free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Recently my girlfriend has been trying to understand this weird compulsion, we all have on this site. The urge to get out onto the hills and into rural areas; to see the amazing parts of Scotland, that few people ever do. The latest attempt to understand this craving has lead to the purchase of some sturdy trekking trainers, a water proof walking jacket and a pestering of yours truely to take her out!
So it was a case of waiting for a nice Saturday and straight forward hill, that 1) I hadn't done and 2) her basic equipment could handle. Cue An Socach. Having read the reports on here, it seemed most people consider this one a "winter hill." One for when daylight is a precious comidity and shorter trips are a must, but it seemed it also had the potential to provide a cracking day out without being overly strenous.
We were up at the small parking spaces in Glen Clunie just before 10 and out walking at the top of the hour. (I like leaving a something o'clock, it makes it easy to see the time taken to walk!) The skys weren't giving anything away. Grey clouds hung in the air, but well above the summits around us.
In minutes we were eagerly passing the slightly creepy and closed up Baddoch Farm house, with Sgor Mor towering above it.
We passed the farm house on our right and saw a wee shoogly bridge and crossed it. All hillwalks cross a wee shoogly bridge a some point right?
We started heading up hill and built into a drystane dyke was a wee box, which a frog hopped into, fleeing.
A few minutes later we both realised, that the way we were walking didn't feel right. It was too much ascent, too quickly. A speedy check of the map and "Oops! We should be down there on the main track heading up the glen!"
So back over the shoogly bridge and back up onto the main track.
Shortly after we passed a chap with one of those fab multi-wheeled all terrain vehicles, that I often wish I could take up a munro with me! He was building a fence, around a strange looking patch of ground. Apparently it's for trees and to keep the deer out... might not stop all deere though.
Further up the glen, the cloud lifted higher into the sky and Carn Aosda became clear and so did the route up to Socach Mor and the first cairn marking the way uphill. We left the main track at the small cairn immediately after the ford at the Allt Coire Fheameasg. (There is a path right before the ford too, but this seemed to lead right up the small corrie rather than over towards An Socach.)
Floating carpets and muddy area had to be dodged around, but wasn't too challenging given the recent dry weather. Taking our time, we made our way steadily up towards the large pillar of a cairn at the top of Socach Mor.
From here the bog trot lessens slightly and then it's on up the hardest part of the day. Two hundred metres of height gained relatively quickly.
One thing about An Socach in the sun was the wildlife, many different types of birds soared overhead and there were plenty of mountain hares rampaging all over the hill. Spotting these kept us occupied as we slugged up the tough bit, but quickly the top of the slope was reached and we emerged onto the vast, long summit plateau of An Socach.
Very quickly the lower eastern top of An Socach is reached and we bypassed it, keen to get on to the real top, still some 2kms away to the west.
The 2kms though are perhaps two of the easiest kilometers you'll ever walk near the summit of a munro and in no time we had bound across the stones and grass and found our way to the true summit. All the while we had great views in almost every direction.
To the west Glas Tulaichean, Carn and Righ and Beinn Lutharn Mhor dominated the view, with Loch Nan Eun down below. Just about visible in the distance was Beinn A'Ghlo.
In a northwesterly direction, the Big Gorms had come out to play. It was even possible to discern the great mountain passes of the Lairig Ghru and Glen Derry. We were loving it, An Socach was proving to be a very under rated mountain!
In the other direction The Cairnwell, Carn Aosda, Carn a'Gheoidh and the Glas Maol 4 struggled to compete with the view. But Glas Maol was my 50th munro and will always be that little bit special to me.
After almost an hour we decided it was time to head back down the way we had came, this time we took our time and kept to the northern side of the ridge. The reward being great views down and along Glen Ey to wards Beinn a'Bhuird and Beinn Avon.
As we descended the high level cloud parted a little and we enjoyed a sunny walk back down into the Baddoch Glen. As we once again passed the farm house, a family were in the process of opening the house up. Taking the boards down from the window and several white horses now paraded up and down the field adjacent to the house.
As we rounded the last corner, almost back at the A93 the Cairngorms treated us to one last grand view of Glas Maol up Glen Clunie.
A fab, straight forward day out in the Cairngorms on an underated hill that despite it's diminutive height commands fabulous views over what feels like the whole 'gorms range and another one in the bag for both of us
