The A93 revisited....again

[iainR]

My first foray into the area around Glenshee was in June last year and since then i've returned several times bagging various hills when weather and time allowed.On this occasion i decided to explore further up the A93 and after pouring over my OS map i noticed the Corbetts Creag nan Gabhar and Morrone were also easily accessible from the road thus giving me another excuse to head up there.

Creag nan Gabhar

Parking up at Alltamhait i crossed over the relatively quiet A93 and made my way along the narrow path above the Allt a'Mhaide. The path cut through some thick heather which raised clouds of pollen when i brushed passed it and eventually
i reached a more defined Landrover track, it was at this point that the path heads up the more gentle eastern slopes of the hill. There's an area of peat hags and bogs here which could be unpleasant in wet weather but it was mostly dried out in the rising midday temperatures. Once the bogs are past the route up to the summit is fairly quick and a large area of rocks and scree appears which more or less covers the hilltop. I noticed 3 separate cairns and visited all of them just in case but the first one i encountered was the largest and looked to be the highest. The views from the summit area were amazing in every direction but the highlight for me were the Glenshee Munros which i was familiar with.

Path above Allt a'Mhaide

Peat hags on Creag nan Gabhar

Summit of Creag nan Gabhar

In the distance Morrone beckoned so after a quick snack and some photos i quickly made my way back down retracing the route back to Alltamhait.

Morrone

This time i drove about 3 miles further up the A93 and parked in a layby near Auchallater and after a brisk 5 minute walk along the road verge i crossed a wooden footbridge over Clunie Water and quickly reached the Old Military Road which gave me access to the Morrone path which is more like a gravel road for 4x4 vehicles.Unlike my previous Corbett this hill was fairly busy with everyone coming back down the way i was going up obviously doing the circular hill walk which begins in Braemar. My reverse route to the summit is very quick and straightforward and i actually had the hilltop to myself for nearly 5 minutes !
Despite being crowned by a radio mast and a couple of buildings Morrone is a fine hill with extensive views of the Cairngorms and Glen Clunie which looked great in the late afternoon sunshine. Faced with a 2 hour drive home i choose not to do the circuit and instead just retraced my steps back to the car reflecting on another superb day spent in this region.

Footbridge over Clunie Water

Looking down the Morrone path

Summit of Morrone