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This was a pleasant morning run/jog up a hill that’s overshadowed by its more famous neighbours. I had it to myself—if you don’t count the huge herd of deer that watched me pick my way up through the heather.
The forecast seemed pretty decent for anywhere north and west of Fife, and as I didn’t want to go too far, I decided Blath Bhalg would make a nice wee run. It’s been a while since I was up the A9, so the Porsche dealership and drive-through Costa at Broxden were new to me. Just past Dunkeld, having to overtake a guy in a green wig on a recumbent hand-cycle was another unexpected event.
As I passed through Pitlochry and Moulim it was clear it was going to be one of those beautiful hazy Spring days that make April worth waiting for, although the vegetation all seems a good couple of weeks behind. I decided not to start from the watershed and aerial, but parked a km further down the hill at the lay-by by Dalnacarn.
- The view E from the layby at the start of the route
All was quiet as I set off—well, not quite as the A924 seems to be pretty popular with motorbikes on Sundays. I picked up the rough ATV track that heads SSE for the first 1.5km or so, and just after some sleepers across a boggy bit, I left the track and picked my way SE through heather and boggy grass, eventually through a couple of patches of snow, to hit Blath Bhalg’s middle top. From there, it was a quick drop and ascent to the summit.
- Blath Bhalg's snow-patched summit
The views were pretty hazy, the snow patches on Vrackie and Vuirich helping to distinguish them, and to the south was the complex lumpy wilderness between the Tay and Strathardle. I soon turned and headed back along the fence, descending and reascending twice, this time to include the 637m point on my way back.
- Looking back to the summit from pt 637m.
From there, I descended W then circled back N, returning to the track at almost exactly the point I left it. From there, it was an easy trot back to the car, and a return home down Strathardle, thankful that Spring at last seems to be here.