Cnap Chaochan Aitinn circular Strath Avon, from Tomintoul

[gld73]

Nice warm night spent at The Smugglers Hostel in Tomintoul, but after breakfast, got out to the car park to find the car iced up. Rather than defrost it and scrape it and drive the mile or so to the car park at the start of the walk, I just left it and started the walk from there.

Nice weather all day. Did the walk in reverse to the WH route. Clambered over a fence at one point to walk on the narrow strip of ground between the fence and a gorge, as the field was full of highland cows and when a couple of inquisitive calves came trotting over towards me, the big hairy horned adults started to run over too. They might have been being friendly, but I didn't want to risk finding out.

wonky horned local at Wester Gaulrig

After that, it was an easy ascent up to the summit on a good estate track, it would be a quick and easy there and back by that route. Summit has a cairn and weather equipment, but good views over to Ben Avon too. Surprisingly little wind, it was easy to held the map open to check what other hills I was looking at.

Cnap Chaochan Aitinn summit, Ben Rinnes in background

Ben Avon

Boggy terrain over the top and along, though maybe just compared to the good estate tracks on the way there and on the way back once down and back over the River Avon. Didn't meet anyone else doing the hill, though a couple of guys on bikes had cycled past me early on and had rucksacks and boots, so maybe they were heading down to Ben Avon from this side.

Took a detour to Geal Charn to get the view south down the glen, showing the River Avon and the estate track alongside on the east bank

Got back to my car in Tomintoul village and it was nicely ice-free.
Graham #18