Three Munros in Glen Shee, with a drivers licence..
Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 1:00 pmHaving just passed my driving test I selected a few Munros to attempt, without having to rely on public transport - late coaches, expensive trains and bad times. So I selected Glen Shee, also thinking it would be a good easy road up for my first big solo drive. The drive was great, so nice to be outside of Edinburgh traffic and soon enough I was surrounded by the hills of Glenshee.
It seemed so strange to be able to just drive myself to the hills! I parked up in the area just by the bridge north of the ski centre and set off down the Monega pass track.
I had my rolls and coffee and continued up the steep track to Carn an Tuirc, skirting around a group of children - the only walkers I would see all day. The ground steepened and became very rocky but soon enough I was at the summit. The forecast was for a front to move in and after only a few minutes the cloud rolled across the view of the walk ahead. I did get a bit of a view though.
The cloud moved in and the rest of the walk was by map and compass. And the useful addition of the stone wall.
At this Munro I pondered what it means to have Munro status. Even though I enjoyed my stroll across the misty upland to get to this summit, it seemed incredible that it is a mountain of its own right. It is higher than Carn an Tuirc but you wouldn't think they'd both be Munro status.
Any thoughts of crossing over to Tolmont and Tom Buidhe were scrapped and I continued with the round walk, following the wall towards Glas Maol. Here the mist got thicker and the wall dissapeared, so I wondered about for a bit, looking dubiously at my map and compass until I regained the old fence line and the track. I passed the turning for the way down, marked by an old rusted gate and continued on the track, until cutting off on a smaller path to the summit of Glas Maol. In the end I managed to find it fine, although I was stood about 10 metres from the trig point looking at my map for a while. I sat and ate yet another roll and a Rhubarb and Custard 'Nakd' bar - filled with energy.
I descended the same way, picked up the track down to Sron na Gaoithe and finally descended out of the cloud, for the broad view of Glen Shee.
After a quick snooze it was a nice quiet drive back to town. This was a good round route and the actual height ascended pretty small, considering it was three Munros! I would have been nice to see some of the coire's and cliffs marked on the map but I'll choose better weather next time!
It seemed so strange to be able to just drive myself to the hills! I parked up in the area just by the bridge north of the ski centre and set off down the Monega pass track.
- The car park with Sron na Gaoithe in the background.
I had my rolls and coffee and continued up the steep track to Carn an Tuirc, skirting around a group of children - the only walkers I would see all day. The ground steepened and became very rocky but soon enough I was at the summit. The forecast was for a front to move in and after only a few minutes the cloud rolled across the view of the walk ahead. I did get a bit of a view though.
- View of Cul Riabhach
The cloud moved in and the rest of the walk was by map and compass. And the useful addition of the stone wall.
- Wall to Cairn of Claise
At this Munro I pondered what it means to have Munro status. Even though I enjoyed my stroll across the misty upland to get to this summit, it seemed incredible that it is a mountain of its own right. It is higher than Carn an Tuirc but you wouldn't think they'd both be Munro status.
Any thoughts of crossing over to Tolmont and Tom Buidhe were scrapped and I continued with the round walk, following the wall towards Glas Maol. Here the mist got thicker and the wall dissapeared, so I wondered about for a bit, looking dubiously at my map and compass until I regained the old fence line and the track. I passed the turning for the way down, marked by an old rusted gate and continued on the track, until cutting off on a smaller path to the summit of Glas Maol. In the end I managed to find it fine, although I was stood about 10 metres from the trig point looking at my map for a while. I sat and ate yet another roll and a Rhubarb and Custard 'Nakd' bar - filled with energy.
- Summit trig Point and a good view.
I descended the same way, picked up the track down to Sron na Gaoithe and finally descended out of the cloud, for the broad view of Glen Shee.
- View back to the start.
After a quick snooze it was a nice quiet drive back to town. This was a good round route and the actual height ascended pretty small, considering it was three Munros! I would have been nice to see some of the coire's and cliffs marked on the map but I'll choose better weather next time!
