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As something of a preamble to my first proper walk report, I must express my appreciation for the resource that is walkhighlands.co.uk. While I’ve always had a great fondness for country walks, a week spent stravaiging in the countryside back in June of this year had been scenically enhanced by the inclusion of many of the walks introduced to me by walkhighlands – the Burn O’ Vat in Royal Deeside and the Falls of Bruar in Highland Perthshire to name but two. While exploring the walks detailed throughout the site, I couldn’t help but begin to read the descriptions of some of the mountain walks, marvelling at the amazing images captured by walkhighlands members and reading with no little awe the descriptions of some of their more terrifying traverses. My interest was most definitely piqued!
But where to begin? I knew that we’d be spending a day or two at the home of my parents in Coupar Angus in Perthshire – a base that would be much closer to Munro country than my Edinburgh home – after the first week in October. As we all know, October in Scotland can mean beautifully crisp and clear autumnal days but it can also herald the arrival of winter and the first serious dustings of snow on the hills – something I’m certainly not yet equipped to deal with. Similarly, I hadn’t had any great experience of hill walking before other than the usual suspects in central Scotland (the Pentland hills, East Lomond, Arthurs Seat etc) and one half-hearted and ill-advised hike halfway up Ben Nevis – I didn’t have any great comparison for how challenging a long and arduous Munro walk might be. I needed a “beginners” Munro – a baseline that would either give me the confidence to tackle future mounts or terrify me into remaining at sea level for the rest of my days
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Having identified a very broad location, I had to narrow down the selection to a suitable hill within that region. My first instinct was to go with Scheihallion – a peak I’d long contemplated ascending during various previous visits to the surrounding area however I’d conned my partner (Becca) and our tiny Jack Russell (Maggie) into joining me for the walk and needed a Munro that would double as an equally long and pleasant low level walk as an alternative, should any of us decide either we weren’t up to it or if the weather were to take a nasty turn. I’d often driven up the A83 to Braemar and passed the Cairnwell which also appeared to be a straightforward hike however I felt I needed something a little more memorable – I needed a route that would kick start a hillwalking passion. Looking East, I stumbled upon Mayar & Driesh in Angus and found our perfect walk, encompassing a forest, a relatively simple route and all within an hour’s drive of our home base.
We arrived at the Glen Doll Car Park somewhat later than planned but perhaps fortuitously, given that the rain from earlier in the day had now given way to patches of sunshine and blue sky. I’d spent many a happy childhood day in Glen Clova before and It always takes me by surprise how quickly the rolling green hills and verdant farmland gives way to the increasingly rockier and more impressive peaks that surround Glen Doll and form the southern part of the mounth. We began the long walk through the forest of Glen Doll, eager to make good progress while the sun was shining. The crags of the surrounding hills were just visible above the tall pines, giving us a tantalising glimpse of what was to come.
Having devoured almost all of the walk reports available of this route, I had thought myself well prepared for the view at the end of the path… I wasn’t. As you break from the tree cover and the panoramic drama of the Corrie Fee unfolds before you, it’s hard to not to be impressed – particularly when, at that exact moment, a golden eagle takes off from several feet in front of you (as our Jack Russell makes a headlong dash for it) and soars away in the sunlight. Photographs many times better than my feeble attempts still struggle to truly capture the scale and feel of gazing out into the great bowl – it really has secured a place in my memory as one the great hidden gems of Scotland. From here, the walk up the side of waterfall looked pretty steep…
Careful to pace ourselves, we had short break at the foot of the waterfall walk before beginning the ascent. Although the path was pretty steep, I found it surprisingly easy going although Becca, who had just completed a marathon amount of work in the preceding weeks, was not fairing quite as well (and was making this point well known!). Maggie on the other hand must have made the climb several times over, checking every nook and cranny on the way up – prior to the walk I’d been concerned whether it’d all be too much for such a tiny dog but she was certainly in her element and showed no sign of slowing! Once the plateau was reached, the views looking back towards the forest were incredible.
We still had a little bit to go to reach the summit – the ground here was pretty boggy and pathless but it was obvious which direction we needed to go in - up. With each step taking us higher, I kept turning around to admire the ever improving views and to catch fleeting glimpses of mountain hares before Maggie chased them off, their legs starting to turn snow white. The summit cairn finally loomed into view, with both of us feeling not too bad for our first ever Munro. Although the day was predominantly sunny, a small patch of rain lashed against us at the summit which, coupled with the incredibly cold and piercing winds meant that we didn’t linger too long. The sweeping views of the Strathmore valley to the south were excellent – the sun could be seen reflecting off the surface of the distant backwater reservoir and it was clear enough to see right over to the Sidlaw hills. The view north was equally good, with the tantalising peaks of the White Mounth beckoning for future climbs.
From the summit, we descended a little to the east in order to find a sheltered rock on which to have a break and something to eat. Although we had relatively good cover against the wind, I was really beginning to feel the cold seeping into my bones so we quickly set off again towards Driesh, admiring the fantastic views down into Glen Prosen on our right.
Once we’d arrived at the start of the ascent to little Driesh, it was time to make a decision. It was now getting on for late afternoon and I was concerned that if we made the trek up Driesh, the (very long looking) walk back to the car park through the forest might need to be made in low visibility or possibly darkness. I hadn’t the foresight to pack a torch and really didn’t want to make a mess of what had so far been very a successful outing for our first Munro, by getting lost in darkness. Becca was quick (perhaps too quick…) to agree and so, with one last glance at the summit of Driesh in the distance (I resisted the temptation to shake my fist), we turned onto the Kilbo path and began descending the Shank of Drumfollow.
Although it doesn’t look much in the photographs, I found this to be one of the best parts of the walk – the steep slopes on both sides and the great cleft between them looked beautiful as the last rays of the sun struck the exposed rocks on the western flank of Driesh. A vast herd of deer had congregated at the bottom of the glen and the rutting stag’s mighty roars echoed operatically up the glen (and terrified Maggie in the process!) It was only upon finally reaching the bottom of the shank and re-entering the forest that we stopped to look back at the impressive path on which we had descended. Immediately upon entering the forest, something long and brown ran past us and up into the trees. I didn’t catch a good enough look at it to establish what it was (and Maggie was by this point too tired to give chase) - it was certainly too large to be a red squirrel but too red to be a grey – a pine martin perhaps?
Pleased with our wildlife quota for the day (eagle, hares, deer, unknown forest mammal) we then wound our way back through the forest to the car park and then back to Coupar Angus.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get much of a chance to rest afterwards – the next day saw us making the long drive up to Ullapool and then catching the ferry over to Lewis to visit “the in laws” for a few days! I’ve definitely got An Cliseam marked for future visits and will be keeping a close eye on the Lewis/Harris section of walkhighlands for updates. However, back on the mainland, we’ve since returned to the Capital and are pondering our next move. Overall, Mayar was a hugely enjoyable experience and any disappointment I felt at having not scaled Driesh has been quickly forgotten – it only gives me a good excuse to revisit the marvellous Corrie Fee in a different season! It has certainly whet both of our appetites for more of the same. With winter fast closing in, the question has to be – where next?