4 in Glenshee
Route: Glas Maol Munros circuit, Cairnwell Pass
Munros: Cairn of Claise, Càrn an Tuirc, Creag Leacach, Glas Maol
Date walked: 19/06/2013
Time taken: 8 hours
Distance: 19.5km
Ascent: 1033m
Infinitely better weather than my previous visit to Glenshee saw me parking up just north of the ski centre at 8:30 after awfully slow journey up through Blairgowrie. The parking spot on the east side of the road is easy to miss, just a flat area through a gap in the crash barrier. Parked up and ready to go, the early morning weather was a little breezy but sunny, but as soon as I crossed the old stone bridge and got in the shelter of Carn Dubh, the temperature rocketed.
The path to Carn an Tuirc follows the stream up to a couple of derelict shielings and then its straight uphill, there isn’t much of a path, although the WH route swings around the northern side of the hill, I decided to more or less head straight up. Meandering through the swathes of rock strewn across the side of the hill, the heat was taking its toll by now , and I’d sprung several leaks, but after little more than an hour I reached the quartzite covered top. The expansive top seemed to be teaming with hare and what I found later were juvenile Dotterell. Also caught sight of some of their neighbours
I had also seen quite a few hare on the way up, and I’m pretty sure a couple of them were winding me up, as they bounded effortlessly away, they seemed to be looking back now and again and say “look at me, don’t you wish you could glide over the hills like this”
I didn’t take a phot of this summit cos in my haste to head over and checkout the Coire Loch Kander, I plain forgot. But it was worth it because the coire is beautiful. Well worth the short detour.
A few phots later and I was heading across the rolling top to Carn of Claise, the track is impossible to lose and leads you straight to the door.
More quartzite strewn around and a nice drystane dyke to shelter from the building breeze. The walk had been so straight forward at this point and I had all day, I thought about tagging on Tolmount and Tom Buidhe, and then continue with my original route. But as I sat with my back to the wall looking towards them from here, they looked so non descript I thought do I really want to trudge over there. So the decision was save ‘em for another day. Now back on my feet and the walk over to Glas Maol looked distinctly “flat”. I met a couple heading for Lochnagar and an overnight camp to catch the midsummer sun, they had to come up early due to work but hoped to catch some stunning views, wishing them well it was onward across the broad expanse, there is a gradual climb to the summit cairn, and some lovely views all around.
As I approached the cairn there was another walker just arriving from the west, we got chatting, Jim it turned out had come up the spine of Leacann Dubh, heading to check out Creag Leacach. We decided to walk along together just as another guy turned up, a quick exchange of information, he was up trying to spot the Dotterel, so I pointed him to the spot where I had seen them earlier and Jim and I ( Jim2 from now on) headed on our way. And again I was distracted enough to neglect to take any phots of the top.
The trip across to Creag Leacach is a total contrast from the previous three tops, although they are strewn with rocks, Creag Leacach IS a pile of rocks, as we passed over the ridge straddling Cul Riabhach and Sron Riabhach, it became a little too uncomfortable for Jim, who had recently undergone replacement knee surgery.
For him to have gone so far was commendable, but now the traverse was becoming too difficult for Jim, and not knowing exactly what awaited him, he decided to call it a day. In the short time I had spoken with him we covered a fair bit, he had been walking the hills since a lad and pointed out some of the classic areas in view, Lairig Ghru, A’ Chioch, Derry Cairngorm and Macdui to the north and had sold the Angus hills and glens to me, so if your reading this Thank you, Jim.
I carried on to the 943 top of Creag Leacach and my route back down over Meall Gorm, the sun was still shining and the views all around were great, the drop down over the grass covered slopes was ok, making to cross the burn just before they converge, and picking up the path back to the main road.
But there was going to be a little payback for my sacrilegious dip in the pool at Beinn Bhuidhe last week, before I got back. As I made to cross the burn, with a quick hop, skip and jump, a slippy stone was my undoing, a double salto and half pike later and I’m lying in the burn soaked to the skin. They must have heard me back at the ski centre, I turned the air blue.
So a soggy walk back to the parking lay by to the south was redeemed when I dropped just below the 500m point and came face to face with a small herd of deer, I don’t know who was more surprised. After a pause they took off gracefully down and around and up the slopes of Meall Gorm, I only managed one shot of them before they disappeared from view.
Back at the layby I sorted myself out for the trudge back to my car, up the road past the ski centre and down the other side. I also waited hoping to see Jim, who's car I suspected was the only one in the layby. I had thought of him on the way down and how he would have coped with the descent. After a while I headed back to my car, changed and cleaned up I drove back to the layby to see Jim’s car gone, and so relieved carried on with my journey home. Lovely weather and enjoyable walk with great views, and a bonus of good company.
