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I was looking for something not too stressful for this weekend so opted for the Geal Charn – A’Mharconaich walk at Drumochter. Weather was forecast as generally decent for the area with a slight risk of showers so I dutifully set the alarm for 0530 and got on my way at 0620. Temperature was 16 degrees and started to climb as I passed Perth and headed north, clear skies all the way until I was nearly there the clag became visible over the summits. Never mind, it’ll clear.
I reached Balsporran Cottages car park at 0730 to find, apart from a few camper vans with curtains drawn, I was the only car there – not another soul in sight. By the time I set off it was 0745 and the sun was shining, temperature back to 16 though. So off I set with a spring in my step looking forward to the days wandering.
- Suspiciously missing summits - it'll clear
- Clearing a bit now
- I was being watched
- Looking better now
- Cairns - hold on, where's Geal Charn gone?
- Eerie effect when this wee beastie was screaming out a warning in the mist
The climb up to Geal Charn isn’t particularly arduous, even for an unfit couch spud like me, but by the time I got there I was in clag, the wind was probably 25 MPH and I could see absolutely zero. I took up position in the shelter to have a drink of water and check my onward route, so I put my reading glasses on and noticed it started to become significantly brighter so decided to sit for 15 minutes or so to see if the clag would clear. Once I’d set my route and sat for the 15 minutes I changed glasses back to my usual ones. It was around now I realised that I’m a total idiot, it got brighter when I changed glasses because my normal ones are reactolite and my readers are plain glass – I got up and carried on as if nothing had happened. Given that I hadn’t seen another soul all the way up it probably didn’t really matter.
I descended no more than 50 metres and was out of the clag, at last some views, and crackers they were. It stayed pretty clear most of the rest of the way
- Finally a view
- And another
The walk down into the bealach then up the heathery slope to the approach to A’Mharconaich was an easy enough walk, as was the rest of the approach to the summit itself; once again though it was a bit claggy at the very summit. I again had a sit down in the shelter and had some food and a drink of water – this time I kept track of which pair of glasses I was using. If anyone had seen me being so OCD about this they might have phoned for MR to take me directly to the nearest institution for very special individuals; however there was nobody.
- Looking back from the slope across Loch Ericht
I thought I’d get a photo of the Geal Charn summit on the descent as the clag cleared after about 30 metres this time of descent but the summit seemed determined to stay in clag until it cleared, quite literally, for about two minutes and I managed to get one.
- Looking back at A'Mharoconaich
- This was it, a short window but I got a picture
- Train heading to Inverness
I got back to the car at 1220 and found that there were a few other cars there but not a single other person – I managed the whole walk without seeing a single, solitary soul. This is the first time this has happened to me and I think possibly added to my enjoyment in some strange way.
I’ll need to file this walk away with my pile of ones to do in better weather as I did feel slightly disappointed not getting good summit views.