Loch Ericht to Loch Laggan: Ben Alder (25) and Beinn Bheoil (112)

Walk date: 03/05/12

My Munro #'s: 228 and 229

Pronunciations - translations - heights:

Byn awlder - hill of the rock - 1148m

Byn vyawl - hill of the mouth - 1019m


Statistics:

Duration (all) - 08:00 - 19:50

Duration (hike) - 09:45 - 18:30

Distance (all) - 57.1 km

Distance (hike) - 25.3 km

Total ascent (all) - 1650m

Total ascent (hike) - 1050m

Weather - nice all day long, warm and dry with a good wind on top

Team - with Paul P

Other hikers: only people on route in/out or staying at bothy, no one up at height

Day 5 - Thursday

Paul P and George 'Daddy Team' Hiking Trip 2012

And so at last we come to Ben Alder!! Long have I looked in books at these hills and wondered when the opportunity would come. The Ben Alder group of hills is massive, but it is their remoteness which really conjures up a special feeling and epitomises the difficulties of spending time amongst them. It takes 16km of thankfully good estate tracks before the hiking even starts. Although Culra bothy looked good, we hadn't managed the organisation required to stay there, and instead opted for cycling in from Dalwhinnie.

The going is good pretty much all the way in, although there is a significant incline after the Alder lodge and the high track is of not as high quality. Rounding Loch Pattock is also a little rough, but the views from being lochside together with the delights of negotiating the suspension bridge made it worthwhile!

Once beside Culra bothy, we ditched the bikes and hiked up Bealach Beithe on a great path. Our thoughts of tackling either of the northern buttresses soon receded as our going was more than sufficient, even around Loch a Bhealaich Bheithe when the path got a little soft.

Once up on the high Bealach Breabag, we had a good break and once again ditched the bags to enable a quick ascent.  Unfortunately the path we were following turned out to go down toward Loch Ericht again and so we had to make a quick turn and charge up the rough southern flank.

As we reached the crest we also reached the snow line and we soon found ourselves strolling on thick snow with tremendous views all around.  It was great to sit and admire the distance we'd come, as well as contemplate Bein Eibhinn, Aonach Beag, Geal charn and Carn Dearg, all waiting for another adventure.

Our return to the bealach was fairly quick, although we still failed to find an actual path, and found a way through the rough eastern flank instead!

After that, Beinn Bheoil and it's straightforward path came easy, although it was further than it looked with an unexpected height gain on the second part, but we knew everything was in hand, and the views along Loch Ericht made it worthwhile.

The return leg on the bikes was smooth and a fair bit quicker, enjoying as we did the incline we had previously slogged up.  We arrived back at Dalwhinnie just shy of 12 hours.  A superb day out, and a set of hills that I personally can't wait to get back to.

The Alder Lodge:

The suspension bridge at Loch Pattock:

First sighting of Culra Lodge:

The bealach from Loch a Bhealaich Bheithe:

Clambouring up the south side of Ben Alder:

Loch a Bhealaich Bheithe from Alder:

Overhangs on Alder:

The final climb on Beinn Bheoil:

The Drumochter Hills: A' Bhuidheanach Bheag (240) and Carn na Caim (232)

Walk date: 07/04/07
My Munro #'s: 102 and 103

Pronunciations - translations - heights:
A vooanach vek - the little yellow place - 936m
Caarn a kym - cairn of the curve - 941m

Statistics:
Duration - 11:45-15:30
Distance - 15.8km
Weather - warm. Blue sky with fragmented cloud. Light winds at height but pleasant throughout. Some remaining snow in hollows.
Team - solo

An extra point for spotting lovely Dalwhinnie:


Big and broad, today's targets basking in the sun:

The hiker from the black lagoon, avoid at all costs:

With fine weather forecast and the Easter break stretched out, it was time to visit the Drumochter hills again and take in some of the peaks that foul weather denied to Sonia and I when we last visited the area. This time, the poor girl was PhDing it back in The 'Deen, so I did the decent thing and left her to it!

