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In 2017 I finally got round to visiting Glenshee for the first time. The forecast was originally quite good, but got gradually more driech in the days before, and by Thursday night it was predicting a full day of dark cloud. Tough luck: I had booked the Friday off work, and wanted my six(!) Munros. I might never get the chance again...
I arrived at the car park at 9am. I was up by 6:30am but it was a long drive up from Glasgow. The descent from 665m to 510m on the A93 was a tad frustrating, but it's still quite a head start!
The day's only sunshine...
The map suggests the path doesn't head up to the summit of Carn an Tuirc, heading round to the "Carn an Tuirc Hut" instead, but I followed it in the hope that an offshoot would head straight up the hill.
There are loads of old shielings in the glen.
Looking across to Carn Aosda and The Cairnwell (amazingly I've not got round to them yet).
There was a trace of a path heading straight up the hill.
Well, I say path...
After a steepish climb I was nearly at the summit.
Bye bye civilisation. It might be a while till we meet again...
1/6!
The big climb of the day was done, and the rest of the day would basically look like this, but more and more cloudy. A bit different, but as long as the numbers went up I would be chuffed with that.
Some guidebooks suggest climbing the four Munros in a round from Glenshee, but it was summer (even if it didn't look like it!) and for once I had the whole day, so I headed East from Carn an Tuirc towards Tolmount.
The route was ok, a bit undulating but fine as long as I stayed away from the cliffs to the left.
Eventually Tolmount revealed itself (almost).
2/6!
This is the only one I forgot the screenshot from, but I was there...honestly Sir Hugh!
Tolmount to Tom Buidhe in a cloud is not exactly the Buachaille Etive Mor ridge, but I wasn't complaining as long as I made it round the six of them.
Yeah, as I say, arm, not the most photogenic stretch...
3/6! And now with added jacket because the rain is blowing through.
Tom Buidhe is really out in Ye Wilds: maybe the most remote Munro I've climbed so far. But as long as I made it back over Ca Whims I would be back in slightly busier territory (although having said that, I barely passed a soul all day). And if nothing else, I would be heading back in the direction of the car if things nosedived weather-wise.
Well it's better than nothing... but thank goodness I had bought one of those new OS maps with a map that works offline with their app. For the first time ever I was plotting my way round the hills with GPS: visibility was next to 0 and the terrain was a bit tough to navigate.
Aha. The wall means I'm nearly at the summit of Cairn of Claise.
They like to build their cairns properly round here. I guess the clue is in all the names...
4/6!
This is back in Path Country at least. It's quite a long walk from Cairn of Claise to Glas Maol but the terrain was fine.
Gigantic Cairn/Shelter Thing!!
5/6! And a few metres West of here is the true meeting point of Perth and Kinross, Angus and Aberdeenshire.
Visibility was literally nothing by this point, but the wall (and the GPS) could be followed passed yet more cairns and shelters to Cùl Riabhach, then up a rockier ridge onto Creag Leacach.
Nearly there......I think.
Yaaaasssssss.
6/6!
Thank you GPS; couldn't have done it without you pal.
It was a great thrill to make it to Creag Leacach, but technically the toughest part was still to come. I retraced my steps to to the cairn at Bàthach Beag, then cut across the hillside towards the top of the ski centre at Meall Odhar. It was very tough on the ankles: I wish I could find a path to help me out...
Talk of the devil!
Finally I reached the big track near the summit of Meall Odhar, and it would be all downhill from here. I think I read that Meall Odhar is a Top? If that's true then it's a surprise, as there's barely climbing from the col.
Oh this stuff.
A building! It feels like it's been weeks.
The world's biggest car park.
Arrive early or you'll miss out on a space.
There then followed a long walk past Glenshee Ski Centre and down the hill to the car park at 510m. Rather down than up though...
My car!
Please Wait For The River To Cross First.
It was a memorable day, mainly because I'll probably never climb six Munros in a day again. The only other time it might be possible for me is South Glen Shiel, but there is the old two car / bus dilemma there and it looks like tougher terrain. It was also good to test out GPS here a genuine means of navigations, rather than a gimmick or a bonus, but I still had the paper map (safety first). I don't think I've ever enjoyed a Chinese takeaway more...
