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(Edited total height from 2029m to 1029m since posted, blooming typos)
Having survived my recent excursion to Glen Tilt I felt it time to push my comfort zone a little further.
I decided on the Minigaig Pass.
I also had one eye on the two Corbetts with seemingly good access off the route; Meallach Mor and Leathard an Taobhain.
Especially Leathard an Taobhain.
Day one:
16.69 km + 406m.
And so I found myself at Kingussie train station just after midday on an absolutely glorious Wednesday.
“Oh wow what a day, this is going to be epic, I can't wait, let's get going!”
Unfortunately my inner Labrador got the better of me and this swiftly turned to “ooft I'm hungry, I could do with some lunch first.”
So with a Co-op ham and cheese sandwich and a pork pie in my belly I set off.
By the way it turns out that the 500ml Co-op still water bottle thread fits the Sawyer water filters, result!
Anyway, my route left the B970 just before Ruthven Barracks.
- Ruthven Barracks
The path headed uphill in a south / south-southeast / south east direction. Skirting the western flanks of Beinn Bhuidhe (with the prominent TV mast).
- Looking towards Beinn Bhuidhe
- Looking back the way
It continued climbing up onto Blar Mor then descended down into Glen Tromie via the Woods of Glentromie and the bridge just downstream of Glentromie Lodge.
True to form I lost the path in the woods, easily rectified though.
- Glen Tromie coming into view
- Woods of Glentromie
- Crossing the River Tromie
From there I followed the vehicle track in a generally southwest direction with the River Tromie to my right.
- Typical of the the track surfaces in this part of Glen Tromie
My plans were flexible but I had the idea that I would leave most of my kit hidden behind Bhran Cottage which is situated in the glen just after it turns southeast.
I'd then ascend a track to the beallach below Meallach Mor, turn right and head up the remaining lump and Bob's your uncle.
Yeah, no. That track ain't there.
So after a sweary discussion with my inner self, common sense took hold and I decided I'd try further down the road.
This change also scuppered my initial ideas for my first night's camp.
I'd hoped to climb the hill then, once back down, cross the river behind Bhran Cottage to camp for the night.
But my failure to get up the hill meant that it was “only” 5pm.
It turned out I couldn't get across the river anyway as the bridge was no longer there (there appears to be the framework of a bailey bridge sat nearby, so hopefully that means there'll be a bridge soon).
I didn't fancy camping in the immediate vicinity of the cottage because there were signs of it being used as a base for some form of estate work, I suspected I'd have company the next morning.
So, after having refilled my water bottles, I cracked on.
The going was good on vehicle tracks, I passed a fairly new looking large house situated near a bridge over the river.
I cracked on … “what a lovely house, what a lovely bridge, what lovely weather, oh isn't this just lovely … aren't I making good time, hang on a minute … is this right?”
No. It wasn't.
After consulting the map I wasn't supposed to cross the bridge at NN 76352 90280. I was supposed to be on the north bank of the river.
I went back to take a look and I couldn't see the start of the path I wanted, I thought I could see a scar in the heather further on but I didn't fancy it.
So I decided to stay on the vehicle tracks south of the river and chance my arm crossing the dam further upstream at NN 77604 89336.
By this point Glen Tromie and it's river had swung south as I continued on roughly southeast.
- Looking into Glen Tromie as it turns south.
- The track leading to the dam, much better going than the non-path on the other bank.
- Looking over the river at the slope above it's north bank, perhaps the path was out of sight lower down, I'll never know.
At the dam I found two gents doing the TGO challenge pitching their tents for the night.
I didn't want to impose myself on them and there also appeared to be a third camper pitching up another kilometre further along the south bank so I decided to cross the (currently) dry dam and find a spot on the north bank further upstream.
Bear in mind that if this dam is opened I'm not sure that it will be possible to cross safely, it's incredibly narrow.
If that's the case then don't despair, there appear to be tracks continuing roughly east from the dam and there's a new looking bridge further upstream at NN 78902 89131.
I saw it with my mark one eyeball.
It's functional in May 2024; I saw a few vehicles cross it.
If I'd known that at that point then I wouldn't have crossed the dam.
Once on the north bank I couldn't find the path and I started to clamber up a steep escarpment in an attempt to find it, I gave up halfway and stuck to the side of the river, walking under this …
I briefly found something resembling a path only for it to die out so I thought I'd have a crack at rejoining my originally planned route. I headed straight uphill on a faint vehicle track to try to find a junction around NN 781894.
