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With Allison away visiting family in Belgium this weekend I had carte blanche to do whatever hills I liked. I'd taken a fancy to seeing if I could walk the Ramsay Round - I'm never going to make a hill runner but I thought it a worthwhile challenge to try walking the 92km over 3 days with a big pack. However, it was the ascent of 8500m that was fazing me a little - 30km a day I could manage but almost 3000m a day too? I was by no means sure. I reckoned I could always bale out at Tulloch or Corrour and get the train back to Ft William...but I wasn't sure about parking in Glen Nevis for 3 days...maybe I could start the round from Kinlochleven, where parking wouldn't be an issue... It all turned out to be academic as the weather forecast was far from suitable - another time perhaps.
OK - better weather forecast for the east, maybe I could complete the round of 8 west Cairnwell hills we'd failed to complete in a one-er back in 2013 when the weather and a lack of navigational skills led us to get only 6 of the 8. And then tag on the hills east of the road and the Lochnagar hills, with some Sims tagged on to each. Sounds a goer.
I was able to get away late morning as I didn't have to wait for Allison to finish work, arrived at Glenshee Ski Centre by 2pm. I hoped to get about 20k done, aiming to camp somewhere between Carn Bhac and Beinn Iutharn Mhor. We'd been up Carn Aosda in February of this year when it was heaving with skiers and we had a job dodging the ski tows. Today it was another matter, I saw no-one after I'd left the cafe area. Quite a few brown hares. Summit reached easily, now I had to lose all the height I'd just gained and more dropping down north to 450m. I had 3 Sims lined up before tackling An Socach - starting with Sgor Mor then an out and back to the 792m top, then along to the next "finger" for a similar out and back job.
Carn Aosda
P1200277 by
Al, on Flickr
Descent to Sgor Mor
P1200279 by
Al, on Flickr
Crickets cannoned out of the grasses as I climbed up the heathery slopes of Sgor Mor, the first I've seen this year. Big cairn at the summit where I left my pack and trotted the 2k out to the second Sim. The air was warm, clouds heavy but white. Gathering up my pack again I repeated the process at the next summit before setting off for An Socach. Again we'd been up here in February in hard snow - much easier today, just an amble along the stony back of the hill to the cairn. Rays of early evening sun lit up the slopes of Glen Ey. I prepared to head down the steep northern shoulder of An Socach, disturbing a resting golden eagle as I did so. Not as close as last week's encounter on Ben Vane, a graceful sweep of the huge wings took the majestic bird off into the still air and swiftly towards Beinn Iutharn Mhor.
Sgor Mor out and back
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Al, on Flickr
Sunlight fingers, Glen Ey
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Al, on Flickr
Summit An Socach
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Al, on Flickr
It was now around 7.30 and time to look for a camp-spot. Whilst I would have liked to go up to the ruin at Altanour lodge, but that added an extra km - I also remembered that the ground between Carn Bhac and Beinn Iutharn Mhor was boggy/tussocky, so decided to pitch up near the track at the head of Glen Ey and found a nice flat spot. Why not go and get Carn Bhac done tonight? There was still light enough and I reckoned doing an out-and-back without a pack tonight would beat starting off fully laden tomorrow, even if it did add a couple of km and hundred metres ascent. So I went for that, taking the track part of the way then heading off into grassy/boggy terrain. Summit reached, the sun making a welcome appearance, a brilliant ball starting its nightly sink towards oblivion. Retraced my path towards the tent and a welcome bed.
Campspot, Iutharn Mhor in distance
P1200288 by
Al, on Flickr
Carn Bhac
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Al, on Flickr
Not a bad evening
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Al, on Flickr
Heavy condensation overnight soaked the tent, midges made an unwelcome appearance as I packed up and set off for Beinn Iutharn Mhor. This was the first time in three visits I've had visibility on this hill. I dropped down to Mam nan Carn then along the western shoulder towards Carn an Righ, leaving my pack at the bealach I set off upwards reaching the summit before 10.20. Then it was back down and along the track towards Loch nan Eun, dipping down to cross the Allt a'Ghlinne Mhoir and start up again onto Glas Tulaichean. Had me a bit puffed by the time I got to the top. A bag of crisps provided welcome sustenance and I set off down the northeast shoulder towards Loch nan Eun, over the two bumps - both Sims - to the water's south. From Carn a'Chlarsaich I headed south to Creag Easgaidh, disturbing a large herd of deer on the lower slopes, which split into two, one set heading east, the other west. Round the deep groove cut by the Allt Elrig and onto the jaunty Munro Top of Carn Bhinnien, one of three I have left in the Cairngorms.
