free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
My 90th Munro was approaching and Lochnagar seemed an excellent candidate. And once I was up there there was the possibility of bagging the four other Munros in its hinterland of the White Mounth. My original plan was to camp in Ballater and have an early start on the hill - and Mrs R was going to join me. But that didn't work out and so I decided that it would just have to be the long early morning road trip from central Fife. The mist soon cleared on the way up and the drive through Glenshee was a delight. Then it was misty again at Ballater. But that soon cleared as I drove up Glen Muick to reveal a rather gloomy looking Lochnagar.
- Lochnagar from Glen Muick
The wind was getting up too and I started to wonder if the forecast of bright skies and light winds was going to prove to be an empty promise. However, the sun came out as I made my way past Allt-na-guibhsaich and that definitely lifted my spirits.
- Through the trees at Allt-na-guibhsaich
Soon I was on the hill and making good progress upwards - fording the burn and steadily gaining height.
I was heading for the Meikle Pap where, I had been told, the view would be worth all the effort. And there's another thing. This is where I confess my dark secret (something I've never heard of anywhere else on Walkhighlands
) - as well as bagging Munros, I also bag Tops!
- not as determinedly as the Munros themselves but I collect them whenever it is reasonable (and I decide what is reasonable!) There's lots of Tops on the White Mounth - and the Meikle Pap is one of them.
- Meikle Pap
The view from Meikle Pap was everything that had been promised - the stark cliffs rising above the corrie loch below
- Lochnagar from Meikle Pap
And I was pleased to have bagged my first Munro Top of the day.
- On Meikle Pap
But I still had a long way to go and five Munros waiting on me. So it was back down and up the Ladder which looked like a boulder field (and was) but it had a wonderfully well engineered path up through it. Soon I was rising to the level of the Lochnagar cliffs.
- Lochnagar from above the Ladder
I had, however, another top to bag and I headed off south-east across lovely springing moss to Top - Cuidhie Crom. At 1083 metres it would be a very respectable mountain if it wasn't connected to Lochnagar.
- On Cuidhie Crom
The weather had been getting brighter as I had climbed to the ridge - but the wind had strengthened to a near gale. Now the cloud dropped down onto the summit ridge and for a time it seemed that the weather was going to let me down. But the sun came out as I made my way along the ridge and by the time I was at Cac Carn Mor - looking towards the summit of Cac Carn Beag - the sun was shining brightly again!
- Cac Carn Beag from Cac Carn Mor
It was still a bit of a stroll to the summit - but soon I was there and a kind fellow walker took my picture.
- The summit of Lochnagar
And I took in the view - looking down at boulder-strewn landscape of Coire na Saobhaidhe below.
- Coire na Saobhaidhe from Cac Carn Beag
To the south-west lay my next Munro, the rounded Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach, with the much more dramatic summit, The Stuic on the right to the north.
- Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach and The Stuic
So I headed off, past the steep, steep gullies of Lochnagar before heading west on my continuing journey. The Stuic was definitely worth a short diversion and the view over the corrie was simply amazing!
I met a young couple there and I'm grateful to the girl who took the picture of me - she clearly had photographic skills!
- From The Stuic to Lochnagar
I've read that there is a scramble route up the prow of The Stuic from Sandy Loch. Looking from above, I wasn't so sure -it looked pretty steep to me. But I didn't have time to to investigate - although I did enjoy the view!
- Looking down from The Stuic
My second Munro of the day was still to be bagged and so it was quickly on to the summit of Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach which is far less an imposing place than The Stuic - but it's a respectable summit all the same. I had to set up my own photo shot this time!
- The summit of Carn a' Choire Bhoidheach
It was time for another Munro Top and so I set off north-west and then south-west towards the summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Beg. I crossed a bog on the way - but having been in the West Highlands recently I have to say the bogs on the White Mouth seem very tame. Anyway, I reached the summit of this Top and set up my camera on its wee tripod for a summit photo. Did I say that it was windy? Well it was - and halfway through the count-down the camera blew over and - that photo was mainly of grass and soil! The poor camera suffered another scratch on its screen - and I was very careful about the next set-up for the camera - almost placing it in a hole!
. But I had bagged another Munro Top all the same!
- The summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Beag
The next Munro was Carn an t-Sagairt Mor - not much higher than Carn an t-Sagairt Beg but with a drop between the two. A good path led through a boulder field on the way down south-westwards from the Beg and then it was steeply up the Mor, passing the old aircraft wreckage that has strewn the hill.
- Aircraft wreckage on Carn an t-Sagairt Mor
As I approached the summit cairn another walker approached from the opposite direction. It turns out that Iain (a man with many more Munros to his name than me) was walking the circuit in the opposite direction and here we were arriving exactly together at what was the third Munro of the day for both of us (neat eh!
). We shared a few stories and he took my photo (thanks Iain) and we headed off in opposite directions.
- The summit of Carn an t-Sagairt Mor
From there the ridge lay ahead of me with Cairn Bannoch and Broad Cairn in the distance. I met a young couple on the way down who had camped near Glas Maol the night before and were carrying their complete kit on the journey. I wished them well and carried on my way towards my next Munro summit.
- Cairn Bannoch and Broad Cairn from Carn t-Sagairt Mor
But first I had another Munro Top to visit. Fafernie is a little bit off (about 500 metres) to the south of the main ridge but I reckoned it was worth a visit. There seems to be a good route from there to the south linking to the hills further west. You don't meet so many people at Tops so this was a set-up picture again.
- The summit of Fafernie (Top)
But, of course, I had real Munros to do as well - so it was off to Cairn Bannoch - a good looking torr-like summit set amidst a defensive boulder field.
- Cairn Bannoch
The boulders were easily negotiated and soon I was climbing up onto the rocky summit. A couple who had passed me as I had visited my Top, and who were taking a break in the lee of the rocks, kindly agreed to take my picture at the summit - much better than the set-up kind! (Thanks folks!
)
- The summit of Cairn Bannoch
The next top is a bit of a mystery because I passed over a point at 991 metres. Then I walked down a dip and up a little to a cairn marked as Cairn of Gowal on the map at 983 metres. I'll go with point 991 being the top - so here's the picture.
- Point 991m - Cairn of Gowal
Broad Cairn was my final Munro of the day and a fine summit it is. The name Broad Cairn is, in my opinion, totally appropriate for this Munro. Another torr, by the look of it, it is just like a huge broad cairn to look at! Finally I had made it to my fifth (and final) Munro summit of the day!
- The summit of Broad Cairn
From, there it was all down hill. First through a boulder-field - which is not my favourite walking territory - but then on down by a good path until I reached about 700 metres. After that it was a long, but pleasant walk down to Loch Muick and along it's south shore back to my starting point at Spittal of Glenmuick.
- On the south side of Loch Muick
I had summitted five Munros and five Munro Tops in just over ten hours. I was very happy with my day! Does anyone else on Walkhighlands count Munro Tops - or is it a thing "we dinnea care to speak aboot" ?
Maybe one day we will be able to count our Tops on Walkhighlands too?