To Glen Feshie and beyond

[bootsandpaddles]

To be honest I don’t think anyone would bother with these two hills if they weren’t Corbetts. They are rather dull and uninteresting and most of the day is spent on bulldozed tracks. I did, however, meet a woman who thought that the tracks were great because they make for easy walking – there is just no accounting for taste.
But Katie wanted to go to Glen Feshie to do Sgor Gaoith and Mullach Clach a’Blair and not wanting to pass up an opportunity to go to Glen Feshie I tagged along.

We parted company at the bridge just over a kilometre south of Auchlean

and waved to each other several times as went we our separate ways, me down the west side of the river and her down the east.

I surveyed the ruins of the bridge at Carnachuin (let’s hope that it is replaced soon) and continued down past Glenfeshie Lodge until the track forked.

No sign of Katie

The right fork leads steeply uphill to Lochan an t-Sluic

and then divides again. Turning left this time it is then a long haul up the broad track to the summit of Meall an Uillt Chreagaich.

After this the main road disappears (hooray!!!!) and a narrow path leads down to a boggy bealach with a ruined building. The path goes up the other side to the trig point at 912m on the summit of Leathad an Taobhain. The only positive thing about this hill is that it affords splendid views across to the main peaks of the Cairngorms

and towards Glen Tilt. As I sat eating my lunch I had a text from Katie to say that she was eating her lunch on Mullach Clach a Bhlair. I did wonder why it had taken her so long to get there but instead of using the track she had gone through the woods and climbed the steep hillside to Meall nan Sleac. When she did join the track she found that somebody had driven a car up to get a view into Coire Garbhlach. How on earth did they get it there?

Anyway to return to the Corbetts there is nothing else for it but to retrace your steps back to the parting of the ways just above the lochan and then take the track up Carn Dearg Mor.

As it swings round to the left you can head up through the heather for the ridge and then follow it along to the summit. After this conditions underfoot improved somewhat and it was a pleasure to walk down the broad ridge to Carn Dearg Beag. On reaching the track at NN842955 I really couldn’t face walking along to it meet the road along the glen so I went across in a north easterly direction and followed the burn down which delivered me to the road at NN847957. And then back to the car.

I picked Katie up as she was walking down the road and we found a nice place to camp in the woods further up the glen.

The weather was good the next day and so we decided to bag another Munro on the way home – Meal Chuaich. The drive to Feshiebridge was quite eventful because we saw some red squirrels

and some hares not to mention some lovely black lambs – aaaah!

I must admit I had my doubts about Meall Chuaich having spent most of the previous day on bulldozed tracks but in the event it turned out to be quite a good walk once you actually get to the bottom of the hill through all the waterworks stuff.

The path is clear and quite steep (good training!) and in about two hours we were at the large summit cairn.

Good views of Ben Alder

and Creag Meagaidh.

Instead of retracing our footsteps we decided to head north down a broad rocky ridge and then drop down steep heathery slopes to the Feith na Braclaich. We went through a patch of burned heather and I ended with some charcoal drawings on my trouser legs that I was thinking of submitting for next year’s Turner prize. However, they became rather smudged as we continued on our way. Once on the flat we followed a deer fence and climbed over a padlocked gate near the north end of Loch Cuaich.

We walked along the west side of the loch and crossed the bridge to regain the main track back to the A9.

A pleasant weekend was suitably rounded off by a visit to my son’s place in Stirling where we watched England trounce the Aussies at cricket (always a pleasure!) whilst eating bangers and mash.