Iutharn Mhor
P1200293 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Mam nan Carn
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Al, on Flickr
Carn an Righ
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Al, on Flickr
Glas Tulaichean
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Loch nan Eun
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Al, on Flickr
Creag Easgaidh, Carn Bhinnien in distance
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Al, on Flickr
Big clump of deer
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Al, on Flickr
Easgaidh
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Al, on Flickr
Tulaichean from Bhinnien
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Al, on Flickr
From here I walked round to Carn a'Gheoidh, good views along the flank of Glas Tulaichean. Another Sim diversion - I cut off to the south from the summit to reach Carn Mor, which had a helpful track for much of the way, then contoured around the side of Gheoidh towards Carn nan Sac. It had begun to rain by this point, increasingly heavily and visibility was reduced considerably. I soldiered on along the rim of Choire Dhirich heading for the Cairnwell - I met a few walkers coming down from the summit of that dreich hill; the first folk I'd seen all day. I came down following the line of the ski tow and found myself back at the car around 5.30.
Carn Mor
P1200316 by
Al, on Flickr
Cairnwell
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Restocking my rucksack (more chocolate, more whisky) I set off for the track up to Glas Maol, via Meall Odhar. I met a few folks coming down from the hill. The rain had ceased and I was able to remove my waterproofs - a good job as I was heating up with the renewed ascent. Sheep studded the top of Glas Maol - I touched the trig then set off along the track hoping to get somewhere towards Tolmont by the end of the day. Cairn of Claise was a bit of a slog - I met a Polish dad and his young son at the summit. Dad had an enormous rucksack whilst the lad had none. They were looking to wild camp too - both of us a bit dismayed by the stony ground so far. I headed off towards Tolmont, they followed at a respectful distance - nothing worse than wild camping if you find someone else in the same space as you have chosen
I found a flat and dry spot near the lowest point before Tolmont - the others were a good deal higher up. My Fitbit told me I'd walked more steps today than ever before - 66400 - yay! I did think about heading up Tolmont tonight, but decided I was too tired to put in that small effort - I'd get up early tomorrow. Disappointingly I didn't sleep very well - the tent was still sopping wet from the morning and was not going to dry much in the cool humid evening air. The inner was wet as well, and in the little tent that's not very pleasant.
Glas Maol
P1200322 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
The Polish pair atop Cairn of Claise
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Up before 7 - I left the tent in situ and set off with a much lightened pack. At the summit of Tolmont by 7.10 down and up Tom Buidhe half an hour later. Now came the big "will I or won't I?" Finalty Hill is a Sim 4km to the south of Tom Buidhe, a solitary Sim. A five mile return trip, over pathless bog and moor for a single Sim? That must be nibbling at the margins of insanity. If it had been raining or claggy I'd probably have decided against it, but it was a fine morning, still early - what's there not to like about it. I amused myself by calibrating my paces - I usually take 350 double strides to do half a kilometre, and I counted out 4 x 700 double strides almost exactly to the top of Finalty Hill. Well that's good to know next time I'm in clag and my GPS dies.
The excitement that is Tolmont
P1200328 by
Al, on Flickr
Tom Buidhe
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Al, on Flickr
Hill of Finalty is somewhere out there
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Al, on Flickr
There are good views to The Dreish and Mayar from here - with a bit more planning I could probably have included them in this round too
(having just checked on the planner, both could be added for a measly 13km/500m ascent from Finalty Hill). But anyway, it was back to Tom Buidhe for me. Spotted a couple of folk coming down Tolmont as I returned to my tent, which had dried out nicely in the warm sun and light breeze. The Poles had packed up too - they seemed to be standing around in the distance - wonder where they were off to. I contoured round Carn of Claise towards the track leading to Carn a Tuirc, summited that hill then faced my final Sim of the round, Carn Dubh off to the NW. Grouse butts on both sides of the hillside here - just as well I wasn't a day later - the inglorious 12th - or I could have been caught in the cross-fire of animal murdering b'stards. But all quiet on that front today. I headed up the track onto Carn Dubh, found an impressive cairn then cut down west towards the road. It's a mile or so up to the Ski Centre from the (busy) car park beside the footbridge, but less ascent (120m) than it looks. I reached the car just before 1pm. I was now a bit ambivalent about what to do - the forecast I'd seen before I left suggested rain from later this afternoon, heavy overnight and all day Sunday. I was less than keen about another night in a wet little tent and wondered if I should just head home, but on checking the forecast I found it had improved - dry until midday Sunday, although misty in the morning. Off to Glen Muick it is then!
