walkhighlands

Carn na Drochaidhe from the Morrone track

Date walked: 30/05/2025

Time taken: 4.5 hours

Distance: 10km

Ascent: 480m

Oh Woe ! Rain, as we left to pick up Harvey. We mentally ran through our hillbags, trying to remember if we'd ejected any bits of our wet weather gear, during the recent "tropical spring", deeming them superfluous.
However, when we reached Aboyne, the rain had abated and the sun was poking through holes in the clouds, so we felt a little better. As we passed through the Ballater area, we were encouraged even more, by seeing the top of Lochnager with only a whisp o cloud partially shrouding the very top of Cac Carn Beag.
Encouraged, we drove through the pass and into Braemar, then along the golf course road to the bottom of the track up Morrone, to find a portable bog positioned there. Could this be for needy hillwalkers, we wondered, how thoughtful & convenient !

Parking at the end of the Morrone track.JPG
Parking at the end of the Morrone track




Drochaidhe.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts




Later we found out the real reason for its presence…….
Set off up the track, spotting the many padlocks on the chain stretched across it.
Trundled up the track with many stops, marvelling at how quickly the Auchallater car park across the glen, had filled up from when we'd first arrived.

GB and H starting up the Morrone track.JPG
GB & H trudging up the Morrone track


We were just at the higher zig zags on the track when a van appeared over the horizon, on its way down. It was followed by a veritable convoy of vehicles returning from the Morrone comms complex. Two 4x4s followed, then by another van, who's driver stopped for a quick chat. He mentioned that the works had been ongoing for quite a while and they would have to come back to finish it off. Now we realised why there was a portaloo at the bottom of the track.........
Grunted up the last of the track to where the path to Drochaidhe cut off - marked by another signpost about keeping dogs on leads.

ATV track across to Drochaidhe from Morrone track.jpg
ATV track across to Drochaide


A grand vista on the way to Drochaidhe.jpg
A grand vista from the Drochaidhe ridge


We struck off to the distant top of Drochaidhe along an ATV track. We bypassed the first cairn on the ridge, then mused at the size of the second cairn which was a bit chunky. We passed the 3rd cairn on our way to the summit cairn of Drochaidhe, where we reposed behind it in the sunshine and soaked in the views - south down to the Cairnwell and Glas Maol and in the other direction, N to the "big Cairngorms".

GC and H at the summit cairn of Drochaidhe.jpg
GC and H at the top of Drochaidhe


H mooching at the top of Drochaidhe.JPG
H looking for snacks at the top of Drochaidhe


H reposing at the top of Drochaidhe.jpg
H reposing at the top of Drochaidhe


Lochnagar from Drochaidhe.jpg
Lochnagar from Carn na Drochaidhe


Harvey hadn't found any water on the way up and was panting to keep cool, so I gave him my water, which he lapped up furiously. At first he wasn't very sure, as I'd used his empty food bag to form a pool that he could lap from, but eventually his thirst won and he attacked it with gusto.
After a wee while, we noticed that some rain clouds had appeared in the Cairnwell area, so, after a few "cloud claps" to see us back to the car, we set off.

Darkening clouds on Drochaidhe.jpg
The dark clouds approach


This time we visited all the cairns. The middle one was chunky because it was a wee howff, which we'd missed identifying on the way up.

The Howff on the Drochaidhe ridge.jpg
The wee howff on the Drochaidhe ridge



We trundled back to the Morrone track, just as a North American guy came down it. We exchanged pleasantries, then he powered down ahead of us. The clouds were darkening and the rain edged closer, so we didn't tarry and plunged down to the car after the American.
We reached the car ahead of the rain, so our "Cloud Clapping " worked and we dodged the rain bullets coming our way.
Gave H a couple of bottles of water and some food.
We could see that the Auchallater car park was still well populated and wondered if the owners would get hosed on later.
Stopped at the burn to give Harvey a cooling plooter on the way back into Braemar.
Now that we were in the car, we cocked a snoot at the rain clouds and headed for the Bothy cafe in Braemar for more coffee and cheese toasties. ( still nae as good as Hairy Marys bacon and egg in a glesga roll ! )
The massed motorbikers still congregated outside the chipper in Braemar, across the road from the Bothy cafe.
Seems a fav stopping place for the bikers.

Scarce wildlife today, only a croaking grouse and a cuckoo heard calling in the distance but not seen.

Apart from a slow tractor & bogey for a wee bit, we had a smooth drive to the east and back into the mirk once more !

We congratulated ourselves again on dodging the weather bullet and having had another perfect walking day in sunshine and clouds with a light cooling breeze on the tops. How long can we get away with this for ?

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Gordon Ballantyne


Location: Westhill, Aberdeenshire
Occupation: Retired
Activity: Munro compleatist
Mountain: Ladhar Bheinn
Place: Knoydart
Member: Ex- RAF MRT Kinloss
Ambition: survival

Munros: 282
Corbetts: 91
Fionas: 20
Donalds: 7
Sub 2000: 59



Filter reports


Statistics

2025

Trips: 18
Distance: 135 km
Ascent: 5363m

2024

Trips: 39
Distance: 441.5 km
Ascent: 15844m

2023

Trips: 40
Distance: 576 km
Ascent: 20640m

2022

Trips: 47
Distance: 537.5 km
Ascent: 17406m

2021

Trips: 40
Distance: 498 km
Ascent: 15970m
Corbetts: 1

2020

Trips: 40
Distance: 503.75 km
Ascent: 18940m

2019

Trips: 72
Distance: 712.1 km
Ascent: 30825m
Corbetts: 2
Sub2000s: 4

2018

Trips: 34
Distance: 242.6 km
Ascent: 12229m
Corbetts: 3
Sub2000s: 13

2017

Trips: 20
Distance: 174.7 km
Ascent: 7787m
Munros: 1
Fionas: 2
Sub2000s: 26

2016

Trips: 13
Distance: 160.9 km
Ascent: 9193m
Corbetts: 9
Fionas: 1
Sub2000s: 2

2015

Trips: 16
Distance: 224.8 km
Ascent: 9680m
Corbetts: 14
Fionas: 1
Sub2000s: 2

2014

Trips: 16
Distance: 208 km
Ascent: 11042m
Munros: 1
Corbetts: 19
Donalds: 7

2013

Trips: 3
Distance: 44 km
Ascent: 2155m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 1

2012

Trips: 7
Distance: 115.4 km
Ascent: 5114m
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 6
Sub2000s: 1

2011

Trips: 8
Distance: 96 km
Ascent: 4434m
Munros: 2
Corbetts: 3
Fionas: 4

1967

Trips: 4
Distance: 68.5 km
Ascent: 6033m
Munros: 3
Corbetts: 1

1962

Trips: 1
Distance: 11 km
Ascent: 1160m
Corbetts: 1

1958

Trips: 1
Distance: 13 km
Ascent: 586m

1957

Trips: 1
Distance: 2.5 km
Ascent: 154m


Joined: Jan 30, 2011
Last visited: Jul 13, 2025
Total posts: 461 | Search posts