camp at Loch nan Eun with 2 munros thrown in.
Posted: Sat Nov 08, 2014 7:04 pmit was my turn to get the half term holiday off work, so we planned a trip to Grandparents/parents/in-laws in Aboyne, while looking for a weather window to get out and bag some hills and try out the new tent.
Wednesday looked like the day, with a good forecast, and not too awful for Thursday either, so we got a nice early start and drove to the Dalmunzie hotel. the party consisted of me, Rudolph and Coldwetandhungry.
Plan A was to walk up Glen Lochsie and across the top of Glas Tulaichan to dump the camping stuff at the loch and then do the round of Carn an Righ, Beinn Iutharn Mhor and An Socach, with a camp depending on the timing, and walk out by Glen Taitneach back to the car.
When we reached the hotel the place was deserted apart from a young man in a cook's uniform trying to find a way in to start his first day of work there. A note on the door told us the hotel was shut till tomorrow, but before long an estate worker/ghillie/owner approached us and advised us that Glas Tulaichan was out of bounds all week for stalking but there would be no problem with the other three hills. So on to Plan B.
So it was just before 10am that we set off up Glen Taitneach which is really lovely. It's a long glen with a rickety rackety bridge where we dodged the trolls, and several burns to ford which were all pretty full of water after the recent heavy rain. But it was a pleasant day with clear summits, no wind and a bit of hazy sunshine.
There are several burns to cross which were quite full. CWH and I did not want wet feet so crossed carefully. Rudolph however went straight over the first one and on the way spotted a rather nice GPS lying in the water. We later traced its owner by finding the waypoint named "home" and it took us straight to a house in Banchory. He had lost it falling off his bike in the ford, was very pleased and we felt very virtuous so all was good.
Just before the glen steepens there is a ford which Rudolph splashed across relying on his heavy gaiters for protection, but CWH and I after a bit of messing about discovered that it is unnecessary to cross here, as there is a good path all the way up the east bank of the burn, which becomes the main path later on.. Rudolph had a bit of trouble getting back over to our side when his path ran out
.
We reached the loch about one o'clock. You come over the top of the glen and suddenly you are there. It was glassy still and beautiful.
We found a wee peninsula protected by a good chunk of bog, on the southwest side of the loch with a lovely view over to An Socach. I don't have a picture as CWH had the camera at this point and didn't take one. Oh well. We pitched the tent on the water's edge and stopped for lunch before tackling Carn an Righ.
It was quite a long way before we picked up the stalker's path which skirts the bottom of Mam nan Carn. This took us to the bottom of a nice path up Carn an Righ. The path peters out near the top as it gets rocky.
It was getting towards sunset by the time we reached the top and we had to decide whether to miss out Beinn Iutharn Mhor or do a bit of night navigation. It was a fine evening and very little wind so it was inevitable really.
On the way up Carn an Righ you can look back and see the path winding round to the left up to the bealach between Mam nana Carn and Iutharn Mhor. We decided not to go that way as it looked like it might get a bit boggy. Instead we went straight up the shoulder of Mam nan Carn to about 900metres then struck left to descend a bit to the bealach with nice short, springy turf underfoot.
We dropped our bags at the bealach for greater speed taking pocketfuls of snacks with us. It was quite dusk by the time we reached the top.
By the time we got back to the bags we had difficulty seeing them, and of course it hadn't occurred to us to leave my bag with the reflective picture pointing upwards!
anyway they were not hard to find and it was now pretty dark, needing head torches to see the ground properly.
We contoured east and walked for 800 metres by pacing. then we popped across the ridge and came down the steep heathery slope to the loch. It all worked rather well, which surprised us a little!
Things look different in the dark. we could see the loch and the horizon, but even when walking right by the loch side it looked like there was a steep bank down into the water.
Back at the tent it was cold and still. there was frost on the tent but no wind at all and we sat outside for a good while eating and drinking and chatting till we ran out of steam and went inside to bed. We played I Spy till it got silly and went to sleep.
Overnight the wind got up and the rain came and in the morning we could barely see the water even though it was only a couple of metres from the tent, so we made a democratic decision to go home without climbing An Socach. Navigation practice is all very well, but being warm and dry is even better!
So we retraced our steps back down Glen Taitneach back to the car.
Pictures are mostly by Coldwetandhungry but some are mine! on my camera
Wednesday looked like the day, with a good forecast, and not too awful for Thursday either, so we got a nice early start and drove to the Dalmunzie hotel. the party consisted of me, Rudolph and Coldwetandhungry.
Plan A was to walk up Glen Lochsie and across the top of Glas Tulaichan to dump the camping stuff at the loch and then do the round of Carn an Righ, Beinn Iutharn Mhor and An Socach, with a camp depending on the timing, and walk out by Glen Taitneach back to the car.
