by Pken84 » Thu Apr 27, 2023 1:08 pm
Date walked: 17/04/2023
Time taken: 4.5 hours
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First walk report, and not a very detailed one because I didn't see much all day.
These were my 112th and 113th Munros, and I'm working my way through those accessible by public transport. This often involves a walk-in and wildcamp, though that wasn't strictly necessary on this occasion given proximity to transport links.
I walked in from Dalwhinnie station - a few miles on the verge along the link road, and then the cycle path adjacent to the A9. The lay-by recommend as the start is soon reached, and the A9 was crossed without too much trouble. I walked a short distance in, then left the vehicle track to find a pitch next to the stream. Small tents only here, as there aren't many flat spots and the ones that can be found are very tussocky.
When I set off next morning it was overcast but reasonably warm. By the time I was 100m further up the track the weather was setting in, and unfortunately I spent the rest of the day in heavy clag, wind and rain so no helpful or interesting descriptions of the route here I'm afraid!
The map and route description suggests these are two pretty straightforward hills. Even in the poor conditions, the walking was easy going, but I had to take quite a bit of care with navigation and take the long way round especially on the plateau to avoid getting lost. I gather these hills on the East of the pass are often in clag, so worth bearing in mind.
I was pretty soggy by the time I got back to the tent to pack up, and was glad of the shortish walk back to the train station. Highly recommend the new cafe in Dalwhinnie (The Apiary) for a pre-train refreshment!
