Drumochter Munro's April 28th and 29th
I am pleased to report that this was a worthwhile trip to a part of the country that I have not had much luck with weather wise in the past. All this was forgotten over the course of two beautiful days and four more Munro's to add to the total. On Thursday morning I departed Aberdeen in chilly conditions and decided upon a longer route, based on decent roads, and headed to Drumochter via Perth and up the A9. I arrived at the start point at around half ten and was all set to start just prior to eleven. The route followed a well maintained path under the railway line and on up towards the south face of A' Mharconaich, which you pass to reach Beinn Udlamain via a steep uphill slog to the bealach between the two munro's.
At this point you can see back across to the summits of A' Mharconaich and Geal Charn, with views across to Loch Ericht and the Alder region beyond.
Follow the line of fence posts upwards in a westerly direction to find the summit cairn on Beinn Udlamain. Jelly McBaby takes a well earned rest on the summit cairn.
You now have fine views of the Munro's across at Loch Ericht and can see towards the summit of Sgairneach Mhor.
Follow the line of fence posts west until you pick up a path heading down to the bealach between Udlamian and Mhor, turn south and head down to the bealach before ascending the grassy slopes of Mhor, turning back westerly for a while until you regain some height, then south once more towards the summit cairn.
The cairn is easily found in clear conditions and lies close to the corries facing A'Mharconaich. I get the feeling that I do all the walking whilst McBaby only comes out at the summits!!
There is a faint path that leads along the edge of the corrie and descends back to the original access path below. Once back down at the path it is a long trudge back to the car on the A9.
Thankfully it is only 7km to the accomodation at Balsporran cottage, not too far to drive as the legs stiffen after a day walking. The room was immaculately clean and the bed was so inviting after a long hot day, but I had to meet Asima (who had been cycling the Gaik pass with her friend Kate) and head to Blair Atholl (via Bruar) for tea. The Atholl hotel was quite busy but we didnt have to wait long for our tea...fish and chips with mushy peas followed by STP and custard, yum yum. We left Kate to drive to Pitlochry and returned to Balsporran, made our calls and texts for the night then settled down to chat in the guest lounge. Ann and Phil are great hosts and do everything they can to make your stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible. With breakfast ordered for the morning we retired for the night, as Ann fussed around getting things ready for a couple of cyclists that were checking in later than expected.....sleep came easily for a change.
The view from my bedroom window this morning was stunning, hills all around bathed in sunshine and the occasional train thundering past on the track just outside the garden fence.
A later than usual start for me today, didnt rise until eight, then breakfast at half past. We met the two cyclists this morning, couple of nice guys from Motherwell cycling from Lands end to John o Groats, full of adventurous tales which kept everyone amused. We were also joined by a couple from London (Canadians up here escaping the royal wedding no less) who were driving from Edinburgh to Skye then onto Wester Ross and returning via Inverness and back down the A9 to arrive back in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
After settling the bill and digesting the grilled breakfast, and porridge, I packed the car and prepared for the 3km drive to the start point for my next two munro's.
There is plenty of parking on the A9 for access to all of the munro's in the area. Once i had found the appropriate spot I set off across the busy road and follow the quarry path up to a bealach between the two munro's. Halfway up is a cracking view up the A9 to Dalwhinnie, which boasts the highest distillery on mainland Britain (cheers for that Michael).
The path is well maintained all the way to the bealach, then branches off north to Carn na Caim and south to A' Bhuidheanach Beag. I decided to take the route to Beag first as it looked the longest on the map, a good decision in hindsight. Follow the track across a couple of minor tops then reach a small white stoned cairn. At this point you can either continue across open moorland then drop suddenly downhill to a low col before ascending up grass slopes to the summit of A' Bhuideanach Beag, or you can branch left down a dirt track and save some time and steep descent....guess which one I took...yes that's right I dont do shortcuts.
When you arrive on the summit it is disappointing to find a couple of rocks scattered around a trig point....a cairn is always welcome.....especially in the windy conditions we had today. There is little, in fact no, shelter on an open moorland so high up and exposed. But saying that I still only required a t-shirt and thin top to keep the chill off. When you descend the grassy slopes keep the alternative track in sight and follow it back to the white cairn, better than returning via the steep slope. Follow the route back to the bealach and then head north towards Carn na Caim. The path is quite faint in places but in poor visibility you can follow the fence posts straight to the summit cairn.
A slightly better summit cairn than the last one. Jelly McBaby can even find shelter from the wind, though he might have had a few of Baino's drams cause he kept falling over. It was far too windy to stop here for lunch so pegged it back to the bealach and got some shelter afore eating. A quick descent to the car and all in managed this in 3hrs 55mins.
I enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate and half packet of melted jaffa cakes at the roadside afore the long drive home via Aviemore.
96 down 187 to go.........
I would have no hesitation in recommending a stay at Balsporran cottage to anyone. The location is tremendous and the relaxed atmosphere lends itself to walkers looking to unwind after a day in the hills. I even managed to get a single room with a double bed, comfy as bits for sprawling out on, and I never sleep well but I slept last night.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant, four in a day is a tremendous effort. Very exposed and wild looking. I must agree though, a very poor effort at the summit of A' Bhuideanach Beag. A facebook campaign to build a decent cairn is a must.
ReplyDeleteOnly two per day Michael. Exposed but not in the least bit wild. It is an area often looked down on by walkers as presenting no real skills challenge (no scrambling or climbing) but even featureless plateaux pose their own risks in poor weather conditions, either through lack of visibility or no shelter from the wind/rain.
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