Over The Hill

If I were to suggest a title for this walk, it could well be "A Tale of Two Chimneys", or maybe even, "A Bridge Too Soon!"

While we were aloft on Creag Meagaidh yesterday, Dave, Neil and Sandra were a few miles away struggling with the same weather conditions and tackling the two Corbetts of Carn Dearg - North and Carn Dearg - South at the head of Glen Roy. Today it was our turn, and so we made our way very slowly along the narrow twisting road from Roy Bridge along Glen Roy to the parking area a few metres before Brae Roy Lodge.

The estate road winds past the lodge and crosses the River Turret via the 18th century Turret Bridge at which point a good track leads up and over the moraine humps beyond the bridge and continues up the glen towards a number of large sheep fanks, and then disappears into a maze of high grasses. Our planned route was then to continue beyond the sheep fanks and go further up Glen Turret to its junction with Gleann Eachach and cross the river by a bridge, unmarked on the maps, but which the SMC Corbett Guide mentions as a crossing point.

But off course, we had previous knowledge, didn't we, Dave had been there only yesterday, and yes, its easy to find the bridge as there is a standing chimney stack, all that remains of a hut, just a few metres from the bridge. Okay, so on we go along the glen and sure enough we soon see this chimney stack sticking up above the long grasses. That was quick, thought it would be further, we must be making good time. A quick photo call around the chimney and a look around, and there's the bridge just a little further along the river. Great, all follow me across the bridge please.

And then up pipes a quiet little voice "We're in the wrong place, the bridge is further along the river". There then entailed a quick discussion and check of maps, and sure enough, we should not have been on the west side of the River Turret at this point. So back across the bridge and on up the glen when some 20 minutes later there in front of us is yet another standing chimney stack, with, yes you've guessed it, a bridge over the river, but this time over the Allt Eachach, the correct bridge over the correct river. The morale of this tale being, "Stick to what's on the map, not what's in your head. Oh, and don't mess with Lindsay when it comes to map reading!"

Anyway, on with the walk. Once over the correct bridge we headed directly up the steep grassy slopes of Teanga Mhor and onto the broad south west ridge of Carn Dearg - North. The ridge is a mass of peat hags and soft mossy ground, but the gradient is easy and it was just a matter of plodding on until you rise above the peat hags and across the last few hundred metres of rock and grass to the summit cairn. By this time the rain, which had been fairly heavy at the start of the walk, had stopped, and the sun was beginning to break through as the clouds dispersed. A good time and spot for lunch.

As the sky cleared, the views from the summit were brilliant; to the north we could see stretches of the Caledonian Canal, and to the south The Grey Corries. And yet again the lady won the day when it came to map-reading, or to be more precise, orientation and where exactly Creag Meagaidh was in relation to our current position. Still, it made me feel slightly better, if Alan can have a bad map day, then so can I. But I did think she milked it just a little, especially waiting for the groveling apology!

One Carn Dearg completed, and onto the next. A short steep descent south east followed by a short ascent took us over the 702m top of Meallan Odhar and down once again to negotiate the peat hags in the 572m bealach before we made the final climb up the grassy north west slopes to Carn Dearg - South. A rocky knoll and cairn mark the summit, which although not as high as Carn Dearg - North, actually gives a greater feeling of the remoteness of the glens that fan out from its base.

From the summit of Carn Dearg - South, a long spur runs south west towards the River Turret and it was over this that we made our departure and descent down easy heather clad slopes to rejoin the track a little short of Turret Bridge, which we then re-crossed for the return to the estate road and our parked cars.

it would be remise to visit Glen Roy and not to stop at the viewpoint and take in the wonder of its famous 'parallel roads', the geological feature that scars the hillsides with the shorelines of the long gone proglacial lochs that once filled this glen. And so we stopped and admired the views of a wonderful glen at the end of a wonderful day.

Thanks again to all - Oh and why did I put myself down as walk leader - well I have broad shoulders and can take the hassle of not knowing one chimney stack from another, or one footbridge from another.