walkhighlands

Share your personal walking route experiences in Scotland, and comment on other peoples' reports.
Warning Please note that hillwalking when there is snow lying requires an ice-axe, crampons and the knowledge, experience and skill to use them correctly. Summer routes may not be viable or appropriate in winter. See winter information on our skills and safety pages for more information.

Taking in the new year above Strathdearn

Taking in the new year above Strathdearn


Postby malky_c » Sun Jan 04, 2015 8:50 pm

Date walked: 03/01/2015

Time taken: 3.4 hours

Distance: 12 km

Ascent: 530m

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).

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.


Strathdearn.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts


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:
Image

The Findorn squeezes between Carn nan Tri-tighearnan and the Dava Moors in this section of Strathdearn:
Image

Creag a’ Chrocain and the Carn nan Tri-tighearnan plateau from Tom na Slaite:
Image

Cnocan Mor:
Image

Image

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:
Image

Image

Cnocan Mor and Carn Glas-choire from the north:
Image

Image

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:
Image

Image

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:
Image

Looking towards the summit of Carn nan Tri-tighearnan:
Image

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:
Image

Daless and the Findhorn:
Image

Image

SW along the Findhorn:
Image

Towards the Monadhliath:
Image

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:
Image

Image

Ice map:
Image

Nice easy walking by the river. I wished it was a little earlier so I could get better photos.

Approaching the awkward section:
Image

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:
Image

Looking back to the awkward bit:
Image

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):
Image

Image

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:
Image

Image

Sun setting over the Monadhliath:
Image

Image

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 :wink:
User avatar
malky_c
 
Posts: 6342
Munros:282   Corbetts:222
Fionas:219   Donalds:80+37
Sub 2000:315   Hewitts:281
Wainwrights:140   Islands:39
Joined: Nov 22, 2009
Location: Glasgow/Inverness

1 person thinks this report is great.
Register or Login
free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).



Can you help support Walkhighlands?


Our forum is free from adverts - your generosity keeps it running.
Can you help support Walkhighlands and this community by donating by direct debit?



Return to Walk reports - Scotland

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: CaroleFortune, u03ih12 and 84 guests