Over The Hill

You just have to read my last few reports to see that we have not been very lucky with the weather of late. How often have we walked in lousy weather at the weekend, only to find mid-week the weather is much better? Well, Monday looked a brilliant day and Ian decided to make some phone calls on Sunday to see if anyone was available for a walk. I was, but unfortunately no one else from our usual group of mid-week walkers could make it. What a pity, just look at the weather in those photos. Discussing the options Sunday evening we set our sights on a pair of Corbetts which we could access from Auchtertyre.

A good track winds its way from Auchtertyre and above the waters of the Allt Auchtertyre before it climbs steeply in a series of zigzags towards the Old Shielings at the base of the long south shoulder of Beinn Chaorach. We followed the track up to a height of about 400m before breaking off and heading directly up easy grassy slopes towards the trig point marking the summit, at 818m.

Immediately we started to gain height, spectacular views opened up all around us and we were soon doing 360 degree turns and just soaking up the views. Just wonderful.

In very quick time we seemed to be alongside the trig point, and being joined by a lone walker approaching from Beinn Odhar, this guy was aiming for the "full house", all 5 Corbetts in this group. We wished him all the best as he sped off towards Cam Chreag, and we shortly followed, making our way down to the bealach and its old wind generator before an easy stretch uphill to the summit of Cam Chreag, at 884m there higher of our two objectives for the day.

We caught up with the 5-in-a-day man at the summit, and had a good chat with him while we had lunch and just enjoyed the fantastic weather and the views, what a day this was turning out to be.

The summit of Cam Chreag runs south east in a long, 1.5km ridge, with steep cliffs descending to the east and forming the bealach which separates Cam Chreag from the western slopes of Creag Mhor. We traversed the ridge, which still held quite an amount of snow on its edges, to reach its southern top, where the whole of Glen Lochay is laid out before you, with the mighty Lawers range forming a distant ridgeline; and yet another gem of this southern top is the opportunity to see close up the dramatic northern face of Beinn Challuim.

Leaving the southern top, we descended easy grassy slopes towards the "invisible forest" at the head of Gleann a'Chlachain. OS mapping shows extensive forestry over this area. However, from a distance, to the naked eye, no forest is visible. It is not until you are walking through the area that you realise there are hundreds of small trees, not much more than knee height growing in the area. The mystery is solved when you exit the far end of the forest on the track back towards the Old Shielings, where a notice board informs you that 350,000 trees, of various species, Scots Pine, Ash, Rowan, Elder and others have recently been planted in the area to re-generate natural woodlands. Hence the use of the "Electric Shepherds" to keep the sheep from grazing within this area.

These two hills offer some wonderful views, and as hills go they are a relatively easy, and a very "do-able" double making a wonderful days walking.

Great day Ian - Thanks for the company.

PS. To our fellow mid-week walkers who unfortunately could not join us for a wonderful day- we did think of you, especially when we had to discard top layers and get down to base layer walking it was so hot!