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When updating some stats in my blog I noticed that I hadn't posted a report of my day on Ben Tee, strange since I have the small photos that I'd prepared for the report and wrote reports for the days each side of this. It was way back in 2010 but I thought I'd post it since it was walked from White Bridge rather than Kilfinnan and includes a bit of a circuit instead of being all out and back. And descent was made from the summit to the north, down some steepish ground for a bit of winter sport. Even a modest hill can offer excellent scope in the right winter conditions!
The walk was done with my mate Gary, very fitting as we drove toward Loch Garry! Memory is a bit vague but I think we were able to drive down a track south from the main Forestry Commission car park at White Bridge, to a car park at NH281005 shown on the OS map. If that's not possible then the White Bridge car park is fine, just adding a bit to the walk. Probably best to do this walk in frozen conditions or after a dry spell.
The WH page for Ben Tee mentions our route as an alternate and also points to using the Allt na Calliche Trail walk as part of it, which I would recommend since it is a bit shorter and looks more scenic!
https://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/fortwilliam/alltnacalliche.shtmlOur initial route was different but the key element is getting to the forestry track/path that heads north at NH266001. To get here we took the main forestry track heading west from the car park, turning sharp left onto another track after about 1.7km from which the northbound track branches after another 0.5km. After 2km the trees end on the left, just beyond this a path turns left to cross the Allt na Calliche at a ford.
The path shown on the map peters out at about 400m leaving a plod of your choice for the 500m of ascent to the summit. But I expect there is a path of sorts now from bagger's feet taking the Kilfinnan route which is joined near here. Snow underfoot added interest for us along with distant views beneath clouds. It became colder and windy, hoods uuup!
Wind had sculpted the snow surface at the summit and the light quality was superb. Local and distant views to bleak snow covered hills, marvellous.
We descended a bit to the west of north, finding some good steep ground and differing snow conditions for inward-facing step-kicking and some cutting of steps with the axe.
Below the rocky ground we turned northeast and alongside the forestry to the north of Allt na Calliche ,then back along our outward route.
Hopefully I'll be back to Scotland for some winter fun in Feb next year, it's been far too long since I've experienced the Scottish snows! For regular reports on winter conditions in the Cairngorms I recommend Gary's blog, and he does winter skills courses there.
https://tarmachan.blogspot.com/