When is a Corbett not a Corbett?

[foggieclimber]

When is a Corbett not a Corbett?

On 9th October 2013, Carn Liath (Corbett) and neighbouring Creag na Dail Bheag (Corbett Top) were surveyed using accurate GPS. Creag na Dail Bheag was found to be circa 1.5m higher than Carn Liath.

Following the survey, Creag na Dail Bheag was correctly promoted to be the Marilyn and Carn Liath was demoted.

Creag na Dail Bheag (863m) should also have been promoted to be the Corbett summit and Carn Liath (861.5m) should have been demoted to Corbett Top. However, as the Scottish Mountaineering Club “own” the Corbett list, we continue to await their deliberations – and may do for some time!

I first ascended Carn Liath in June 2000. However, in June 2000 I did not visit Creag na Dail Bheag .

I therefore set out today to ascend both Carn Liath and Creag na Dail Bheag such that a) I can claim to have ascended the Marilyn and b) will still have completed all the Corbetts once the SMC eventually proclaim the change.

I didn’t have a pre-determined route today. I made it up as I went along.

Click here to see a map of the route undertaken

On arrival at the Keiloch car park, I paid the £2.50 parking charge and got suited and booted. The early morning sky was beautiful.

Nice morning sky at Keiloch car park:


From Keiloch, I made my way along Lady Carr’s Drive towards Invercauld House. On reaching the track junction signposted ‘Public Footpath to Tomintoul via Loch Builg and Inchrory’ I took the path towards Tomintoul.

Ascending the track through the forest North of Invercauld House:


As I made my way along the track I could see that Beinn a’Bhuird was plastered in snow, as was Lochnagar looking back. However, there was minimal snow at Corbett height.

Looking West from within the forest:


After walking circa 2.5km through the forest, I reached the main track leading towards Carn Liath and Culardoch. I last walked this track in 2002. While this track is great for walking and cycling it doesn’t provide great views of surrounding hills apart from the view back towards Lochnagar.

On the main track towards Carn Liath, Culardoch and onto Loch Builg:


Carn Liath:


Looking back towards Lochnagar and the White Mounth hills:


Meikle Pap and Lochnagar (zoom):


On reaching a high-point on the path, I followed a faint track towards the base of Carn Liath and then made my way up through the heather and snow.

I expected the snow today to be either soft or slushy. I was wrong. All the snow encountered today was perfect, crisp névé.

Ascending slopes of Carn Liath:


Culardoch from slopes of Carn Liath:


Despite the snow being hard and crisp my axe and crampons remained in my rucksack throughout the day. No steep ground was encountered.

Ascending Carn Liath:


The view from the summit of Carn Liath was fairly good.

View from the summit cairn of Carn Liath:


From the summit of Carn Liath, I continued South for several hundred metres to visit two further cairns.

View from the cairn a few hundred metres South of the summit of Carn Liath:


View from cairn looking down towards Braemar:


The Cairnwell (zoom):


From the southerly viewpoint cairns, I returned to the summit of Carn Liath and then made my way across to the main target of the day, Creag na Dail Bheag.

Creag na Dail Bheag from the col:


En-route to Creag na Dail Bheag, I visited several potential high-points.

At the summit of Creag na Dail Bheag:


Creag na Dail Bheag provides great views of the huge expanse of Ben Avon. Nearby Creag na Dail Mhor is a Munro Top of Ben Avon.

Ben Avon panorama from the summit of Creag na Dail Bheag:


A distant snowy Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain (Beinn a' Ghlo) (zoom):


View from Creag na Dail Bheag:


View from Creag na Dail Bheag:


View from Creag na Dail Bheag:


At Creag na Dail Bheag, I decided to descend via the wide ridge out to Meall Glasail Beag instead of returning back via the same route. The descent was very pleasant down perfect névé, short heather and frozen moss.

View during descent from Creag na Dail Bheag:


Beinn a’Bhuird during descent (zoom):


View from summit of Meall Glasail Beag:


From Meall Glasail Mor, I picked out a line descending to the Gleann an t-Slugain track. On reaching the Gleann an t-Slugain track I walked out to Keiloch via Altdourie and Invercauld.

Altdourie:


An enjoyable day out thanks to list tampering .

[scoob999]

Great report foggieclimber

must remember to do the two summits when we do it

[jmarkb]

Nice report! I hadn't heard about this resurvey, so thanks for the info: it's good to see almost all of the "twin" summits getting resolved by accurate surveys these days....

A snowy Southern Cairngorms hill, possibly Beinn Dearg? (zoom):

It's Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain on Beinn a' Ghlo (Carn nan Gobhar is in the cloud on the left).

[foggieclimber]

Thanks, have amended photo caption.

[Johnny Corbett]

Thankfully i visited both summits when i did these two as the SMC book quoted " recommended for the prudent hillwalker" . Still don't know why they have to keep measuring them all though, can they not just leave them as they are

[BlackPanther]

Ouch, we climbed Carn Liath (and Culardoch) about a month before the survey. Wish I had waited a few weeks to know that the summit moved to another top
Lovely photos, by the way

[Collaciotach]

Good report with some humour , don't know much about the Corbett list "owners" but aye sound like an orra bunch

Good photos to , I enjoy your reports on an area I am not over familiar with ..yet

[gaffr]

When there isn't a drop, on all sides, of 150 metres?
Must admit I quite enjoyed my trip on the tops in this area. But is not the existence of any Corbett here kind-of compromised by this information? To have two named summits, as it is here, with a gap of what maybe 50 mtrs. Or is it different if one of the named tops is a mere spot height?
I didn't know that Corbetts could have a Corbett top? I only recently found out, in this house of mountain knowledge, that a Munro could have a Corbett top attached to its bulk.
With the classification of the Munros there seems to have been quite a bit of poetic licence with the conditions of acceptance, right from early years, into the big league although in recent times there has been a fair bit of adjustment 'in and out'.

[spindrift]

A 1.5 metre height difference between Carn Liath and Creag na Dail Bheag eh?

I have a cunning plan. If everyone climbing Carn Liath added a few stones to the summit cairn we could make up the 1.5 metres fairly quickly. Carn Liath would stay as a Corbett and present claimants of its blue balloon could retain it. Lastly, we would not have await the official pronouncement from the SMC.

I mean, if people can try to increase the height of Tinto to surmount it's Donald neighbour, Culter Fell..........

I will now remove tongue from cheek.