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The first thing that struck me when i got out of the van at Dalmunzie house hotel was the sound of the river,clearly in spate and the fact that by parking here i still had to cross it or head back down to the main rd to pick up the track on the other side,i chose the latter option as i wasnt sure if there was a bridge to cross(my map didnt show any) past the farm so off i went on the bike thinking i should have just parked at the start of the track but parking at the hotel would turn out to be just fine in the end.
the weather was looking grand,the sun was out and the cloud level seemed to be well above summit,the track is good and after passing through 3 gates i came across the first problem of the day,a small river that crosses the path was in spate and after searching further upstream i decided the only way across was to wade through,so off with the boots and socks and through i went with the water reaching my knees at the deepest point.
shortly after i came across another river crossing the path and it was off with the gear again but as i crossed i slipped and dropped one of my boots in the water-Damn! was hoping to have stayed dry but it was not to be so i continued on with the realisation that at some point soon i was going to have to cross the main river to begin my ascent.
i left my bike by the side of the river and searched in vain for a 'dry' crossing point and needless to say i didnt find one so after much thought i decided on a part of the river and waded through,at its deepest point the water reached my waist.....so much for staying dry today! i had a break on the other side to get my gear off and dry it as best i could before setting of up the steep climb to gain the ridge to Glas Tulaichen.at this point the weather turned,i could see the rain heading up the glen in my direction but it made little difference as i was already soaked so i huffed and puffed up the pathless hillside and eventually caught a faint path that led me to the summit of Glas Tulaichen.
the cloud was in on the hill top and after a quick stop for a summit pic i headed straight in the direction of Carn an Righ,down the steep,wet hillside and but for a few slips made it over the boggy area to the path which would lead me up to the summit.
i left my bag here and headed up the path which dissapears in places but the summit is gained in good time and due to the weather i just take a quick summit photo and head back down to collect my bag before heading off up the path in the direction of Beinn Lutharn Mhor.the path seems fairly good but after a while it is no more so i just continued up hoping to pick up a path to lead me to summit and out of nowhere i spotted a large group of deer heading up the hillside.
After a short time i reach a path and press on for the summit as the rain is now lashing down but i'm still really enjoying being out in the hills.Again due to the weather i only stop for a summit pic
and head back down the path to go round the side of Mam Nan Carn before dropping down to where loch nan Eun is situated.From here i followed the path all the way down to where i had previously left my bike,admiring the fast flowing waterfalls as i went.
Upon reaching the bike i was soaked but in my view it was a slight bonus as i would not be worrying about getting wet when fording any of the rivers crossing the path and after wading through the second crossing i noticed a bridge!
"where the f**k did that come from?" i thought,never noticed it on the way in.i wasnt sure if the path on the other side could be cycled but it would save me some time in getting back to the van as it was close to the farm so away i went and i reached the van in no time at all.
Overall i was in my glory on this walk,yes i got soaked,had to cross two overflowing burns and the waist deep river but i had a fantastic day in these fairly remote hills and i'm looking forward to next week already!