Meall Chuaich by train

[smalltounboy]

Making the long drive up north from the central belt (and the tiresome return) is something I usually dread so as soon as I turned 50 I wasted no time in getting a Scotrail Club 50 card, whilst it offers 20% off rail fares throughout the year, it was the £17 flat return fare to anywhere in Scotland that I was really interested in.

Dalwhinnie Station

These flat fares are only available at certain times of the year and have to be used within a specified time so when it was announced that they'd be available in October I got planning.
One hill that I'd left especially for this purpose was Meall Chuaich at Dalwhinnie.

Dalwhinnie Old School Hostel

Having bought my £17 ticket I set off up to Dalwhinnie on the Friday evening and booked into the cosy 'Old School Hostel' right across from the station. The hostel is a great base, with easy access to the Alder range and Drumochter hills.

Looking towards Loch Ericht

The next morning due to time constraints I set off at the crack o'dark and headed off to the start of the hydro track about a kilometre from the hostel.

Start of the hydro track

The hydro track starts just off the main road and runs straight to the base of the hill.

Hydro track with Meall Chuaich straight ahead

The track runs alongside the aqueduct for most of its length so is pretty flat, ideal if you want to cycle to the base of the hill.

Meall Chuaich

The track takes you right up to the base of the hill and is well signposted, be warned however, once off the hydro track the route turns into a bogfest, this is where walking poles come in very handy!!

Summit Cairn (951m)

The hill rounds out the higher you get and pretty soon the summit cairn comes into view, unfortunately I was in the clag from 800m so had no views.

Views to the southwest

Retrace your steps to get back down to the hydro track, on a clear day you'll be treated to views to the southwest down to Loch Ericht with the Alder range beyond.

Loch Cuaich

If you're booked on a specific return train be mindful that the walkout will take longer than the walk in, the hydro track is a good surface to walk on however when you're tired it will seem never ending.

My Times (Average fitness):
Station to base of hill - 2hrs
Base of hill to summit - 1hr 30 mins
Summit to base of hill - 45 mins
Base of hill to station - 2hrs 22mins
Total (Inc breaks) - 6hrs 22mins

Link to route on OS website: https://tinyurl.com/2jyhvazs

MeallChuaichfromDalwhinnieRailwayStation.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts