Some Glenlivet TUmps

[Gordon Ballantyne]

Swooped over the Lecht and round into Glenlivet on an overcast rain-threatening day.
Had to pick this day, as, had we gone the next day, a lynching would've ensued since it was my memsahibs birthday !

First on the list was -

CARN na h-IOLAIRE

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The parkup for Iolaire

The gate to the grass field for Carn an h-Iolaire

We parked up in a generous passing place tucked on to the grass verge, walked 50m further down the road and climbed up to a gate which we louped over ( first hill). There had been kye in the field recently judging by the amount of dung splattered around under the overhanging branches of the larch plantation adjacent. Straight up the grass field and a loup over the fence to stand on the top among the larch trees. Back to the car the same way. Mused about the traffic on the road until we realised that the distillery was down this way.
Didn't see any eagles......

GordonC at the top of Iolaire

TOM a VOAN

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Drove further down the glen to the nice car park provided by the Glenlivet estate opposite the church at Chapeltown.
Up through the farm yard, disturbing the farm dogs on the way which set off a chorus of barking and up to the forestry, where a gate barred our way. I was about to climb over some brash from a previous clearfell which had crushed the deer fence alongside the gate when GordonC notice the absence of the traditional padlock and chain, so swung the gate open with ease - simples !
A nice track in the firebreak took us up to the top of the hill. We decided to visit the spot height about 50m to the SE, so left our packs and plunged into the young un-thinned tree plantation. Eventually, we stood on the spot after much thrutching.
Hardly room for a pic !

GordonC ( I think) in the pines at the top of Tom a Voan

Back down the track after escaping the pines on Tom a Voan

Back to the car after we'd extricated ourselves from the pinefest.





BREAC LEATHAD

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Drove round to Tomalienan road end and parked at the ford, squeezed in beside the dustbins. Wandered down past the Calier farm which seemed to be a graveyard for broken down Mitsubishi vehicles. Plootered over a guttery bit then through a gate into a field of ewes. Near Braeval we passed a field of tupps, which we learned later, were being fattened for future sale.
Crossed the grass field and picked up the track heading in our direction. After the gate at the top of the pasture, the overgrown track degenerated into an animal track which was followed into a peat hag near the top. After that, it was gruesome moose-stepping to the top area near a fence, skirting wee ponds,over tussocks of moss, grass & heather.
I disturbed a blue hare on the way which made light work of the terrain as it casually loped away.
The ground underfoot in the summit area certainly execised our legs !

GordonB checking the coords of the top of Breac Leathad

The comms mast to GordonC's left on Breac Leathad

Glenlivet from Breac Leathad

Back down the same way.
At the cars, we met a young lassie from the farm out exercising her working collies. She educated us about the tupps that we'd spotted earlier.....

Next we looped round via Tomnavoulin to our usual parking spot in the Allanreid car park at the end of the path through to Cabrach.



CARN TULLICH

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The Allanreid car park

Along over the army field squadron footbridge for Glack and up the field to the bealach between The Bochel and Carn Tullich, hoping to get at least an animal track up our hill. If there was a path, we didn't find it and pushed our flagging bodies up another moose-stepping pitch of heather and tufts of deer grass to the top. Wandered around a bit to find the spot height..

GordonC at the top of Carn Tullich

GordonB taking a quick lounge on Carn Tullich

Deer grass in its autumn raiment on Carn Tullich

We returned down the the grassier side to the north of our ascent route, disturbing a herd of deer on the way. This would've been a slightly better way to ascend, as there were a few animal tracks joining the patches of grass.
Descended through the birks and squelched across to the track and over the bridge then back to the sanctuary of the car.

Stopped at the Goodbrand & Ross cafe at Corgarff, with seconds to spare and squeezed in a coffee before throwing out time - they were very kind serving us and letting us sit in as they'd their "closed" signs were up as we drove in.
This fortified us for the trip home.


The threatened rain didn't materialise in any volume while we were on the hill, but we passed through a few showers on the S side of the Lecht on the way home, so we lucked out in that respect.
Made a detour to the flower shop before hitting the house !