After a great drive over, I proudly started stomping up the obvious and fast quarry path in my selection of recently obtained brand new gear; Sonia-gifted walking trousers, a new rucksack accompanied by a lovely set of water-proof inner bags, and a spiffing Theakston's Old Peculier T-shirt to finish it all off!

Within an hour I was up to height and began the 3km route over to A' Bhuidheanach Bheag. Although the path remained 'obvious', I did briefly lose it as I walked over the top of A' Bhuidheanach! From the return route it is obvious that the wide track goes more around this mound than not up it. However, with hills as flat as this, there is no real correct way so just generally follow your line and you'll soon be there.

Anyways, the top of A' Bhuidheanach Bheag is only slightly above its surrounds, so the trig point sitting neatly in place served as a handy reassurance that I was actually there! After managing to convince the friendly dog of some fellow hikers that a) I wasn't going to give it any food and b) I wasn't going to play fetch at 936m, I set about having some lunch on this peak. As I sat there I looked over ESE to Glas Mheall Mór and got quite paranoid that it was also a munro and having missed it from my book I should take it in just in case.. However, sense prevailed and a quick look once home later proved it was 'merely' a subsidiary top and I'd gladly saved 4km by not checking it out.

The top of A' Bhuidheanach looks similar to the rest of it:

Having had my fill, and with the light winds even on this fine day giving a bit of a chill, it was time to move on. Soon I was warm again and taking in fantastic views from the great mountain regions bordering these hills on all sides, not only hills but Dalwhinnie distillery too; this pair of peaks are not the most picturesque, but they do have a great vantage point!

Great snow and views over to A' Mharconaich & friends:

Hiking in view of Dalwhinnie distillery, bliss!

The approach to Carn na Caim was similar to A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, although with its defunct iron fencing, it also reminded me of Ben Chonzie. In any case, continued striding over easy dry grass soon brought the second hill home and there was little to do but start about my descent.

The approach to Carn na Caim, watch for the drops!

Grand views from the summit:

Although the usual route back would be back along to the quarry path, I opted for my book's suggestion of a steep 'heather run' down the slopes directly west from the peak. This was completely freestyle, and not for those who have concerns for their ankles or knees, but it was damn good fun!! Within half and hour I was back at the car.

Impressive gullies mark the descent route:

Being so near to Dalwhinnie distillery, I had a sneaky thought as I was taking off my boots at 15:45, that there might be a 16:00 tour! I couldn't risk not calling in to at least check, and my curiosity was rewarded as I got booked into the last tour of the day. Unfortunately my visit coincided with Dalwhinnie's annual shut-down period, so there was nothing active to see, but the tour was friendly and informative, but then again at £5 a go it should be!

One sore point however was that in the shop I saw a previously unknown expression of Lagavulin; the Lagavulin 30 year old!! This beats my megamalt Lagavulin 25 both in terms of age and price - the elder being £210 compared to the mere £173 of its younger sib. Thankfully, I am armed to resist it; the 25 is gorgeous and does beat the 16, but not by enough to justify an extra £137 - by the same rationale, I am not upping the expenditure for the expected return in taste. I salute it, but from afar!!!

I should not have seen this, new L30!

My kind of garden decoration:

Dalwhinnie's pagodas standing proud:

The Drumochter Hills: Geal-charn (279) and A' Mhanconaich (179)

Let's start by thanking Blogger once again for turning a once pleasurable pastime into a frustrating chore with their wonderful Beta-Bollocks(TM). Thanks dudes.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway...

Walk date: 03/03/07
My Munro #'s: 100 and 101

Pronunciations - translations - heights:
Gyal chaarn - white hill - 917m
A varkaneech - the horse place - 975m

Statistics:
Duration - 12:00 - 15:00
Distance - 12.2km
Weather - dry at first with light wind. Wind increasing to moderate after first peak. Snow underfoot from 700m. Hail at col between the two peaks with fast snowfall on descent from second peak and some blustery wind.
Team - solo

A quite obvious route kept me close to the blue:


Today's menu, Geal-charn (R) and A' Mhanconaich (L):



I only decided to do this hike on Friday night, as the Saturday night I thought I was having was not the same as others thought!! However, this was by no means a bad thing as this hike rocked!
With daylight hours increasing I only had to leave Aberdeen at 09:00 and made my way via Keith and Aviemore, past Dalwhinnie to Balsporran cottages where our tale begins. I knew there was going to be some snow as I passed Glenfarclas as the relatively stumpy Benrinnes was covered in the stuff. Having plenty of time and with the day's weather forecast to be ok, I was definitely of the mind to 'bring it on'.

