Stay at home

[seamus0]

My 3rd munro of the trip was pretty easy and done in fantastic weather on Easter Sunday - A' Bhuidheanach Bheag ....wining the competition for the most unpronounceable munro on the list ??? Normally walked as a pair with Carn na Caim, I tried to do the 2 in January however it took 6 hrs just to climb carn na caim then as the snow was knee deep all the way to the top! I decided A' Bhuidheanach Bheag would have to wait for another day, and today was the day!

This munro is easily accessible from the A9 near Dalwhinnie and makes an ideal walk in good conditions as a track takes you a good bit up the mountain and you start at around 400m up already. From the layby just before the Dalwhinnie turnoff on the left (heading north, layby 87) cross the A9 carefully and enter the moorland via the large metal gate. Follow the landrover track that goes under pylons and climbs the hill SE slowly.

Start of landrover track

western munros visible climbing up

This time the track was visible most of the way unlike last time. There was still snow on it, but it was crisp hard snow you could walk on and not that Russian stuff that I just sank into last time !! It eventually petered out near the top pf the plateau between the 2 mountains Carn na caim and A'Bhuidheanach Bheag.

Snow covered track further up

More snow climbing up

Views climbing up

Once it flattens out (after 1.5hrs or so) take a bearing due south making sure to avoid the steep section at 655790.

Steep section to avoid to your right (south)

I met a group who were doing the carn na caim first, we had a quick chat and I carried on south. The weather was fantastic.

Group of 4 doing the other munro

From there the route climbs slowly for 80m over 1.3 km to reach a small cairn.

Fence post enroute

Steep section from different angle

Top of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag

The reward is fantastic views of the surrounding hills.

Some more pics from plateau

Some more pics from plateau

Some more pics from plateau

Some more pics from plateau

Some more pics from plateau

Note that navigation could be difficult in bad weather but not today. As the photos show I had a 360 degree panorama of the hills. At the top, I could hear a pin drop it was so peaceful. I spent 15mins just sucking it all in, knowing that tomorrow the weather was set to change and that this would probably be my last good day of my trip.

View coming down

I met some more folks doing the 2 munros...I was just glad to get this one in and take my time enjoying the outdoors. I took my time coming down, these winter days don't come often enough!

[Coop]

That trig point pic shows how much snow up there.
There's another 2 or 3 feet of it under snow.
Bleak place!!

[gld73]

Did these 2 in the snow a couple of weeks ago - your photos are certainly better than mine, looks like you got a good day . Reading trip reports from other times of the year, a clear winter day certainly seems like the best time to do it; no sign of the boggy ground people keep mentioning!

[seamus0]

Yeah thats why I wanted to do them in the winter...but the other munro was a different story in January....a total slog to get up with soft snow! It certainly makes a difference in good conditions and once you're up there its difficult to come down its so peaceful (in good weather of course) !