Hills & Mountains
The Glen Feshie Hills
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Mullach Clach a` Bhlair
MULLACH CLACH A` BHLAIR
Date unknown: Possibly Spring 1978
Several workmates and I were staying at Speybank near Kingussie for a weekend in a caravan belonging to one their parent`s friends. We did a couple of walks, one of which was an exploration of Coire Garbhlach which seperates Mullach Clach a` Bhlair from the southern subsidiary tops of Sgor Gaoith, the other Feshie Munro. We got quite high up in the corrie but never continued to the top.
MULLACH CLACH A` BHLAIR
Monday 30 June 1997
Hopes of a fine day, boosted by clear blue sky above Pitlochry were short lived. Glen Feshie was covered with a continuous blanket of cloud which obscured the higher tops. Parked at Achlean Farm and crossed to the west side of the river to make use of the tarmac road. Plenty of Oystercatcher and Wheatear as well as three stags grazing amongst the Caledonian pines.
Then, from the dilapidated bridge just north of Glenfeshie Lodge, a good track heads up the south side of Coire Garbhlach. A gap appeared in the clouds for about five minutes when I stopped for a snack near the summit but, once the murk closed in, that was it until I headed down the track at end of the day. I`d initially intended to do Carn Ban Mor again because the track from Mullach Clach a` Bhlair passes close to the summit but, soaked after about six wind-swept kilometres I decided not to bother.
Near the bottom of the track I caught up with another walker who`d taken the direct route to Carn Ban Mor from Achlean Farm. Like me he`d intended to do a couple of hills but the weather had put paid to his plans.
Date unknown: Possibly Spring 1978
Several workmates and I were staying at Speybank near Kingussie for a weekend in a caravan belonging to one their parent`s friends. We did a couple of walks, one of which was an exploration of Coire Garbhlach which seperates Mullach Clach a` Bhlair from the southern subsidiary tops of Sgor Gaoith, the other Feshie Munro. We got quite high up in the corrie but never continued to the top.
MULLACH CLACH A` BHLAIR
Monday 30 June 1997
Hopes of a fine day, boosted by clear blue sky above Pitlochry were short lived. Glen Feshie was covered with a continuous blanket of cloud which obscured the higher tops. Parked at Achlean Farm and crossed to the west side of the river to make use of the tarmac road. Plenty of Oystercatcher and Wheatear as well as three stags grazing amongst the Caledonian pines.
Then, from the dilapidated bridge just north of Glenfeshie Lodge, a good track heads up the south side of Coire Garbhlach. A gap appeared in the clouds for about five minutes when I stopped for a snack near the summit but, once the murk closed in, that was it until I headed down the track at end of the day. I`d initially intended to do Carn Ban Mor again because the track from Mullach Clach a` Bhlair passes close to the summit but, soaked after about six wind-swept kilometres I decided not to bother.
Near the bottom of the track I caught up with another walker who`d taken the direct route to Carn Ban Mor from Achlean Farm. Like me he`d intended to do a couple of hills but the weather had put paid to his plans.
Ruigh Aiteachain Bothy
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My first ever bothy accommodation was provided by Ruigh Aiteachain in Glen Feshie, which I reached after a snow-plod from the road-end on a winter`s evening with blizzards alternating with largely clear, star-filled skies. These stalkers` ponies stayed close to the bothy, probably finding it easier to munch the grass here as the snow had been well-trampled.
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The winter scenes around the bothy are rather poor quality scans etc.*
Ruigh Aiteachain is often referred to as Landseer's bothy. The famous English painter Sir Edwin Landseer did study red deer in the area and made preliminary sketches before painting his stag portrait `Monarch of the Glen`, but he stayed in an adjacent building, now ruined, and not the present bothy. `Landseer`s Bothy` is far easier to say than `Ruigh Aiteachain` though so that probably has a lot to do with the adopted name!
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Sgor Gaoith
SGOR GAOITH ( m)
Sgoran Dubh Mor
Meall Buidhe
Geal-Charn
Carn Ban Mor
Meall Dubhag
Monday 8 September 1986
After checking in at the Loch Morlich Youth Hostel I decided to have a leisurely walk to Loch Einich. I drove to Coylumbridge and parked beside the start of the well-marked trail. I made good time and once at the loch it looked fairly easy to get to the low point of the ridge leading to Sgoran Dubh Mor and Sgor Gaoith. It was a bit cloudy but there was plenty of daylight left so I started climbing. I soon gained the ridge and decided to do as many of Sgor Gaoith`s five subsidiary tops as possible. I took in Meall Tionail and Geal Charn before doubling back to take in the Munro. A couple of gliders from the local Feshie Gliding Club flew overhead and I disturbed a large herd of deer on the plateau.
As I continued southwards the cloud closed in, then cleared, rolling over the slopes of Braeriach on the opposite side of Loch Einich. The views over the loch were impressive and I managed to take in Carn Bar Mor and Meall Dubhag before calling it a day, leaving the only other Feshie Munro, Mullach Clach A` Bhlair, on the opposite side of Coire Garbhlach, for another day. I startled a young deer beside a burn on my way back and picked up the track back to Coylumbridge in failing light. It was pitch dark by the time I got back to the car.
Sgoran Dubh Mor
Meall Buidhe
Geal-Charn
Carn Ban Mor
Meall Dubhag
Monday 8 September 1986
After checking in at the Loch Morlich Youth Hostel I decided to have a leisurely walk to Loch Einich. I drove to Coylumbridge and parked beside the start of the well-marked trail. I made good time and once at the loch it looked fairly easy to get to the low point of the ridge leading to Sgoran Dubh Mor and Sgor Gaoith. It was a bit cloudy but there was plenty of daylight left so I started climbing. I soon gained the ridge and decided to do as many of Sgor Gaoith`s five subsidiary tops as possible. I took in Meall Tionail and Geal Charn before doubling back to take in the Munro. A couple of gliders from the local Feshie Gliding Club flew overhead and I disturbed a large herd of deer on the plateau.
As I continued southwards the cloud closed in, then cleared, rolling over the slopes of Braeriach on the opposite side of Loch Einich. The views over the loch were impressive and I managed to take in Carn Bar Mor and Meall Dubhag before calling it a day, leaving the only other Feshie Munro, Mullach Clach A` Bhlair, on the opposite side of Coire Garbhlach, for another day. I startled a young deer beside a burn on my way back and picked up the track back to Coylumbridge in failing light. It was pitch dark by the time I got back to the car.