickly lit and David was encouraged out of his sleeping bag with a can of beer. Can't remember what time we wound things up, but it was into the wee small hours, which meant a late start on Friday.

 Looking down from the pass to the head of Glenfinnan

Setting off well after lunchtime, we hauled slightly lightened packs over the pass between Streap and Sgurr Thuilm. Having been down this way before, we crossed the river to the east side as early as possible to avoid the lethal gorge path further down that starts just above the waterfall. The path on the east side of the gorge is level and easy to follow. On the west, it is no wider than a boot and with a severe drop to the right. A simple slip would mean disaster - body bag type disaster, not spreigned ankle type disaster.

Reaching the bridge at the bottom, we headed through the woods up to the track as it was getting dark. If there's a path here, we couldn't find it, and simply headed in the general direction of the track, knowing that we would hit it eventually. The forest is very boggy, almost swamplike, and became something of a surreal experience in the pitch black. Chas, being a retired chap was beginning to find it laborious but we weren't far off the bothy now. Still, it took us longer than we thought. A 'diversion' had been set up through yet another section of forest and we had to follow a series of markers before popping out the other side and to the bothy. At least it wasn't raining, or particularly cold.

Glen Pean Bothy

Saturday was an earlier start. We backtracked along to Strathan, which was easy enough, but Chas was still fatigued from the previous day so we hitched a lift from a guy along to the eastern end of Loch Arkaig.  From there it was a relatively short 4 1/2 K's to Invermallie bothy. Arriving with plenty time before darkeness, Invermallie was already filling up with crews from Edinburgh, Fort William and elsewhere. Some were still sleeping from an extremely late night previously. Others had recently arrived and were planning similar. Music played, fires burned, drams were savoured and whole pallets of beer disappeared. Accumulated aches and pains washed away and sleep drifted in.

Sunday was a leasurely walk out to Achnacarry, where we were taken back to Glenfinnan in a taxi by Jamie Blackburn, an old acquiantance from years back.  From there, a decent lunch in the Glenfinnan House Hotel before returning to Edinbugh.