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I'd been looking to do Geal Charn for a while but most of the walk reports on WH made it out to be a long boring trudge up from Garve Bridge, videos on YouTube confirmed how boggy it was.
- Spey Dam with Geal Charn in the distance
I looked at the alternatives, WH suggested an alternative route up Glen Markle (no relation) that looked promising, the only possible issue being a river crossing.
- Car park area in front of dam
There is a large area directly under the dam where you can park, the track up the glen starts directly from there.
- Spey Dam Reservoir
I'd originally considered biking in and camping but forecasted overnight temperatures of -5°C made me think again, however if you want to camp there is a perfect spot at NN 58112 96888.
- Entering Glen Markle
Just before the 3km point the track fords the river, when the river is low crossing will be fairly easy as there are plenty of stepping stones however care should be taken when levels are higher.
- Ford at NN 58524 97644
Once over the river the route follows a faint ATV track, this track will take you past a twin waterfall at 470m.
- Waterfall at NN 58201 97993
The ATV track continues up through a gate (that had definitely seen better days), at this point you've crossed over the 500m contour and you can now see the coire ahead.
- Gate at NN 58111 98117
The Coire is the main reason for taking this route, it's up there with the best of them, it even has a lochan with towering crags above, it's a pity those poor souls trudging up from Garve Bridge miss out on this.
- The Coire, Beinn Sgiath on the left, Geal Charn on the right
There are some fantastic winter climbing routes at the head of the coire, I only had a walking ice axe however so I continued following the ATV track up onto Bruach Nam Biodag.
- The view back down Glen Markle
Make sure you stop once in a while and look around, the views back down Glen Markle are fantastic with the hills to the south starting to open up.
- Cairn at 850m (NN 56974 99476)
Continue up and round the coire, pretty soon a cairn comes into view in the distance, don't be thinking this is the summit however, you still have a bit to go but thankfully the hard pulls are behind you.
- Summit cairn at 926m
Before long the summit cairn comes into view, this will probably be the first time all day that you've come across another soul, be sure to regale them with the sights you've seen and watch envy develop in their faces as they realise that their route up from Garve Bridge was a poor choice.
- The route over to Beinn Sgiath
Whilst the 'baggers' head back down the same route they came up, we head south-east towards 'Uinneag Coire an Lochain' on a heading of 160°
- Uinneag Coire an Lochain
Uinneag Coire an Lochain is at the top of one of the winter routes from the coire, anyone who has traversed the Meagaidh range will see a resemblance with 'The Window', this is the perfect spot for a bite to eat, especially if the summit was busy.
- Beinn Sgiath summit cairn
The pull up to the summit of Beinn Sgiath is pretty uneventful, if you're clag free the views to the south and west are fantastic, with the Dalwhinnie range to the south, Alder range to the south west and the Meagaidh and Laggan ranges to the west.
- Alder range
- Creag Meagaidh (Spot Mad Megs Cairn)
- Beinn a'Chlachair with Creag Pitridh in the foreground
On leaving the summit of Beinn Sgiath follow a heading of 220° or more, any less will result in descending through steep ground and crags.
- Descending back down into Glen Markle
The descent back down into the glen can be boggy and slippery, you'll no doubt fall a couple of times but it's all part of the joy of hillwalking, follow the treeline to the river and cross there (any further downstream and it may not be fordable).
Follow the track back down to Spey Dam stopping every once and a while to look back
