Some Perthshire Corbetts

[weaselmaster]

This weekend I'd decided to do some hills I'd been putting off for a while - the Gaick Corbetts, which I'd wanted to do as a 5-some with the 3 southern Feshie Corbetts, but didn't manage to get my mojo together enough for, and Beinn Mholach along with Meall na Leitrach. It meant two biggish days and I thought there might just be daylight enough to make them possible. Driving up to Blair Castle Campsite on Hallowe'en was alright - the rain stayed off until we got the tent up and had our dinner. I was amazed to be sitting out on one of the benches at 7pm eating my tea by headtorch with just a tee-shirt on - weird weather or what? Anyway it rained most of the night on Friday, ensuring a misty moisty morning as we drove the few miles up the A9 to the turn off for Trinafour - the site of one of our early wild camping exploits. As we arrived I realised I'd forgotten to pack my lunch or the flask of hot water for coffee. Or my headtorch for that matter. Senility here we come... Parked up and set off for a mad dash across the road and onto the public right of way through the Gaick pass. There's a little section through forest before coming out onto the lengthy track that runs alongside the Edendon Water and up to Sronphadruig Lodge - sadly derelict. Would be a lovely spot for a bothy with the hills right in your eye. Once at the Lodge the track becomes boggier. We walked along on the Gaick path for a little then turned uphill onto the nose of An Dun. A "V" of migrating geese passed by. Not as steep an ascent as I'd been expecting, was a comfortable ascent when we located the winding path. Certainly helps to be starting at just shy of 500m though - would have been a bit more of a lung buster had the hill been on the West Coast with a sea level start.

Breakfast to the campsite
P1040361 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Start of the walk
P1040363 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040364 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Our targets
P1040368 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Derelict Lodge
P1040370 by 23weasels, on Flickr

An Dun
P1040371 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Gaick Pass
P1040373 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Up you go, Lassie
P1040374 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Geese
P1040375 by 23weasels, on Flickr

View back
P1040376 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Summit
P1040377 by 23weasels, on Flickr

The summit opens out to a plateau from which the lochs of An Dun & Bhrodainn dominate the views. The hills appear sculpted, with a plateau stretching away to the north and the central plain dug out. Quite marvellous. Found a wee dip on the northern face of An Dun to stop and have a bit of food - fortunately Allison had left tomorrow's sandwich in the car so I could scavenge that, and a wee smile came to my face when I rummaged in my rucksack and found a tub of pringles. So only the hot drink missing Sat and looked at the geography of the place, then headed down the steep grassy slopes to the Allt Loch an Duin. I'd been a bit concerned that this might pose a problem in crossing with all the recent rain, but it was fine, although there were several limbs of it to cross. In one I saw at least a dozen good sized salmon chilling in the shallows, though they darted off when they saw me. We had the WH route which suggested following the track for a mile to find a slightly gentler slope up A'Chaornich, but it didn't look too steep and we just headed straight up between the Allts Creag & Bruthach nan Spardan - not really much to it. Animal tracks kept going off laterally, sometimes I'd follow them for a bit. Mountain hares sped off, looking rather ghostly as they are on the turn to white at present. The summit was reached, pictures taken and we headed off towards the southern cairn at 867 before turning to the right and descending. I continued over Meall nan Spianaig (which is a Graham top of Corbett... ) before rejoining the track as it crossed the concrete bridge. A brisk walk back to the car followed and a fair time all in all. Would have been an easy one to bike in, but I'm glad to have walked it.

Flat top of An Dun
P1040378 by 23weasels, on Flickr

View N to Loch Bhrodainn
P1040380 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040382 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Steep descent
P1040384 by 23weasels, on Flickr

A'Chaornich
P1040386 by 23weasels, on Flickr

River crossing
P1040387 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040388 by 23weasels, on Flickr

View down Loch An Duin
P1040390 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Summit A'Chaornich
P1040391 by 23weasels, on Flickr

View back to An Dun
P1040398 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Concrete bridge
P1040400 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Stats
P1040401 by 23weasels, on Flickr

The rain came on as we drove back to Blair Atholl, we stopped off for a pint of Atholl Ale (meh) in the Atholl Arms then made a really quite spicy chili in the tent. We were both a bit knackered - been a tough week at work for me and Allison's back was giving her gyp, so we turned in about 6.30. Bangs from a firework display presumably at the castle kept sleep away- a really miserable night for watching fireworks.

