The Round of Coire Dhomhain (Drumochter West)

[Bonxie1]

Surely the Earth Isn't Flat?

The Druimauchdar Pass, the Highest on the UK Rail Network at 452m

It had been a complicated few days, involving a family funeral, work in Grantown-on-Spey, and a weekend with a good forecast in between. What better way to celebrate my Auntie’s life than to get into the hills and think of her? I thought with luck I’d get one decent day in the hills, and so planned for the day with the finest weather forecast, which just happened to be a Sunday, but more of that later. And surely the Earth Isn't Flat?!

Coire Dhomhain, Drumochter West

The Footbridge over the Allt Coire Dhomhain

I’d holed up at Dalraddy near Aviemore in the campervan, and headed for the Drumochter Pass and Layby 81 on the west side of the A9 which sits neatly beneath An Torc, the Boar of Badenoch. I managed a nine-fifteen start which is positively Alpine for me. I headed south along the cycle track for a few hundred metres, and then further southwards down the old road and underneath the railway bridge to pick up the main track up Coire Dhomhain which lies about 440m asl. Incidentally the rail-side sign nearby proudly informs travelers that Druimuachdar Pass at 452m is the highest point on the rail network.

Red Grouse Medication Butt Beneath Sgairneach Mhor

A' Mharconaich Across from Sgairneach Mhor

Heading up the East Ridge of Sgairneach Mhor

Three Chinese students from Glasgow had set off at the same time and so we chatted away up the glen, underneath An Torc’s girlfriend, The Sow of Atholl, and across the prominent footbridge over the Allt Coire Dhomhain, a kilometre or so up Coire Dhomhain. This footbridge facilitates the route up the north ridge of the rounded lump of Point 758, but it’s hard going. Today, fresh snow covered the ATV track to add challenge to the accumulated churned peat, such that it was tactically better to look down and not upwards. Grouse medication butts proliferated, and the students had some difficulty with my explanation – it’s medication against a disease called louping ill, which keeps the grouse alive so that they may be shot! Work that one out? To be fair, red grouse were ubiquitous, all nicely paired up, and so the Glen Alder Estate must be doing something right.

A' Bhuidheanach Beag Across the A9 over in Drumochter East

A' Mharconaich (L) and A'Bhuidheanach Beag (R)

The Shapely Schiehallion Prominent to the South

I cut the corner of Point 758, making a bee-line in the snow, beating the students temporarily to the next col, before they raced up the NE ridge of the first Munro of the day, Sgairneach Mhor. We all reached the summit at or around noon, and it was such a glorious day that I lingered for half-an-hour before moving on. All three Munros in the round of Coire Dhomhain looked splendid today – snow-clad and chequered in brown and white livery. I thought that it was getting crowded as we were nearly into double figures for summiteers by now (serves me right for dallying?) and everyone that I spoke to was from Glasgow!

Nearing the Summit of Sgairneach Mhor

Targets Ahead - Beinn-Udlamain (L) and A' Mharconaich (R)

From L Self with Chinese Students Crystal, Fei and Ziyao

Once again I cut across from the summit to take the best line to the col beneath the second Munro, Beinn Udlamain. Navigation today was a breeze, but normally to make this col you first have to head SW before zigging NW and then zagging back SW again. I reverted to my skiing days and simply rounded the flanks coming off the summit ridge, but it would certainly be unwise to take that approach in mist.

Is That all There is to do?! Looking Across Coire Dhomhain to the Hat-trick Munro, A' Mharconaich

Cutting Across to Beinn Udlamain

Somewhere across this plateau, a large party of 11 were making their way up Sgairneach Mhor from the opposite direction, and there were more folk on the summit, including a farming family of four from West Lothian who at last broke the Glaswegian monopoly! It was then that I realised it was Sunday! The talk of the hill was that Alex Salmond had died the day before, which got me thinking that there were probably very few politicians that would make the subject matter of Munroists’ brief summit chats?

I Moved Across the Ridge to View Loch Ericht and Ben Alder

Tripod Summit Sculpture Beinn Udlamain Summit

On the Beinn Udlamain Ridge, Follow the Fenceline!

There was water at the col, and the south ridge of Beinn Udlamain was easy enough, with a couple of paths picking their way through rocks and snow up the flank and onto the ridge proper. I made the summit at 2pm, and once again stayed half-an-hour as the 360 degree views were stupendous. A pair of ravens checked me out. There’s an old metal fenceline on this ridge, both before and after the summit, which may prove helpful in mist, but I wandered east and slightly off-piste to get some shots of the Ben Alder range across Loch Ericht below. In fact, the viz was so good that you could see all the way SW to the Black Mount and Glencoe, with the Buachaille Etive Mòr and the lochs of Rannoch Moor prominent and glinting in the sun. Nearer at hand almost due south, Schiehallion’s shapely peak always caught my eye, but it didn’t matter which direction you looked, there were Munros and old favourites in every airt, including the Cairngorm plateau further north.

The Route to A' Mharconaich

The Gate (!) on the A' Mharconaich Ridge

Someone has had fun collecting the old fenceposts into summit cairn adornments, and Beinn Udlamain (and later, A’ Mharconaich) sported these sculptures. There was even a ‘gate’ to pass through as I eventually made my way along A’ Mharconaich’s summit ridge later. Navigation, once again, was a breeze – just follow the old fenceposts! At the lower peak the fence line turns sharply right (E) through 90 degrees before sweeping around northwards then NE to the col above Fraoch-choire.

Self on Summit, A' Mharconaich - pic, the 'Wegian Girls

The High Cairngorms from A' Mharconaich

Here, I had a decision to make. It was now 15:15 and I was getting tired. An easy route tempted me, off the col and heading SE back down into Coire Dhomhain with the reassurance of the easy Landrover track back to the A9. Alternatively, I could go for the hat-trick and do the round of Coire Dhomhain. Common sense won the day as I could see that as the col lies at 860m, for not much more climbing effort (115m) I could re-bag another Munro and have the satisfaction of completing the round of the coire. Although the slope up the ridge of A’ Mharconaich was easy enough, I hadn’t reckoned with the kilometre or so along the admittedly flat ridge to bag the third summit. Adorning it was another fence tripod sculpture, two more girls from Glasgow, and yet more stunning views of the high Cairngorms, now shining like beacons, and the much nearer East Drumochter Munros across the other side of the pass.

On the Descent from A' Mharconaich I Took the Left Fork

I didn’t dare dally too long on this final summit! The hardest part of the day followed. I retraced my route along A’ Mharconaich’s interminable ridge, but almost immediately forked left and due SW towards its lesser top. Like before though, I rounded the flank and headed down quickly, at first through snow, which morphed into grass and snow, and then into grass and then long heather. A few bouldery outcrops were easily avoided. The slope was steep but not unduly so, and the walking poles coupled with a tactic of following the short grass of the wetter areas got me down reasonably quickly, and onto the security of the Landrover track. Even so I still had an hour to walk out as I reached the track at 5pm, and eventually layby 81 at 6pm. This gave an 8 hour round after subtracting an unbelievable 75 minutes spent on the three summits! You don’t get many days like that.

The Descent From A' Mharconaich, the Hardest Part of the Day

Relief at Gaining the Landrover Track in Coire Dhomhain, but Still an Hour to go!

In my second round of Munros thus far I’d been heading from north to south, all singletons and braces, and so I was really pleased to get a hat-trick and the round of a coire in one day. It was a glorious wind-less day with wonderful views, and I’d urge fellow baggers not to be too disparaging about the West Drumochter hills! For sure they’re ‘rounded’ and some would say featureless, but as viewpoints go they take some beating…