Munro Madness : 6

Munros this section :

Cairn Bannoch

Broad Cairn

Tolmount

Tom Buidhe

Cairn of Claise

Carn an Tuirc

Glas Maol

Creag Leacach

Carn Aosda

The Cairnwell

Carn a' Gheoidh

An Socach (Glen Ey)

Carn Bhac

Beinn Iutharn Mhor

Carn an Righ

Glas Tulaichean

Carn nan Gabhar (Beinn a' Ghlo)

Braigh Coire Chruinn-Bhalgain (Beinn a' Ghlo)

Carn Liath (Beinn a' Ghlo)

Beinn Dearg

Carn an Fhidhleir

An Sgarsoch

Carn a' Chlamain

Tom Buidhe.

I enjoy another day off in Braemar, this time I buy a ticket to enter the newer of the two castles, fascinating place still fully furnished in fifties aristocratic style.  I have another tough section coming up, some twenty Munros - including one I missed during planning - and a hundred and twenty kilometres in four days...  In the event I make remarkably short work of the first day, powering over six, count 'em Munros before 5pm.  A nice, if breezy day too, makes for fun walking, and I do feel a certain sense of achievement too.  I am a lean, mountain climbing machine, oh yes.   Definitely earned the burgers I've brought from Braemar - what?  Of course they can be cooked on a camp stove.

Glas Maol.

I begin the next day by climbing Glas Maol, which brings back memories - this was my first ever Munro, I came here during, hard to believe though it may seem, a golfing holiday.  After a few days I was quite heartily sick of golf, so climbing a big hill was a great improvement!  This time I follow it up with four more, all close to the Glen Shee ski centre, which is handily open for lunch.  More familiar hills too, did them on a proper walking holiday a few, well, many years back - well, no harm going up them again.  The next day is very hard, another five Munros, this time I think over five thousand feet of ascent in total, it takes over twelve hours and I am pretty shattered by the end.  Then one more day to get to Blair Atholl, only three Munros, but it rains all day, this does not help. My thighs chafe in my wet trousers - think I can see why they wear kilts around here - it is not much fun.  At least on reaching Blair Atholl, I find it has pizza, in an odd place, a pub in a marquee, a venue for beer festivals and live music it seems, but not tonight.

Beinn Dearg.

No time for a day off, but I am reaching the end of the trip, just two days to go.  I walk out of Blair Atholl past Blair Castle, there are lots of private road signs, typical of Scotland.  Three Munros today, it is hard work, a lot of trackless hacking through bog, I keep going, quite tired now, but the end is in sight, indeed this is my last night camped out on the hill.  And the last day is easy enough, just a single Munro, bringing the count to seventy-seven I think, go me.  Back to Blair Atholl where I have definitely earned a burger plus a beer or five... shame about the 7am train the next morning but what can you do.

Carn a' Chlamain.

Photos to go with this post can be found here.

Munro Madness : 5

Munros this section :

Mount Keen

Driesh

Mayar

Cac Carn Beag

Carn a' Choire Bhoideach

Carn an t-Sagairt Mor

Mount Keen.

Braemar is a good place for a day off - so good, I'll be back for another in a few days time.  There are two castles, the ancient ruins of Kindrochit, and the imposing seventeenth century Braemar Castle.  And cheap beer in the Invercauld Arms, all good.  I have an easy section now - compared to the last one at least.  I'm heading east towards the isolated Munro, Mount Keen, so my first day has no climbing at all, in fact it's a familiar route past Balmoral, I came this way on my walk from Inverness to Aberdeen a few years back.  This time on reaching Ballater I check out its second curry house - also good!

Mayar.

From Ballater I have a simple enough day, over thirty kilometres but good paths and just a single Munro, lonely Mount Keen - there's a fine panoramic view from the top.  Turns out there is another stiff climb, over a thousand feet out of Glen Lee, then I find a camp spot in a high valley far from anywhere.  Two more Munros the next day, the evocatively named neighbouring peaks Driesh and Mayar, ascending the first of these the path on my map seems not to exist in reality, instead there is just a scarily steep slope that I am very glad to reach the top of.  Plenty of other climbs too, out of deep glens, this section is not as easy as I had hoped, still I am getting through it.  At least I seem to have stopped breaking things, touch wood.

Cac Carn Beag.

My return to Braemar is surprisingly easy, given there are three Munros, including the peak of Lochnagar, or Cac Carn Beag as it is properly called.  A bit of a treat for me up there too, I'm just passing the lesser summit, Cac Carn Mhor, when the Red Arrows  fly by in formation, very cool.  I think I've built some muscles, as I power up the climbs and reach camp before 5pm, all good.  Maybe I was hurrying a bit as the weather has turned again, back to howling arctic wind.  Or maybe I just wanted to get back to the pub...


Photos to go with this post can be found here and here.