Creag a'Chliabhain & Beinn Mheadhoin- gates in right places!

[gld73]

As I couldn't face the A82 holiday traffic for a second day in a row, I decided to avoid the crowds and stick to somewhere with a short drive from home and on quiet roads. It's 2 years since I've done these hills, but I remember thinking I'd like to do Creag a'Chliabhain again, maybe taking another route for variation. Beinn Mheadhoin isn't as interesting a hill, though turns out it's had some changes since my last visit. I wanted a long walk even if I just wanted a short drive, so the route ended up as:

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Parked at the road junction on the B851 near the wheelie bins (no longer a phonebox there despite what maps say) - there's room for 2 or 3 cars, but this is the 4th time I've done walks from there and have never seen another car there. Even if for some unfathomable reason it was full, parking back over the other side of the small bridge towards Inverness would be easy, the signed entrance to Dunmaglass windfarm there just joins up with the Dunmaglass estate road anyway.

Some of the walk in is along the windfarm access road, so very cycleable if you're that way inclined!

So the familiar walk down the estate road which the windfarm track merges on to, past the couple of houses with their barking dogs, through the open grazing areas, and then I decided to do Creag a'Chliabhain first and hence turned off the road on to a grassy path immediately before the bridge over the river (Beinn Mheadhoin directly ahead over the bridge at this point). The worn path through the field runs on or alongside the embankment to a stile, then around to a small bridge and through a reed-covered field on to the Conagleann track.

Got to the bridge with Beinn Mheadhoin directly ahead, but I turned right immediately before it, to go along beside the river

Beinn Mheadhoin across the river. The yellow sheep are ones which have probably just been bought or just about to be sold at auction, it makes them look good?! A bit like fake tan on bodybuilders apparently ...!

Creag a'Chliabhain in view. Heading along the marked path for walkers here.

Creag a'Chliabhain has steep sides going down to the loch, though is surprisingly flat and grassy on top

Even once I was on this track and heading towards the north end of the loch I hadn't decided what routes to take up and down the hill this time .... but when I got to the boathouse I saw how deep the bracken was on the way I'd initially head up the hill if going from this end (the way I'd come down last time in winter) and decided it looked too much of a tick-fest given how prolific the little sods are this year! So I opted to stay on the track and walk alongside the loch, past the stiles at the end of the loch where there's a route over the deer fence to head steeply up the hill's east side, and onwards along the glen to the south end of the hill. Through 2 gates took me on to an ATV track which heads relatively gently uphill from the south end, fading a bit into the heather in parts, but missing out deep bracken and always easy to find again. The track turns into a narrow path near the summit.

At the end of the loch, there are stiles to get over the deer fence if you want to head up this steep, quick route to the top, but I didn't fancy heading through the bracken at this time of year given how many ticks are around this year

I continued on down the glen to the southern end of Creag a'Chliabhain, where there are 2 gates to go through to access a track through the heather up the more gentle slopes on this side ATV track initially, then becoming a path, looking back down to the south here

Creag a'Chliabhain's summit cairn and the wide, long summit plateau

Looking west, down to Loch Mhor

The summit cairn is the obvious high spot on the ridge, which is surprisingly wide and grassy compared to how steep and rocky it looks from the Conagleann track. Last time I then walked the length of the top to descend down the north end, but this time I decided to take the track I'd seen on the map, heading down to the west and Loch Farraline, then continuing round to Easter Aberchalder, up past the artist's studio which I always see signed from the B862 but never visited, and back to the Conagleann track

View of Creag a'Chliabhain from the west side near Wester Aberchalder

Walking back along Conagleann, Creag a'Chliabhain on the left

Easy to cross here on boulders rather than walking back to the bridge

Back along the track retracing my earlier steps for this stretch alongside the loch, then instead of following the small sign for walkers back across the reedy field, I headed up towards the newish building (hydro or windfarm related), crossed the river easily on boulders, and rejoined the big windfarm track. Stayed on this for a short distance, the road splits with the main track branching right and the one skirting Beinn Mheadhoin branching left. This is where I discovered recent changes! It was around here I'd previously headed straight up open, steep, heather slopes to the summit, but this time there was a new deer fence - and another further up the hill. Turns out the enclosed area is a new tree plantation. Fortunately there was no need to clamber over the very new looking fences, as gates were provided at this point and I was able to head up the steep side after all, heading NE to the summit (marked by the smaller cairn).

The new deer fence is seen here, just up from the track which branched left from the main wind farm track

...but (looking back down here) the estate has put gates in the deer fences on both sides of the new plantation at about the place I headed up last time

From the west end of Beinn Mheadhoin's summit area I could see rain coming in over the other side of Creag a'Chliabain, but fortunately it didn't make it as far as me on this walk

The view of Dunmaglass wind farm from Beinn Mheadhoin. Not one of them was turning on this windless day.

I dithered over whether to descend the same way (too steep for my knees, but definitely gates to avoid climbing deer fences) or go down the less severe descent route to the south east (knee friendly, but gate and fence status unknown). I gambled on the latter ...and it was nice to get down this pleasant descent route and see the estate had put in gates at this side of the hill too, so no difficulties getting back to the track for the walk back to the car. Not sure what access will be like once trees are fully grown, but for now, it's still an easy hill to get up an down.

Gate at the first deer fence where I came down south east off the hill (another in the fence on the other side of the plantation in line with this one)

The plantation looks like it'll be a mix of trees, not just the usual pine trees for timber

[BlackPanther]

We did a variation of this route a few years ago. Really loved Creag a'Chliabhain. I think the Dunmaglass Subs need some advertising

[gld73]

We did a variation of this route a few years ago. Really loved Creag a'Chliabhain. I think the Dunmaglass Subs need some advertising

It is nice to have the option of enjoyable smaller hills close to home, especially when there are different routes that can be taken up them for variety. Creag a'Chliabhain and Beinn a'Bhacaidh are probably my 2 favourites of the south Loch Ness subs. I don't mind if they're not advertised though, it means there are still some quiet places I can get parked this summer

[BlackPanther]

Yes, it is getting mad in popular spots! We are planning a wild camping trip to the Fisherfields in a few days time and I'm worried we will struggle to find room for parking, the walkers car park in Poolewe is not very big! We decided to wait till Monday, it might be a bit quieter during the week. We also want to visit Ardgour to finish off the 6 remaining Corbetts. I'm hoping against all logic that Ardgour and Kingairloch are too remote for the beach brigade