The weather has given a real mixture over the last couple of weeks. The beginning of the first week saw low cloud and rain being the predominant feature, while this last week has been one of the hottest of the year so far! From one extreme to the other.
23/05 – Rest Day (the first in a month!)
24/05 – The Grey Corries (Stob Ban, Stob Choire Claurigh, Stob Coire an Laoigh & Sgurr Choinnich Mor)
25/05 – Loch Treig West (Stob a’Choire Mheadhoin, Stob Coire Easain)
26/05 – Loch Treig East (Beinn na Lap, Chno Dearg & Stob Coire Sgriodain)
27/05 – Beinn a’Chlachair, Geal Charn & Creag Pitridh
28/05 – Ben Alder & Beinn Bheoil
29/05 – Carn Dearg, Geal-Charn, Aonach Beag, Beinn Eibhinn
30/05 – Geal Charn (Glen Markie)
31/05 – Monadhliath (A’Chailleach, Carn Sgulain & Carn Dearg)
01/06 – Drumochter West (Geal Charn, A’Mharconaich, Beinn Udlamain & Sgairneach Mhor)
02/06 – Creag Meagaidh (Carn Liath, Stob Poite Coire Ardair & Creag Meagaidh)
03/06 – Drumochter East (A’Bhuidheanach Bheag, Carn na Caim & Meall Chuaich)
04/06 – Beinn Dearg
05/06 – Beinn A’Ghlo (Carn Liath, Braigh Coire Chrunn-bhalgain & Carn nan Gabhar)
06/06 – Carn a’Chlamain
I had a rest day on Saturday the 23rd, the first since I hurt my leg way back at the end of the first week. This was the first day in a month that I hadn’t climbed at least one Munro. My conscience was clear as I put my feet up and listened to the rain bouncing off the van roof!
The Mountain Weather Information Service (MWIS) had forecast “rain not expected” for the Sunday 24th. Feeling refreshed after a day off and the prospect of some decent weather to enjoy along what was going to be a new ridge for me, I had a spring in my step along the long walk in to Stob Ban, the first of the Grey Corrie Munro’s. Half way along the main ridge however it was exactly that phrase “rain not expected” that reverberated through my head as I struggled to pull my waterproof trousers on without toppling off the ridge into the corrie below. By the time I was on the slopes of Sgurr Choinnich Mor things had deteriorated into a full blown south westerly gale!
Some “unexpected” rain clouds gather over the Grey Corries, 24/05.
The same “unexpected” rain was still hammering down the following morning. So much so that I abandoned any ideas I had about camping at the south end of Loch Treig, deciding to split the Loch Treig hills into two separate day trips; the hills on the west from the van at Fersit, and those on the east by using the train to get to Corrour and then walking back over the tops to Fersit (where I had left the bike the previous evening). This worked out really well and in retrospect was probably the best way to do these, the walk over the hills from Corrour to Fersit was really enjoyable!
Another two days of low cloud and rain followed ensuring that I saw nothing of the hills other than the summit cairns and the intermittent paths connecting them.
A brief break in the clouds on Ben Alder looking down at Loch a’Bhealaich Bheithe on the Bealach Breabag, 28/05.
Then last Friday the weather cleared and the following day on the Aonach Beag ridge opposite Ben Alder was the clearest, warmest day yet. Finally I was able to see something of the Ben Alder group of hills. It was great to be able to look across to the summit cairns of neighbouring hills and see where I had been over the previous few days, stumbling about in the mist and rain using map and compass to feel my way around.
A view back along the Aonach Beag ridge to the north of Ben Alder from Beinn Eibhinn, 29/05.
The weather stayed fine for almost a week and I took the opportunity to get the Monadhliath hills done. These are big rounded hills, quite a contrast from the sharp well defined peaks and ridges of the western highlands. The clear weather was ideal for wondering along the high plateaux between tops, enjoying the big open skies.
A view down Loch Ericht from Geal Charn, in the western Drumochter hills towards Ben Alder. 01/06
John Bayne and Willie Chalmers came up on Monday evening this week and with the weather still fine on the Tuesday we set off for the Creag Meagaidh group of three on the north side of Loch Laggan. It was another fine clear day. After a short but brutal ascent directly up the first Munro, Carn Liath, the views down to the dramatic cliffs of Coire Ardair were spectacular. Back across to the west looking towards Aonach Mor, Ben Nevis was easily identifiable standing out behind Aonach Mor’s flat topped summit. A herd of approx. 100 deer were also clearly visible grazing across on the big wide north west ridge of Creag Meagaidh itself. A great day for John’s first ever Munro!
Willie and John approching the summit of Stob Poite Coire Ardair on Creag Meagaidh. Aonach Mor and Ben Nevis are visible on the horizon. 02/06
The view down into Creag Meagaidh’s Coire Ardair from Stob Poite Coire Ardair. 02/06
I managed to get all three eastern of the Drumochter hills done on the Wednesday, with a long walk over the moors between Carn na Caim and Meal Chuaich. This left me a long way from the van and my feet took a bit of a pounding along the tarmac’ed hydro road back towards Dalwhinnie and the busy A9.
View back west from the summit of Carn na Caim, Drumochter Hills. Ben Alder and Geal-Charn in the background. 03/06
Heading further east towards the end of the week, Beinn Dearg was a fairly uninspiring trudge up into high moors above Blair Atholl. I was glad to have the bike to help eat up the miles on the long route in and back out to get to this hill!
View north from the summit of Carn nan Gabhar (Beinn A’Ghlo). That's fresh June snow on the southern Cairngorms! 05/06
There are some long days ahead over the next week or so as I’ll be travelling through the Glen Tilt, Shee and Tarf hills before tackling Lochnagar and Mount Keen and then finally into the Cairngorms themselves!
The view south from the summit cairn on Beinn Teallach, 23/06. 
