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Summits: Tom na Slaite, Cairn Kincraig
Date walked: 03/01/2015
Distance: 12 km
Ascent: 530 m
Time: 3 hours 20 minutes
Weather: Cold and sunny.
A little more faith in the weather and I would have planned a longer day out and got up early. However the forecast for the 3rd wasn’t looking over-promising so I enjoyed another lie-in, with thoughts of going somewhere close to Inverness for a short walk. I was a bit annoyed with myself when I finally got up and the sunshine was pouring in the windows. Still, it would be nice to see ‘plan B’ hills in the sunshine, so I drove down to Ruthven (the one near Tomatin on the A9), arriving just before 1 pm.
In December 2008, I had got Gill to drop me off here, and had traversed Carn nan Tri-tighearnan in soft snow, walking back to Culloden where I lived at the time. A few months before that, I had done a circumnavigation of the hill on my mountain bike, passing through the narrow section of Strathdearn from Daless to Ruthven. I had a feeling there was a circular walk to be made out of these two trips somehow.
For the best views of the Findhorn and Strathdearn, I started off by walking up the minor bump of Tom na Slaite. There was a well made track up onto the summit ridge, then I crossed thick heather to the summit cairn. For a hill so easy to access from the A9, the views down Strathdearn were spectacular. It is like a miniature version of Glen Feshie.
SW along the Findhorn to Tomatin:
The Findorn squeezes between Carn nan Tri-tighearnan and the Dava Moors in this section of Strathdearn:
Creag a’ Chrocain and the Carn nan Tri-tighearnan plateau from Tom na Slaite:
Cnocan Mor:
I dropped steeply down to the Allt na Seanalaich and crossed over. The climb back up the other side was somewhat hard going in deep heather, and I was glad when the gradient eased. Areas of muirburn and animal tracks made the going a little easier, but the ground was undulating. Once above the snowline I floundered in places.
On Creag a’ Chrocain:
Cnocan Mor and Carn Glas-choire from the north:
There were occasional hard patches of snow left from before the thaw, but the rest of the snow was more hard-going than the heather.
Occasional hard patch of snow:
Once away from the edge of the plateau, I pulled the map out. The summit was almost 2 miles away! I remembered this terrain well from my 2008 visit - without a good hard freeze, the snow had hampered my progress then as well, slowing me to about 1mph. I knew I wouldn't make the summit today without a lot of walking in the dark, so I decided to avoid it, and once over the slight rise of Cairn Kincraig, I started looking for a way back into Strathdearn.
On the plateau – looks great, hell to walk through:
Looking towards the summit of Carn nan Tri-tighearnan:
The hard patches of snow typically filled large peat hags, and had started to thaw at the edges - meaning to get on to a nice easy patch, I had to disappear up to my waist. Wearing shorts for the first time over the Christmas holidays, this started to grate after a bit. Still, the solid sections interspersed with the drifts sped up my descent towards Strathdearn.
Ben Rinnes:
Daless and the Findhorn:
SW along the Findhorn:
Towards the Monadhliath:
Once below the snowline, the heather seemed easy, and before long I was on the banks of the Findhorn. The best track through this section of Strathdearn crosses the Findhorn at a ford of sorts. I had waded this with my bike previously and the water had come up to my waist! So I was happy to stick to the northern bank this time, even though there was a short section with no track, where I would need to balance along steep heathery slopes.
Dropping down into Strathdearn:
Ice map:
Nice easy walking by the river. I wished it was a little earlier so I could get better photos.
Approaching the awkward section:
After a heathery crag, I reached the short trackless section. There was still a narrow animal track here making the way obvious, and I didn't have to climb too high above the river. Then easy walking again to the track end at Shenachie.
Tom na Slaite from the narrow traverse above the Findhorn:
Looking back to the awkward bit:
There is a great ropeway at Shenachie, where you cross the river by hauling yourself over a steel cable in a mini cable car. Sadly the estate keep the car padlocked (again I had had to wade here with my bike in 2008 - not a small river crossing by any means).
Fun river crossing (sadly padlocked):
I passed a large family out walking on my way back to the end of the public road in the sunset and moonrise.
Moon rising over the Findhorn:
Sun setting over the Monadhliath:
I was pleased with my route even without making the summit of Carn nan Tri-tighearnan this time - to be honest there is little to see from the summit that I didn't see from my walk. Having moaned elsewhere about the peat hags on some of the Southern Uplands hills, I actually enjoy the perverse challenge of them to a point - but much more if they aren't a 5 hour drive away