Walkhighlands

You can reach the Ardverikie three from Dalwhinnie, which means you don't need to use a car. A couple of problems occur, though. You've to negotiate the tortuous Scotrail bike booking. There's only four spaces on the trains and a lot of foreigners seem to want to go to Thurso. Beats me why. Anyway I thought I'd succeeded but I found I was booked up and down on different days. It didn't matter in the end but still Scotrail should be providing more space and making it easier to book. The other problem is the risk of spending more time than you need in Dalwhinnie, which has to be the most nowhere village in Scotland. I reckoned arriving at 11 and leaving on the 19:57 would cover it and leave me time for a single pint. The bike run's 10 miles each way and not in the route timing.

It's fast in to Loch Pattack on the beautifully maintained Ericht track, though it seeems weird not taking the turn off for Culra. Ben Alder over the flats always looks amazing. Instead I was heading for Beinn a'Chlachair. The Ardverikie hills are actually the most convenient bunch from here - only Carn Dearg is closer than Beinn a'Chlachair. The walk starts by crossing the Allt Cam. There's a ford marked on the map but there's only a bunch of stepping stones which look like they'd be quite hairy with any volume of water coming down. I hadn't expected to see other walkers on this route and didn't. What I did see was a couple of groups of cyclists, evidently Ardverikie / Pattack is a minor classic route. I was sort of hoping these lads would fall in but they didn't.

There's a good quality of stalker's path on to the ridge. I outpaced the cyclists, for the honour of the school. Looking through the gap to the majesty of Creag Pitridh, I could see their path involved negotiating the remains of a cornice (at the left of the picture). Interesting late-June challenge.

I followed the round, Chlachair, Pitridh and Geal Charn. I'd been going to do Geal Charn then Pitridh so I could exit over the cornice and by the lochan but I wasn't sure of time. I was actually fine and should have stuck with the idea.
Storer talks about Geal Charn's fine north-east corrie. OK, maybe I just can't take a good photie but I'm not impressed. It's a very easy descent to the path and on this section I saw ptarmigans, ring ouzels and golden plover.

I really skelped it on the bike ride back and arrived in Dalwhinnie with an hour in hand. Well, how bad could the pub be? Maybe two pints. But the pub doesn't exist - the hotel is being refurbished. There are two cafes - both were shut. Back at the station, the rain was starting and the midges coming out. The waiting room was open but it was small and smelled of paint. I stood under the eaves and watched a snipe which was drumming overhead. That was interesting for 15 minutes.. "We are sorry to inform passengers..." Only ten minutes late and it made it up by Edinburgh. All in all a satisfying day.

The route has a couple of miles less walking than the standard one and if you're driving from Edinburgh involves more than 40 miles less in the car. Instead there's the bike ride which is more fun.

I had to snigger when you mentioned the idea of a pint in Dalwhinnie at the beginning - I had a feeling I knew where that was going . At least the hotel is being renovated. It has been shut long enough that I'd forgotten it was ever there.

This is the same route I took pretty much - I'd been on the Loch Ossian hills the day before and walked through to Culra for the night, then did this before heading back out to Dalwhinnie. They are nice hills from most directions - I intend to approach from Ardverikie House next time.

malky_c wrote:I had to snigger when you mentioned the idea of a pint in Dalwhinnie at the beginning - I had a feeling I knew where that was going . At least the hotel is being renovated. It has been shut long enough that I'd forgotten it was ever there.

This is the same route I took pretty much - I'd been on the Loch Ossian hills the day before and walked through to Culra for the night, then did this before heading back out to Dalwhinnie. They are nice hills from most directions - I intend to approach from Ardverikie House next time.

I'd an idea I might be walking in your footsteps - you do seem to have done most of the odd approaches. An approach from Ardverikie looks demanding though I've thought of Kinloch Laggan.

At the moment I'm just seeing what I can achieve by public transport. Given the Dalwhinnie misadventure I'm thinking the Drumochters by bike from Dalwhinnie but continuing down to Blair Atholl where there's a pint of Moulin ale available at the end of the platform.

Thanks weedavie.
I'm into my mountain bike munros at the moment and this helps