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Loch an Eilein to Blair AthollPart 1 (Loch an Eilein to the first lodge in Glen Tilt)
4½ Days
73km(45mi)
We started on a Sunday, late in the evening, around 19:00 in July from
Loch an Eilein for a long trip to
Blair Atholl.
It is true the Scottish weather is unpredictable, even if it's in the middle of the summer. It was cold, windy and the rain had just started; and the four of us, jackets and woolly hats on hiked passing loch an Eilein and
loch Gamhna, heading towards
Drake's bothy which was fully occupied. So we ended up in the woods nearby.
Early in the morning the next day we packed and hiked to our next target, the 5-star bothy of
Glen Feshie,
Ruighe-aiteachain. The main path/road until
Achlean and the bridge is wide and easy to walk; after that it becomes a bit challenging due to erosion damages, there we saw some hare jumping here and there.
The bothy of course was a pleasant surprise to us since it wasn't anything like in the pictures but more of a functional house. Four rooms (Two downstairs with two wood burning stoves and two upstairs), a 3-burner gas stove, lots of books to read and outside a new toilet; and the list goes on. We met an old man there too, who helps with the maintenance of the bothy and lives there most of the year, he was very welcoming and made us some coffee and tea, it felt as if we visited the Last Homely House in Rivendell.
- Glen Feshie and the last woodland until the Red House
Tuesday morning, after a good breakfast we went back on the trail with the river always on our right hand until we meet
Geldie burn. So far we met five people in three days, the last was a Canadian hiker near
Eidart Falls, literally in the middle of nowhere. After that the landscape changed dramatically; no more trees until the
Red house on Geldie burn. If you want to see grouses or adder snakes, there is a high chance to see them in these parts, at least we saw one of each up close there. The path is difficult, it has its ups and downs, a bit spongy, boggy and muddy but it is worth the views you get in the end, especially with the cloudy weather we had which made it seem even more dramatic.
- A shed near the old ruins at the foot of Sron na Ban-righ
The distance from the bothy in Glen Feshie to the
Red house is quite long and difficult if your pack is heavy. We didn't make it in time and we stopped by
Geldie lodge and found shelter in the stables for the night. When the sun goes down, crossing the river to get there is a bit of a challenge to not end up with wet boots and socks, but in the end we all made it.
- The ruins of Geldie lodge
Swallows were flying around the stables and later we found that this was their home. There were three of their nests under the roof and when I checked with my camera I saw one of them had five eggs in there.
- Swallows' eggs... soon will hatch and they will fly to Africa for the winter and back again next year.
We left early the next day to see if the Red house is available and what we missed the previous day from the surrounding woodland if it wasn't.
- The Red House (under construction), you can see a glimpse of the woodland at the right corner.
Three other people we met later came from the
Linn o Dee carpark; one of the busiest places i know in Cairngorms. Now I bet it will become even busier when they find out that the Red House will be available soon (Currently under construction but more or less ready to accommodate anyone). The inside is almost finished and the toilets-not one, but four toilet sits!-are nearly finished too. Out of curiosity I wanted to check the east woodland too, the nearest to the "new" bothy; and I am quite happy we didn't push that far the previous night to reach it.
There were tracks of deer and sheep, fur hanging from branches and litter here and there... Probably a tick paradise and on top of that the ground was more of a swamp, quite tricky to move around.
Now it was time to keep on, cross the two rivers ahead and hopefully make it to the
forest lodge in
Glen Tilt. The pastor we met earlier at the Red house with his friend from Manchester were camping in the ruins of
Bynack lodge nearby and they came down to greet us and share information for the road ahead.
- The path to Glen tilt after passing Geldie burn
It was as described, generally easy but narrow as you get into the valley.
- The narrow path near the falls of Tarf.
- The falls of Tarf
- Looking back from the bridge passing the falls of Tarf.
It was late evening, when the deer came out for supper and we saw lots of them on the side of the glen. The distance from the Red house to the forest lodge took us half of our day, we were there around 22:30 since it was impossible for us to stop and camp without trees nearby for our hammocks.
- A stag on the side of the Glen.
Part 2 (Forest lodge to Blair Atholl)
Glen tilt is beautiful, as beautiful as Glen Feshie, but different. The next day the weather changed, it was summer again; some of us went swimming in the river and after lunch we slowly started packing for our way to Blair Atholl.
- Summer again in Glen Tilt, next to the forest lodge.
Soon we saw the first farm and then an other and more sheep grazing around freely. Around 21:00 we made it to Blair Atholl and that was the end of our adventure... until the next time.
- Signs of civilization.
Notes:1. Pack light, even less than 20% of your bodyweight if you are planning a multiday hike.
2. Bring a tent or a bivvy... There is not always trees around and even if there are the ground could be tricky to move around especially at night.