Carn na Loinne and Carn a' Chnuic

[Gordon Ballantyne]

Had Thomas to look after me today along with Harvey, so parked up along the track to Croftmaquien, just beyond the trees.

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As we walked passed Croftmaquien, it was obviously a holiday let with a fair amount of parking space, which could probably be used with the occupants agreement. ( there was no-one there today ).

The entrance to Croftmaquien

Potential parking at Croftmaquien

We wandered up alongside the fence and through a gate to a clear-felled patch and on to a track, leading us to the bottom of the broad fire break up Loinne.

A gate on the path behind Croftmaquien

The track leading to the firebreak on Loinne

Looking back down the firebreak that leads to the top of Loinne

The firebreak was pretty overgrown with heather,juniper and blaeberries, so we took to the trees where the going was easier. A quick wander around the top revealed the trig beside some juniper bushes and scots pine trees. As we wandered around the top to view the surrounds, we spotted a couple of seats on either side of a scots pine that someone had fashioned from stone recovered from the roots a near blown-over tree. Too late for us as we'd finished our piece. Great views across to Strath Nethy, though.

Thomas and Harvey at the Loinne trig

The stane seats near the top of Loinne

The big Gorms from the top of Loinne

We descended in the trees on the other side of the firebread back to the car. Had another search in the car for my disappearing bunnet. ( I'd left it at Harvey's hoose )


CARN NA CHNUIC
Drove into Nethy Bridge for Thomas to top up his water supply at the wee shoppie. I weakened and bought a hot cornish pastie - yum !
Down the Lurg road to the road end near Clachaig.

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Sheep running around everywhere so had to put H on the lead to walk through the fields along the ROW. The last grazing field had a couple of cows munching grass near the gate, but we managed to get by without any incident and through the trees to the ford/bridge. The water was low, so I splashed across while Thomas took the adventurous route across the "bridge" - a tree. After a few wiggles, he made the other side while H tried to distract him by splashing around in the burn.

Whew - made it across the "bridge" over the Faesheallach burn

Harvey waiting for Thomas to fall in !

On the other side of the burn, we went through a gate to commit our first nav error. Walked down the main track which accounts for the kinky route on the out-run. without spotting the path nearest the fence. No damage done - just a wee bit longer. Took a line up the broad ridge on the west side of Chnuic, hoping the heather would be shallower - wrong again. Bit of a thrutch with lots of moose-stepping to gain the sanctuary of the trees above. Going not bad until reaching the top to find a single rock cairn with a stick marker at the far end .

One of the many wood ant nests on the way up Chnuic

Thomas and Harvey at the top of Chnuic

Didn't stay long on the top as showers were approaching. We descended a little further to the north of our up route and found a few more animal paths to follow through the worst of the heather. - still a bit teuch though. We came across an RSPB experiment with a few insect catchers hanging from some trees and a camera trap. Presuming we had triggered it, we made some idiotic gestures in front of it, then continued on our way.

RSPB insect trap on Chnuic

Back on the path, we took the direct route home. This time we both splashed across the Faesheallach burn.

Thomas taking the alternative ford across the burn on the way home

The sheep had moved to a field across the road , so no dramas to get back to the car through the livestock..