My plans for Sunday were now in a bit of turmoil. Given Allison's shape I was far from sure she'd manage the long walk into Beinn Mholach - I was also concerned at the bog and river crossing factor given yet another night of heavy rain. I thought we would get up early and do Meall na Leitrach first, then consider our options. Managed to get away by 8, which is good going for us these days, and drove back up the A9 to Dalnaspindal, where we parked by the cycletrack and set off for Meall na Leitrach. Rain was upon us, clag was down, and Allison was struggling to keep pace as we went up a soggy but gentle incline. it was a fairly miserable pull to the summit cairn with poor visibility and I decided then that we'd just head back the way we'd come up and go and climb Ben Vrackie instead - a wee skoosh of a 3 hour walk up a track - surely she could manage that? As we were walking back from the summit the clag lifted and there was even a little sunshine. Hmmm - right choice? met another walker on the way up, put off Munros by the forecast of high winds - although there were no winds today where we were. Back at the car and a whizz down the A9 to Pitlochrie, then onto the wee village of Moulin, past the brewery of the not-really-my-cup-of-tea Atholl Ale to the car park. Which was crammed - we were lucky that someone was leaving just as we arrived otherwise it would have been a struggle to get parked anywhere. We hadn't divested our wet clothes, so just got out and on the go again.

Start of the walk
P1040402 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Meall na Leitrach
P1040403 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Geese
P1040404 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Summit
P1040410 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Starting to clear as we return to the car
P1040412 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040413 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Stats - 480 ascent!! skoosh!!!
P1040414 by 23weasels, on Flickr

The path takes you through woodland, with reds and golds of autumn pretty against the backdrop of evergreen. Some boys with their toys were out clay shooting and making one hell of a racket, which did disturb the peacefulness of a Sunday morning walk - especially as they were shooting adjacent to the track. Leaving the woodland behind we headed out onto the open moorland, up a fine path. Reaching a couple of benches we stopped for lunch - in the sunshine, would you believe There were loads of people out on the hill today - guess it is a popular hill, but very different from our experience yesterday where we didn't pass a soul. Up to Loch a'Choire with it's stony guardian then up the steepish track to the summit of Vrackie. Clouds parted as we got to the cairn -I jogged across to the adjacent cairns for another view. Back down to the loch then followed the path around it, nipping up Meall na h-Aodainn Moire which I reckoned would be a tick of some sort (yep - another GTC) then back down onto the path and back to the car in just over 3 hours. Very pleasant walk it was too. Stopped off at Tiso in Perth for a gander then another good meal in an packed Stereo before home for 7pm. The weekend may not have gone entirely to plan, but at least it was another 4 Corbetts and better weather than expected.

Vrackie car park
P1040415 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Pointy thing, Vrackie
P1040418 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040419 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Well - are you?
P1040420 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Vrackie
P1040426 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Civilised lunch
P1040428 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040430 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Loch a'Choire
P1040432 by 23weasels, on Flickr

meall na h-Aodainn Moire
P1040434 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040435 by 23weasels, on Flickr

P1040436 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Summit Vrackie
P1040440 by 23weasels, on Flickr

View to Meall an Daimh
P1040442 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Ben Vurich in the clouds
P1040443 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Vrackie
P1040445 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Loch a'Choire
P1040449 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Vrackie
P1040451 by 23weasels, on Flickr

Stats
P1040454 by 23weasels, on Flickr

[PeteR]

All good Corbetts these

Although An Dun is one steep beggar

[Collaciotach]

Some good pics there , looks an interesting area around Gaick

You re hacking away at those Corbetts and Grahams

[robertphillips]

well done guys, some good photos there.