The path to Carn an Tuirc follows the stream up to a couple of derelict shielings and then its straight uphill, there isn’t much of a path, although the WH route swings around the northern side of the hill, I decided to more or less head straight up. Meandering through the swathes of rock strewn across the side of the hill, the heat was taking its toll by now , and I’d sprung several leaks, but after little more than an hour I reached the quartzite covered top. The expansive top seemed to be teaming with hare and what I found later were juvenile Dotterell. Also caught sight of some of their neighbours
I had also seen quite a few hare on the way up, and I’m pretty sure a couple of them were winding me up, as they bounded effortlessly away, they seemed to be looking back now and again and say “look at me, don’t you wish you could glide over the hills like this”
I didn’t take a phot of this summit cos in my haste to head over and checkout the Coire Loch Kander, I plain forgot. But it was worth it because the coire is beautiful. Well worth the short detour.
A few phots later and I was heading across the rolling top to Carn of Claise, the track is impossible to lose and leads you straight to the door.
More quartzite strewn around and a nice drystane dyke to shelter from the building breeze. The walk had been so straight forward at this point and I had all day, I thought about tagging on Tolmount and Tom Buidhe, and then continue with my original route. But as I sat with my back to the wall looking towards them from here, they looked so non descript I thought do I really want to trudge over there. So the decision was save ‘em for another day. Now back on my feet and the walk over to Glas Maol looked distinctly “flat”. I met a couple heading for Lochnagar and an overnight camp to catch the midsummer sun, they had to come up early due to work but hoped to catch some stunning views, wishing them well it was onward across the broad expanse, there is a gradual climb to the summit cairn, and some lovely views all around.
As I approached the cairn there was another walker just arriving from the west, we got chatting, Jim it turned out had come up the spine of Leacann Dubh, heading to check out Creag Leacach. We decided to walk along together just as another guy turned up, a quick exchange of information, he was up trying to spot the Dotterel, so I pointed him to the spot where I had seen them earlier and Jim and I ( Jim2 from now on) headed on our way. And again I was distracted enough to neglect to take any phots of the top.
The trip across to Creag Leacach is a total contrast from the previous three tops, although they are strewn with rocks, Creag Leacach IS a pile of rocks, as we passed over the ridge straddling Cul Riabhach and Sron Riabhach, it became a little too uncomfortable for Jim, who had recently undergone replacement knee surgery.
For him to have gone so far was commendable, but now the traverse was becoming too difficult for Jim, and not knowing exactly what awaited him, he decided to call it a day. In the short time I had spoken with him we covered a fair bit, he had been walking the hills since a lad and pointed out some of the classic areas in view, Lairig Ghru, A’ Chioch, Derry Cairngorm and Macdui to the north and had sold the Angus hills and glens to me, so if your reading this Thank you, Jim.
I carried on to the 943 top of Creag Leacach and my route back down over Meall Gorm, the sun was still shining and the views all around were great, the drop down over the grass covered slopes was ok, making to cross the burn just before they converge, and picking up the path back to the main road.
But there was going to be a little payback for my sacrilegious dip in the pool at Beinn Bhuidhe last week, before I got back. As I made to cross the burn, with a quick hop, skip and jump, a slippy stone was my undoing, a double salto and half pike later and I’m lying in the burn soaked to the skin. They must have heard me back at the ski centre, I turned the air blue.
So a soggy walk back to the parking lay by to the south was redeemed when I dropped just below the 500m point and came face to face with a small herd of deer, I don’t know who was more surprised. After a pause they took off gracefully down and around and up the slopes of Meall Gorm, I only managed one shot of them before they disappeared from view.
Back at the layby I sorted myself out for the trudge back to my car, up the road past the ski centre and down the other side. I also waited hoping to see Jim, who's car I suspected was the only one in the layby. I had thought of him on the way down and how he would have coped with the descent. After a while I headed back to my car, changed and cleaned up I drove back to the layby to see Jim’s car gone, and so relieved carried on with my journey home. Lovely weather and enjoyable walk with great views, and a bonus of good company.
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Comments: 2
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MarilynMunro
- Location: West Lothian
- Interests: Spending time with my family. SnowBoarding, SCUBA diving and getting out in the hills
- Activity: Mountaineer
- Pub: Durty Nelly's
- Place: Glencoe
- Gear: Jelly Babies
- Member: N/A
- Ideal day out: More hills, and stretching my capabilities. Failing that a days snowboarding
- Munros: 43
- Corbetts: 3
- Fionas: 3
- Donalds: 2
- Sub 2000: 4
- Long Distance routes: West Highland Way
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- Trips: 4
- Distance: 54.7 km
- Ascent: 3437m
- Munros: 8
- Trips: 5
- Distance: 75 km
- Ascent: 4621m
- Munros: 6
- Corbetts: 1
- Sub2000s: 1
- Trips: 7
- Distance: 65.5 km
- Ascent: 6062m
- Munros: 9
- Corbetts: 2
- Joined: Jun 18, 2011
- Last visited: Feb 03, 2023
- Total posts: 307 | Search posts