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I've posted an ecological Pentlands walk and that gave me ambitions to do an ecological Munro. Beinn a'Ghlo was the obvious choice, easiest from Edinburgh onywise. I was going to borrow a folding bike and do it by bus. But the first bus reaches Blair at 11 which is too late. That's outrageous. I'm a pensioner. I died at Gallipoli for you. I should get everything for free.
I calmed down and used my old person's discount on the train. This late in the year it was dark cycling up to Waverley but, hey, it's fantastic seeing sunrise as you cross the bridge. The other bikes on the train belonged to Japanese and Spanish people heading for Orkney. Most strange and disturbing. Myself, just after ten to nine I was on the platform at Blair Atholl. My train back was at 5.20 so I'd eight and a half hours which seemed plenty.
It's only about 11 miles up Glen Tilt to the bridge I was going to use to access Loch Loch but this actually took me 90 minutes which was a bit poor.
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- The way back
The sun was shining on my intended descent route, the edge of an odd ravine down from Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain,. I crossed the bridge and headed along a path that wandered up and down the steep side of the river. It was decent enough but just not as fast as I'd anticipated. The visit to the ultimate loch wasn't on. So I climbed to the ridge.
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- Tarf goes left at second bend
Looking east, I could see the bend where the Tilt becomes the Tarf. Great place with a fine little Victorian suspension bridge and a glimpse of the falls. I know someone who considers you're not a Scottish walker until you've forded the Tarf and it's a persuasive point of view.
Up on the ridge I nearly tripped over a buzzard sitting on the ground at 750 metres. I at least got a snap of Loch Loch. Prosaically, it just means dark loch but you see it on the map and you've just got to go. I've reached it from the south but I'd still like to walk Glen Loch.
Coming this way I'd only to cross the stony top of Carn nan Gabhar once. It's a bit of a pain. I once was up here with a non-Munro mate who refused to come beyond the second cairn because it was a painful waste of time. It's one hill that's faster in winter when snow covers the rubble.
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- From the top
On to Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain, and then my descent to the bike.
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- The ridge down
It's a nice way down, quite easy on the knees, though I pitched full-length on the only short stony section.
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- Wee ravine
The ravine's neat but not spectacular. It'd be an interesting way up.
I got to the bike at 3.45 and ran easily down to Blair. On the way I talked to an english cyclist. He was one of a party that had cycled Aviemore Tomintoul Braemar and were now heading for Blair. Now that's ecological and putting money into the community.
With more than half an hour in hand, I picked up a kilo of stone ground flour from the watermill and a pint or so of Moulin ale at the Atholl Arms.
And so to the station. Ecological? I'm not just huggin' the tree, I've got my hand in its blouse.