No such luck, eventually I gave up and turned onto a course parallel with the river.
Of course after I'd given up looking for the path I found it!
- Behold, the path!
The track that I had been following uphill seemed to head near a beallach between Meallach Mor and Meall an Dubh-Chadha but in abandoning my upward trajectory I was effectively abandoning my chances of bagging Meallach Mor.
Oh well, there was always Leathard an Taobhain.
Hopefully.
A good part of this must have been witnessed by the campers across the river because two people I met the next night appear to have been the recipients of eyewitness accounts and earnest advice akin to “don't go where he did!”
Excellent advice by the way.
Anyway, around half past eight I found a place beside the river and set up for the night.
Day two:
21.82km + 559m.
The next morning started a little cloudy but cleared pretty quickly.
I was soon on my way, following faint traces of paths.
The order of that morning seems to have been:
Find the path, follow it, lose it just before an escarpment on a bend in the river, go back, climb the slope before the escarpment, find the path, carry on, rinse, repeat.
I lost track of the number of times I did that.
I also lost count of the burn crossings. Thankfully none were in spate.
All this in an attempt to keep on or near a path.
I wonder if I'd been better off just bushwhacking through the heather or grass.
Who knows.
It was at the edge of a burn crossing that I saw this...
"Oh right," I thought, "I'd best watch where I'm putting my feet, that looks like it could be an adder."
A while later I rounded a bend to find one coiled up on a rock.
And this one still had the animal in it.
My Homer Simpson shriek scared the poor bugger and it slithered off, I only managed to snap a quick photo of it trying to get away…
- I've highlighted it to try to make it easier to see
Typically it then sat in a patch of heather hissing at me in the exact spot I needed to traverse in order to descend to a burn crossing.
I gave the poor wee fella plenty of room and moved on.
I hope I didn't ruin it's day.
It made mine, I've never seen one in the wild before.
Long story short (about time I hear you say): my route started to veer from a southeast course to a more southerly one whilst obviously gaining height.
It was here that the path became constant, a welcome relief.
The haul up to the top of The Minigaig Pass wasn't too bad actually, I just took it at a steady pace and I was at the top before I knew it.
- Starting to make the ascent to the top of the pass on the much improved path
- Almost at the top, looking back
- The cairn marking the top of the Minigaig pass
In fact I was so buoyed up that I decided to summit Leathard an Taobhain, it turned out to be a round trip of 3km with a total of 71 metres ascent.
It was a no brainer really.
As expected, given the weather, my views were great.
- The view from the summit of Leathard an Taobhain
Once back on the Minigaig path I continued my descent down towards Glen Bruar.
- Looking down into Glen Bruar
- Descending down into the glen
Once in the glen I had a quick look at a potential camping spot but I decided to crack on, every mile I did today was going to be a mile less tomorrow.
For anyone interested it was a relatively flat expansive area sandwiched between the river and a small burn at NN 818 786.
- In Glen Bruar, looking back
I decided to head for Allt Sceicheachan bothy for the night.
After passing the front of Bruar Lodge I followed the track as it bent around to the right on its approach to a bridge.
I was on the lookout for a path before the bridge that would continue up the glen on the west bank of the river.
It was barely visible and I lost it at times but it was there.
It became clearer as it steadily climbed up the west side of the glen.
A few more fords needed negotiating but eventually I was rocking on at a good pace.
Before I knew it I was rounding a bend and descending to ford the burn in front of the bothy.
I was exceptionally careful given that the bothy seemed to be full, this ford crossing was going to be witnessed and I was NOT going to end up falling at the last hurdle
There were already four people and a dog there and two others turned up shortly after me so I pitched up on the grass for the night.
Three of them were doing the TGO challenge, it sounds quite interesting.
It turns out that the two people who arrived after me were the ones advised not to follow my exploits from the day before.
I was glad to have been of some assistance, albeit unwittingly
They were all good company but unfortunately I was just so gazumped from my 12 hour day that I must have seemed a bit of a miserable sod.
Sorry folks.
Day three:
10.75km + 64m.
I had a leisurely start the next morning, my train wasn't due to midday.
The walk down to Blair Atholl was pretty uneventful.
The route from the bothy eventually ends up in Glen Banvie and from there the grounds of Blair Castle.
Blair Atholl is just a short walk from there.
All in all a great walk.
What next I wonder…