Which was good, because I immediately went wrong, heading onto the first path I saw going up, which was headed for Creagan Mor (see map). I obviously wasn't the first as the then required crossing of Allt Beul an Sporain was evidently well used with the mud being full of footprints. To avoid this detour, stay on the track until a path forks off that you can actually see rising up Geal-charn.

Once on the path, and above the boggy sections, the way is simple enough. With the snow soon reached, the going wasn't as quick as it otherwise would have been, but for the most part it was soft and pre-used by hikers ahead, so good time was still made. Fine views soon opened up, but ahead I could see dark clouds coming from behind the peak. Not the forecast simple day coming up perhaps? Nonetheless I pressed on and an hour after setting off, I was stood chatting to fellow hikers on the rounded summit of Geal-charn.


The view ahead on Geal-charn:


To the south, the impressive A' Mhanconaich:



The view across Loch Ericht here to the imposing peaks of Beinn a' Chlachair and 'the other Geal-charn' was unexpected and superb. Some great future hills to look forward to. Also unexpected was how close Beinn Udlamain was. In that dark corner of my mind that I shouldn't listen to, whispers of plans to capture it began to circulate. However, as I made my way to the col, south west along the length of Loch Ericht and towards Ben Alder, some very dark weather could be seen coming in, which quickly brought me back to reality (no map, no plotted route? Details!) and I slapped on my coat on in readiness. Sure enough, I was soon trying to eat a sandwich with stinging hail against one side of my face, which certainly made the few pieces I could get in taste better!

Across Loch Ericht to hills I haven't tasted:



With everything being in white, I ended up starting my ascent of A' Mharconaich a litte late (see map) and that in turn meant the ascent was steeper than it should have been. Nevermind I thought, as I staunchly plodded up the snowy slopes (thick-snow, tiring to lift feet out of; thin-snow, slippery and tiring to keep balance) to finally make it onto the fine backbone of the peak. The wide gentle slope to the top provided easy walking, but it also meant that as another cloud moved in for the kill, there was nowhere to hide. Thus, the second peak of the day was hurridly bagged amongst drifting snow and fresh fall carried on a no-slouch wind.

Drifting snow on A'Mhanconaich:



A' Mharconaich has some extremely steep drops on its east face, so I stayed well away from the edge as I started my descent into clearer weather, all the time wondering which way the two hikers I seen ahead before the weather closed had gone, because now they were nowhere in sight!

Fellow hikers on A' Mhanconaich, where'd they go?


The chilly top of Munro 103:


Looking back once out of the fray:



Once below the snow line, the return route was simple, and I even got up to some of my patented 'controlled falling' descent method, which after a 'I don't give a damn' river crossing got me back at the car exactly three hours after setting out. Now that is Munro efficiency!

Back down beside Balsporran cottages, choo-choo!



On a high from my stomp, and after passing Dalwhinnie on the way to the hike, I hatched a plan to return to Aberdeen via Tomintoul, a small community high in the hills and visit the superb Whisky Castle whisky shop there. Obstentiously, I was to collect a bottle of Dalwhinnie double-matured, but the crafty whisky-pimp there steered me off it with his opinion that they should have 'left it alone'. In my defence however, I resisted his pimping of a good number of independent bottlings in the £50-70 range and opted for a fine looking bottle of Pittyvaich for only £32. Pittyvaich was a little-known Speyside distillery on the outskirts of Dufftown open only from 1975 to 1993 and was shamefully used almost exclusively in blends and I'm going to open it as soon as I finish typing this. You realise this is just for research purposes yes? Good.