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I always fancied Meall a'Chrathaich in winter conditions, but the recent big dump of snow makes walking so difficult that I didn't even dare suggesting it to Kevin; he himself came up with the shorter version of the Corrimony approach, a walk which we had done several times before. We hoped to visit the Corrimony Bothy and maybe, if snow conditions allow, climb up to the viewpoint by the wind turbines, which offers fine views to the peaks of Glen Affric. We were very lucky that a four wheel drive had been up the track almost all the way to the windfarm, probably on Friday, and we could easily follow the fresh tyre trails, otherwise the walk would have taken 6 or 7 hours, considering the snow cover even on lower levels. It is certainly one of the harshest winters I had ever experienced in Scotland!
We started from the small car park in Corrimony, stopped for a short time to photograph the ancient cairn:
The route to the bothy passes through RSPB reserve but today we didn't see any birds. It was a cold morning and I bet they were reluctant to spread their wings
A tree stump wearing a white hat:
We were so thankful to whoever has driven up the track recently, for leaving an easy trail to follow:
Coos in Glen Urquhart were busy chewing their breakfast. I hope they didn't feel too cold today... I don't eat beef anyway so my conscience is clear
As long as we stayed on the beaten track, it was easy going, but any attempt to go off piste reminded us, we were in the middle of snow-covered nowhere
The first glimpse of Corrimony windfarm:
We couldn't even see Loch Comhnard, it was all frozen and covered with a layer of fresh snow. In spring/summer, this spot is a haven for bird watchers, but today there was no sign of any living creature, apart from one Black Panther testing the depth of snow:
Loch Comhnard? Where???
A local stream still not frozen:
The bothy can just about be seen from the road when walking up the glen - the small building under the trees. It was still early so we decided to visit it later, after climbing to the viewpoint.
Now we know where the tyre tracks came from - someone has driven a digger up to the generator hut:
River Enrick looked more like a tiny burn...
Kevin on the bridge, trying not to fall over
Past the hydro hut, we were forced to walk on pristine snow, but we had already done our training on previous weekends, so we didn't mind a bit more exercise. We needed to move to stay warm!
Looking back to the bothy from the windfarm track past the bridge:
Please, shut the gate!
Kevin gazing at something in the distance...I was wondering what he had spotted, maybe the Big Grey Man?...
Nah, just a trio of deer also struggling in deep snow...
We were in a slightly better position than the deer, as we could walk on an even track. But even here, we encountered snow drifts occasionally. And the wind picked up as we reached 400m, but at least we knew we were near our objective:
Suidhe Ghuirmain, an outlying top that always intrigued me. It turns out, it isn't even a TUMP, but we might visit it in spring, just to prove the point:
The gate to the windfarm area was not padlocked and soon we were walking in the shadow of the big turbines. I always feel uneasy standing right under them - feels like they are going to collapse on me
Kevin has no such fear!
Once on the flat shoulder where the turbines are situated, we discovered we could hardly walk any further, the snow was so deep and so soft...
We agreed this was as far as we were going today. It would be stupid to even try getting closer to Meall a'Chrathaich which is 200m higher than the windfarm hill.
Meall a'Chrathaich - so close yet so far:
We left the track and hopped through deep snow to the highest point of the flat shoulder, which is a superb viewpoint to the hills of Affric. We had been here many times but never in such super-snowy conditions, so seeing the local mountains in full white coats was a real treat!
Zoomed peaks of Affric:
Kevin busy photographing:
BP and wind turbines:
Having finished our photo session, we turned back and retraced our own footprints back to the gate. At least it was easier walking now, and the weather also brightened nicely:
Crossing the 200 m from the bridge to the bothy took us longer than climbing some hills in our career
Snow was even deeper here and I volunteered (stupidly) to break the trail...
Panther's paw prints:
Knock, knock, anybody home? Kevin had to bend in two to get into the bothy:
Inside, it was warm and quiet. We spent maybe 15 minutes in the bothy, resting and drinking tea, tried not to touch any surfaces. There was no notice "bothy closed" and the door was not blocked so we assumed it was OK to enter the building for a short time. We didn't intend to stay overnight of course, too cold for any naughty behaviour
Kevin thinking about naughty games in the snow
Getting back out on the beaten track proved just as hard as reaching the bothy:
This time I allowed Him Who Knows It All Best to go first, excusing myself with my yet not fully recovered knee. It was hard enough even following in his footsteps
Once on the track it was easier going once again:
By the time we returned to the car park, 5 hours have passed. In summer conditions, one can reach the summit of Meall a' Chrathaich in 6.5 hours, using this approach. More details about the full route, including the Graham and Loch ma Stac in my
old report here.
The coming weekend doesn't look as good as the previous two, so I don't know if we're going to venture as far from Beauly this time, maybe just a local wander from home, it is wintry enough to make even that a challenge