Started the day with a wander at the Loch Garten osprey centre in the hope of seeing some birdlife like that depicted on the WH Facebook page a while ago. No interest from the birds in the food I had to offer so I dare say they are managing to find food easily enough just now. Nice spot for a walk though.
Doubled back to Cromdale at midday and parked up near Lethendry farm. According to a couple I met at the first cairn it is possible to get permission to park at the farm itself.
An easy walk round towards the piper's stone but I probably cut off too early at the first cairn and headed onto steeper than necessary ground. That next 230m was quite hard work and I was sweating by the time I got to the first cairn, so much so that I decided to use the spare t shirt I was carrying to keep myself dry in the cold wind blowing over the ridge.
The couple who had parked at the farm then arrived at the cairn, they having already been out to my destination. They indicated that the rest of the way was fine if hard going but that there was too much snow for any shortcutting to be viable. Also, they thought that the second cairn could only be safely accessed from the south west.
That latter bit of advice made sense when I tested the frozen escarpment cornice that ran out north from the top. No way to kick steps and probably too much for my microspikes and walking poles.
Happily, another couple and their dog appeared, this time descending from the top so it was then clear to me where to head to.
Pretty easy going in fact to get over that last wee rise before the second cairn but a bit cold once up there, though fairly sheltered behind the cairn. Great views over to the Cairngorms though plus an array of more distant peaks to the far west and Ben Wyvis marking the north western horizon.
DSCN9250 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9255 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9257 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9258 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9309 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9313 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9315 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9328 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9332 by John Little, on Flickr
DSCN9355 by John Little, on Flickr