Mayar
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Cairn a'Tuirc
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Al, on Flickr
Carn Dubh
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Al, on Flickr
Cairn, Carn Dubh
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
I hadn't been to Glen Muick for a while - last two forays round the Lochnagar hills on Tops business had both been from Glen Callater. I remembered that the car park charged £4 and wasn't sure what the position with overnight parking was. As I approached the car park - around 1.30 I found it absolutely choc-a-bloc, with numerous cars parked along the roadside as well. I didn't try too hard to find a space within the car park when I saw on the notice that overnight parking wasn't allowed - drove back along the road for half a km or so and found a suitable place to verge park that wasn't obstructing traffic. Had a late lunch, replenished the rucksack and set off again.
My plan for today was to take in a handful of Sims on the south of Loch Muick. I had drawn up an audacious route that came in from Balmoral, over another group of Sims there, but seeing that Mrs Queen had just taken up residence I thought that approach might prove problematic. I followed the south Loch Muick path for a wee bit, rammed full of walkers, then headed up the Glen Clova footpath which skirts up the side of my first objective, Black Hill. This was reached with a short heather tramp, then it was the familiar down down down to the neighbouring Black Hill of the Mark and on to Ferrowie. There were several tracks, but sadly none going in my direction
From Ferrowie another dip down then up to Dog Hillock, skirting around a cleft called - curiously - "the Gourock" and onwards to Sandy Hillock, which had some kind of old transmitter debris at the top. Now I had to make a decision. It was 6.30pm - I could either camp between Sandy Hillock and Broad Cairn, or continue on and camp on the flat area between Cairn Bannoch and Carn an t-Sagairt Mor. I did worry a little about it being cold overnight - the more distant camp was more than 200m higher up. Plus my feet were a bit sore. I plumped for a spot by the wee lochan coming down from Snady Hillock and had an early night, curled up with Virginia Woolf (Jacob's Room this time, where she starts to get a bit experimental with timelines).
P1200342 by
Al, on Flickr
Loch Muick
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Al, on Flickr
Black Hill of the Mark
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Al, on Flickr
Ferrowie
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
My path leads over the three bumps towards Broad Cairn
P1200352 by
Al, on Flickr
Glen Clova
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Sandy Hillock
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Al, on Flickr
Broad Cairn awaits the morning
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Al, on Flickr
I got up early at 5.30 after a good sleep to find the sky still tinted pink from the dawn. Hilltops were clear although I felt an odd spatter or rain as I packed up the tent and set off up the good path to Broad Cairn. By the time I'd reached the summit at 6.50 the clag had come down and the rain was becoming more persistent. Unfortunately it did not let up for the remainder of the morning. I slumped my way to Cairn Bannoch (a sad excuse for a Munro) then in dreich conditions to the cairn on Sagairt Mor (no looking for bits of aircraft today). Onwards to perhaps the least impressive Munro of them all, Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach by which time I was starting to feel cold and lastly to the summit of Lochnagar, via a badly eroded path that could do with being mended. Five Munros by 9am - that's a first!
Looks like a bit of "Shepherd's Warning"
P1200363 by
Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
Broad Cairn
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Al, on Flickr
Sagairt Mor
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Al, on Flickr
Lochnagar (but could be anywhere)
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
An t-Sron cairn
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Al, on Flickr
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Al, on Flickr
There was one last part to the mission - a final Sim, An t-Sron lying to the north of Loch Muick. I took the SE track from Carn Cac Mor cairn and followed this for 3km til I reached a small bridge, then took the rougher track leading NE, skirting Little Pap before striking off east over boggy ground making for An t-Sron. I found an impressive cairn there and an ATV track leading NE which I followed until it disappeared in the heather. I descended the northeast slopes, making for the Caledonian pinewoods and from there back across the bridge towards the visitor centre. I could see my car, all alone on the road. The car park was far from full today, given the rain and clag, but a few dog walkers had made the effort. Back at the car by half past 11, I predicted being home by 3ish...
Having driven back towards Glenshee I found that the road was blocked around The Spittal - a long line of traffic lay before me and nothing was coming up the way. Some drivers were turning round...what to do...reluctantly I did the same and drove back the 30 miles I'd just come from Balmoral, taking the Aberdeen route home and adding what - a hundred miles? to the journey. When I caught the 3pm traffic news on Radio 2 it said the road was still closed in both directions, so I guess I made the right choice.