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Beinn Bhreac and Beinn Dearg
http://youtu.be/J57no2sAyyY?list=UUJyJKu3ysdceGqK_JaZFUNAA Bike n’ Hike
After a successful wild camp in Lochaber, the hangover from Friday evening was finally gone
I descended from the camp spot and said my farewells to the Wee Minister and headed East to meet my brother near Calvine for another adventure – A bike n hike into some pretty remote Perthshire hills.
Almost exactly 12 years previously I had headed off from Old Blair and into Beinn Dearg. The outcome from that trip (and a walk into Ben Alder) was that I needed to invest in a Bike! 12years on and the bike was at the ready, and we headed off in toward the Tarf area.
The weather was fantastic as we headed up the initial steep hill. Following this we descended quickly before a gentle uphill pull towards Bruar Lodge. The track is good and well used at the moment as a new hydro scheme is being constructed at the moment. Not sure how big it’s going to be but there are some major works going on.
Beinn dearg by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
After about an hour and a half we left the bikes and headed up the stalkers path beside the Allt Beinn Losgarnaich. This is where it started to feel remote! However the weather was perfect and no navigational issues were had – I can imagine a lot of map readings and bearings being required when the mist is down! The path soon petered out and we headed directly (well if you don’t count the hundreds of small diversions around peat hags!!) for Beinn Bhreac. The Tarf was crossed and the ascent of what looked like a small hill seemed to go on and on and on. However we eventually reached the summit and the mountains of the Cairngorms could be picked out. Nice seeing them from this angle.
Not too sure how this ranks in terms of being one of the most remote Scottish Hills? However it certainly had a very remote feeling and air about it. Looking at the time, we realised we didn’t want to hang around too long. With Beinn Dearg next on the list and having a cycle out we headed on not wanting to be cycling out in the dark!
The pull up Dearg was not too bad (Benn Bhreac felt more tiring for some reason) and we were soon on the summit soaking in the sweeping views.
photoW2M1WGMA by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr
It was now 16.15 – time to head home. A steep descent through a boulder field to the west saw us back and descending the stalkers path. The bikes were soon reached and by 17.25 we were back at the car – a swift retreat!! Legs were sore after lugging a heavy pack over some Corbetts the day before and a long cycle and walk today- however the mind was clear and the synapses refreshed – oh and the mountain fix was now resolved
dearg pano by
mountains MJVW, on Flickr