When we reached the hotel the place was deserted apart from a young man in a cook's uniform trying to find a way in to start his first day of work there. A note on the door told us the hotel was shut till tomorrow, but before long an estate worker/ghillie/owner approached us and advised us that Glas Tulaichan was out of bounds all week for stalking but there would be no problem with the other three hills. So on to Plan B.
So it was just before 10am that we set off up Glen Taitneach which is really lovely. It's a long glen with a rickety rackety bridge where we dodged the trolls, and several burns to ford which were all pretty full of water after the recent heavy rain. But it was a pleasant day with clear summits, no wind and a bit of hazy sunshine.
- lower part of Glen Taitneach
- lower glen Taitneach below the bridge
- Rudolph and me on the Rickety Rackety bridge.
- It's a lovely long gentle walk up Glen Taitneach
- some rather interesting fungus
There are several burns to cross which were quite full. CWH and I did not want wet feet so crossed carefully. Rudolph however went straight over the first one and on the way spotted a rather nice GPS lying in the water. We later traced its owner by finding the waypoint named "home" and it took us straight to a house in Banchory. He had lost it falling off his bike in the ford, was very pleased and we felt very virtuous so all was good.
Just before the glen steepens there is a ford which Rudolph splashed across relying on his heavy gaiters for protection, but CWH and I after a bit of messing about discovered that it is unnecessary to cross here, as there is a good path all the way up the east bank of the burn, which becomes the main path later on.. Rudolph had a bit of trouble getting back over to our side when his path ran out
. - pretty waterfall. there were lots of them in the upper part of the glen
- pretty burn in the upper part of the glen
- looking back
- and again
We reached the loch about one o'clock. You come over the top of the glen and suddenly you are there. It was glassy still and beautiful.
- Loch nan Eun looking north. lovely.
We found a wee peninsula protected by a good chunk of bog, on the southwest side of the loch with a lovely view over to An Socach. I don't have a picture as CWH had the camera at this point and didn't take one. Oh well. We pitched the tent on the water's edge and stopped for lunch before tackling Carn an Righ.
- nice bit of bog to cross
- that must be Beinn a'Ghlo peeking out at the back
It was quite a long way before we picked up the stalker's path which skirts the bottom of Mam nan Carn. This took us to the bottom of a nice path up Carn an Righ. The path peters out near the top as it gets rocky.
- Top of Carn an Righ about 4.30pm.
It was getting towards sunset by the time we reached the top and we had to decide whether to miss out Beinn Iutharn Mhor or do a bit of night navigation. It was a fine evening and very little wind so it was inevitable really.
On the way up Carn an Righ you can look back and see the path winding round to the left up to the bealach between Mam nana Carn and Iutharn Mhor. We decided not to go that way as it looked like it might get a bit boggy. Instead we went straight up the shoulder of Mam nan Carn to about 900metres then struck left to descend a bit to the bealach with nice short, springy turf underfoot.
- sunset from the shoulder of mam nan carn.
We dropped our bags at the bealach for greater speed taking pocketfuls of snacks with us. It was quite dusk by the time we reached the top.
- me looking a little unhinged on top of Bheinn Iutharn Mhor at about 6pm. a good hour after sunset here.
By the time we got back to the bags we had difficulty seeing them, and of course it hadn't occurred to us to leave my bag with the reflective picture pointing upwards!
anyway they were not hard to find and it was now pretty dark, needing head torches to see the ground properly.
We contoured east and walked for 800 metres by pacing. then we popped across the ridge and came down the steep heathery slope to the loch. It all worked rather well, which surprised us a little!
Things look different in the dark. we could see the loch and the horizon, but even when walking right by the loch side it looked like there was a steep bank down into the water.
Back at the tent it was cold and still. there was frost on the tent but no wind at all and we sat outside for a good while eating and drinking and chatting till we ran out of steam and went inside to bed. We played I Spy till it got silly and went to sleep.
Overnight the wind got up and the rain came and in the morning we could barely see the water even though it was only a couple of metres from the tent, so we made a democratic decision to go home without climbing An Socach. Navigation practice is all very well, but being warm and dry is even better!
- what a pity we didn't take a picture of the lovely campsite when we could actually see it!
So we retraced our steps back down Glen Taitneach back to the car.
- the happy cups and some pretty jewelled grass
- Rudolph carefully looking for a crossing place
- and carefully picking his way across.
- still misty but lovely
- lovely picture by CWH showing the low cloud and the autumn colours
Pictures are mostly by Coldwetandhungry but some are mine! on my camera
One to plan for next year me thinks. Cheers 
Gleann Taitneach looks lovely with the autumn colours. I walked up it on a very grey day in May. Only caught a glimpse of Loch nan Eun before the mist swirled back in again. A great camp spot!
- enjoyed that ! Brings back good memories - my first ever wild camp was on the shore of Loch nan Eun, I think not far from your spot - cheers 
)