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Back at Dalnaspidal, I unloaded the bike for the trip along L Garry.
Visited the Garry gatehouse for Ericht Power station situated about half way along the loch.
- Ericht Power Station Intake - Loch Garry
I recalled that in '73 we came here to repair the water level monitor which the control engineers at Tummel Bridge phoned every day to get a reading. Turned out to be that the car battery which provided the power had gone flat. High tech - eh. I think there's a power supply now - at least there was a wee wind turbine to charge the battery !
Headed to the end of the track & parked up my bike. A quad track snakes over the low ground at the S end of L Garry and meets the track from Craiganour ( L Rannoch ) at the bridge over the Alt Shallainn.
- Waterfall at the end of the track at S end o L Garry
Here I met a couple of keepers in a Land Rover with a trailer on the back with a Vargo in it.
They were scanning the hillside for beasts and waiting for a break in the cloud. When I mentioned the new hydro at Pharlaggan, they told me that a similar scheme was proposed for Alt Shallainn. Better than thousands of white wind turbines, I thought !
- Bridge over Alt Shallainn
- Alt Shallainn - soon to flow through a hydro turbine
Headed off up the NE ridge of Mholach. Met a quad track on the top, which apparently goes down to Duinish.
The summit ridge divides and give an option of routes. I chose the W one on the way up and the E on the way down - not much in it. They come together for the last bit to the cairn - a muckle great thing like a beehive.
- The summit beehive cairn of Beinn Mholach
The clouds had cleared by now and the Ossian Munros were visible and even Pharlaggan was clear and L Rannoch was visible.
On the way down, I put up a Blue hare which shot off over the crest of an outcrop then reappeared from round the back. As I moved forward I could see something flailing in a hollow ahead. It was this hare on it's back with its legs flailing in the air. I assumed that in it's hurry to get away it had struck a rock and partially stunned itself. So I left it to recover. Then I wondered if it had Mxy - didn't think hares got Myx ?
Just as I reached the bridge the two keepers appeared on the Vargo and announced that my bike was still where I'd left it. I thanked them and headed off to pick it up. I duly recovered my bike and disturbed a resting puddock.
- Puddock at L Garry
Although there was a stiff headwind, made short work of the track along the lochside to make my phone call to Network Rail to get permission to take my bike across the railway.
Back to Pitlochry again.
