DRUMOCHTER EAST: A'BHUIDHEANACH BHEAG & CARN NA CAIM

[Bonxie1]

On the Drumochter East Plateau Looking South

I made my way out of the Orkney and Pentland Firth haar which didn't shift until about Golspie and drove down the yellow ribbon of A9 whin. High pressure! I had the remaining brace of East Drumochter Munros in my sights and arrived at my starting point of A9 lay-by 87 without difficulty. A climbing pal had reminded me that we were last up A' Bhuidheanach Bheag and Carn na Caim in 1993, some 32 years ago!

The Muirburn Plume

I set off at 13:00 in beautiful sunshine, but somewhat apprehensively since I’d noticed plumes of muirburn near my route. As I passed through the access gate, past the strip of forestry and under the new power lines it was obvious that they were burning adjacent to the track, bang on my route! There's a myriad of track junctions near the pylons to negotiate, but the way up to the plateau is blindingly obvious, SE up the slope, and right through the muirburn! I could see vehicles and two figures tending to the flames, so I had no choice but to pass these, and I wondered what they would have to say.

Muirburn Getting Closer

Muirburn Estate Workers

In the end I needn't have worried. Their burn was passable by the track, and the two young estate workers were friendly and informative. I did wonder with serious hill fires rampant throughout Scotland in the dry spell why they were burning on a bone-dry hill, but they assured me that it was just 'a couple of very wet bits'. In a perfect cameo full of irony, two red grouse flew through the smoke! Ah well. I won't go into the issue of muir burns here (not the time and place) but it's a controversial subject.

Dalwhinnie Distillery Far Below

Ben Alder (L) and Geal Charn (R) Across the A9

I passed the flames and almost immediately, about one-third of the way up, the track went from an easy, fast-paced gradient to a much steeper one. It's still a highly convenient way up to the plateau where the two Munros are located, one at each end, just to make it challenging. Traffic noise from the A9 below was omnipresent and didn't really disappear until over the lip, and well into the hinterland. A mountain hare joined the grouse in keeping me diverted.

Quartz was Everywhere by the Old Quarry

A met a couple descending, who happened to be the only people that I saw all day! So, I had the plateau all to myself, apart from intermittent golden plover calls that had clearly arrived back on their breeding grounds. After 90 minutes, and near to the high point of the access track, by the old Quarry, the track glistened with quartz, and fine dods of the stuff were scattered around, both here and further into the plateau.

I Dropped the Sac Near this Pool and Became Weightless

Fine but hazy muirburn views opened to the west across the ridges hiding Loch Ericht, with Ben Alder prominent. Another high smoke plume funnelled up above Carn na Caim, which would give me a little trouble later. From here I had to choose which Munro to do first, something that I realised I’d given zero thought to! A quick look at the map later, I plumped for A' Bhuidheanach Bheag first, simply because it looked harder in terms of topography and distance. I therefore decided to turn south, but not before dumping my sac and changing into shorts. I couldn't remember ever having been over 3,000' in early April clad only in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt! I’d had a good rest there and at 15:00 resumed the quest – I wasn't complaining, and progress became rapid!

The Quartz Cairn where a Left Turn is Required!

The Track Descends, Under the Hill and Arrives at a (Wet!) Burn

Suddenly, I was weightless (carrying binoculars and camera only), to accompany the cloudless and windless conditions. I crossed two minor cols between lessor summits and then could clearly see the lump of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag ahead. I'd memorised the route from the usual sources, but on a day like today it was obvious. Immediately before a prominent quartz cairn the track turns left, steeply downhill, then rounds the flank beneath the summit to arrive at a burn (a wet one this time, the Allt Coire Chùirn) which was useful for water in both directions. From here, again, the desire-line up the flank of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag is obvious, even if the summit cairn doesn't reveal itself right away, tucked away as it is at the south end of the plateau, behind A’ Bhuidheanach Mhòr. The path crosses bogs and peat, but today it was completely dry underfoot and was a doddle. I was left scratching my head as to why the ‘Little Yellow Place’ was the Munro (Bheag), yet the ‘Big Yellow Place’ (Mhòr) was merely the precursor? Clearly it was all down to a matter of the mass of yellow, or Gaelic engineering.

Summit Selfie on Trig Point, A'Bhuidheanach Bheag

This Massive Hill out West I Think is Ben Nevis...?

I arrived at the summit of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag at 15:45 or 45 minutes after dumping my sac. Three ravens crossed my view, which I felt was similar to that from Sgairneach Mhòr at the southern end of Drumochter West across the A9. Schiehallion book-ended the left, with Glencoe peaks in between, and a massive hill at the far right which I presumed was Ben Nevis. It was very pleasant sitting swinging my feet from the trig point but after 15 minutes I left, conscious that some friends in Glen Truim had promised me supper and the clock was ticking. There was one tricky piece of navigation on the return, which was to turn left and away from the old metal fence posts to descend back to the burn. Easy enough today, it would perhaps though be a little more difficult in mist? Anyway, I was back at my rucsac, and refuelling, in less than an hour, then onto the track leading to Carn na Caim at 17:00.

A Smoke Plume was Ahead, Ahint Carn na Caim

The Munro at the northern end of the plateau is clear and obvious, quite unlike A' Bhuidheanach Bheag which remains hidden from view until you have cleared the lesser lumps. It's simply a case of following both the track and a line of old fence posts north, past not one, but two (!) pimples marked as 914m on the map. Somewhat confusing perhaps, but again, on a day like this all was perfectly clear. I stuck with the track ascending the second 914 lump to keep my speed, then backtracked to the old fence line and obvious path to Carn na Caim alongside it. By following this route, I happened upon a lovely lochan which was entirely unexpected and a delight. Somewhere along this stretch there was also a small peat bog which required crossing, but it was dry and trouble-free. In fact, all day I'd revelled in crossing peat, sphagnum bogs and sedges which were gloriously dry and crusty!

Little Snow Remained on the Plateau

The Lovely Lochan - an Unexpected Delight

Nearing the summit of Carn na Caim the muirburn plume behind it crossed my path leading to an unpleasant few minutes of choking air. Soon enough though at 17:45 I made the summit complete with possibly the most unimaginative cairn in Munro-land. The views north of the Cairngorm massif and the much closer Meall Chuaich made up for this shortcoming.

Summit Selfie, Carn na Caim - Note the Shorts in Early April!

The Summit Cairn at Carn na Caim Won't Win Any Awards - Looking N Towards Meall Chuaich

Across the Loch Ericht Ridges

Much as I like to dwell on summits I turned around almost immediately, mindful of my deadline. I was back to uplift my rucsac at 18:25 and down with the vehicle at 19:30, making for a neat six-and-a-half-hour day. There was a fine three-quarter moon over the plateau. Drumochter East may not have the most glamorous of hills, but I'd had a fine solo day on the plateau, and much to my pleasure I'd now completed all the Drumochter hills for a second time – for one day at least in shorts and a polo shirt!

A Three-quarter Moon over the Drumochter East Plateau - A Fine Finish to the Day