DRUMOCHTER EAST
from A' Bhuidhanach Bheag looking over Gaik to the Cairngorms. Photo tms.nickbramhall.com
16.3 miles 1032 metres
Start Sunday 13.21
A' Bhuidheanach Bheg 14.13
Carn na Caim 14.47
Meall Chuaich 16.03
Finish 16.38
Squares: yellow - changeover, red - finish. Circles summits:green - this leg, red - done. Map Colin Matheson
Time: Estimated 4.00 Actual 3.17
Alwyn writes:
At last! Fast running in daylight! But the clag was down and a gale-force south-easterly made life difficult. This is a very difficult section to navigate in cloud and I made a bad start losing 15 minutes on A' Bhuidheanach Bheag, searching for the trig point for some time before realising that I was on the wrong one of its twin tops.
To ease navigation to Carn na Caim I kept to the ridge in order to make use of the ruined fence line as far as possible, even though it meant more climbing and exposure to the full force of the wind. Concentration on keeping track of my location meant I was not caught out by the fence not actually passing over the summit of Carn na Caim.
The route out to Meall Chuaich involved complex navigation – a rough compass leg over 3 miles, navigating by way of the occasional valley head, re-entrant, col and spur Eventually I came out of the cloud on the edge of the plateau, a little bit too far south but with Meall Chuaich safely in sight across the glen. A steep pull to the final summit and a quick descent to the power station road, followed by two miles along the leat into a headwind to finish – funny how water runs uphill when you're tired!
Peaks done 181 time taken 8 hours 14 hours peaks to go 96
Alwyn and Tony took the van off for a long rest in Glen Clova. I drove John and Diana fast down the A9, then up Glen Feshie for the start of the Cairngorms proper. Diana and I left John ascending into worsening weather, and drove to my home and Moray Firth sunshine, where Molly once again did the team's washing.
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