I activated this one last Sunday (27-09-2020) as again the WX forecast was for a good day. With any Munro car park being mad busy at present I got up early (6.30) and was away to get a place at the Dalmunzie Hotel walkers car park. Another spirited drive up the A93 where the temperature was as low -3C according to the car. Just before the big climb up to the Glenshee Ski Centre you turn off and head up the private road to the hotel. There is a free car park at the start of the road or you can pay at the hotel and save yourself about 30-40mins walk each way. The parking is £5 and I can tell a number of people are feeling weak at the thought of paying to park. But it’s simple, apart from the public car park and its longer walk time, there is nowhere to park that doesn’t cause a hazard to other road users. For your £5 you get not only a shorter walk (which means more time on the hills) but a 10% discount off drinks/buns/cakes etc. at the hotel afterwards, use of their toilets and bathrooms and you record your route/summits and expected return time and they’ll call out the rescue if you are not back at your car. Seems a bargain to me.
When I got there it was busy and by the time I had paid and booted up there were 15 cars parked. I know those of you with wallets welded shut will be thinking “£75 for doing nowt, easy money” but with the way COVID has affected the hotels etc. in Scotland it hardly makes a dent in their losses.
WX was warm enough for a long sleeved top, no fleece etc. In fact it was warm enough on the top for a while too. Only when the high level cloud moved in did it become hat and fleece weather. My route was the classic one, path up Glen Lochsie, then the old high-level dismantled railway line, across the footbridge over the Allt Clais Beag, then up the path on Breac-reidth right to the summit. As I walked along I noticed lots of people staying to the main track and not taking the old railwat line. This means they have to ford the Glen Lochsie burn twice and then the Allt Clais Beag. The levels weren’t that high but why make life hard I thought. Well I soon found out when I got to the old Lochsie Lodge. First the old ruined lodge is now completely collapsed and there no longer a footbridge. It wasn’t hard fording the Allt Clais Beag where the bridge used to be but it would be hard in spate, you’d have to go some way higher up to cross.
After my surprise at the lack of lodge I did the steep at first then long slow along the path to the summit. Not difficult but it does go on for a bit. This used to be a good all weather summit because of the hotel and tracks and bridges but with the footbridge missing it’s now a much more “don’t do it after a wet spell” summit. There are several classic Munro bagging routes here: Glen Lochsie>Glas Tualichean>Beinn Iutharn Mhor>Carn an Righ>Glen Taitneach so the track was busy. Several people on electric assited mountain bikes made the ascent look trivial. They certainly look tempting…
I reached the summit in an acceptable time, took photos and set up. WX was warm and sunny though high level cloud moved in later. I was just checking my log to see which bands I worked and found I hadn’t entered it yet, I’ll do that in a minute or so. Anyway conditions were OK, 7x 30m CW, 10x 40m SSB, 11x 40m CW, 3x 60m SSB 8x 20m CW and 5x 2m FM. On 2m I worked neil and Karen 2W0TDX/2E0XYL on G/NP-004 at 305km which was nice. It was nice to be chased by EU2MM on 20m as it’s a few years since I was last chased by him.
Wonderful skies and the view up Glen Taitneach. The bridge across the burn needed to get back to the hotel is still missing after it was washed away a few years back. Note this if you intend coming back this way.
On the old railway line looking up the glen. Parts of the track are easy like this but there lots of sleepers and trip hazards so take care. It’s also quite boggy in a few places.
About 2/3rd up you get a great view of Beinn a’Ghlo, from left to right Carn Liath GM/CS-029, Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain GM/CS-009 and Carn nan Gabhar GM/CS-003. 24 points of GM delight but a good 20km walk.
Infrequently activated Ben Vuirich GM/CS-049
Behind Ben Vuirich is Ben Vrackie GM/CS-065
Looking down the NE ridge of Glas Tulaichean to Loch nan Eun. At 10 o’clock is Beinn Iutharn Beag which not a Munro or Corbett or Marilyn and so hardly ever climbed. At 2 o’clock is An Socach GM/CS-038 with its long rocky ridge. This is another infrequently activated summit. I misread Gavin GM0GAV and Rob GM3YTS alert and though it was for Saturday. But not it was for Sunday and they were QRV on 30m when I was QRV and I didn’t chase them for the complete. 
Carn a’Gheoidh GM/Cs-030 middle distance left and Glas Maol GM/ES-012 centre far distance.
Carn an Righ GM/CS-020, this is on my hit list for 2021. It’s too far for my legs to walk so this will be a cycle activation from Ealer Lodge or Glen Ey.
Beinn Iutharn Mor GM/CS-014, another 2021 hit list cycle activation
Beinn a’Ghlo and more of the non-stop walkers arriving.
Some ageing hippy and the hordes on the hill. It was like this till 1300BST. I last cut my hair in February and decide not to cut it till there’s a viable COVID vaccine. I now have a wee pony tail, last time I sported one I had a full head of luxuriant dark hair and it was 1993!
The Larig Ghru. In the centre distance there’s a rocky topped summit: Sgor Mor GM/ES-026 I activated a few weeks back. Behind it is Carn a Mhaim GM/ES-013 (2021 hit list cycle activation) and behind that is the #2 hill in the UK Ben Macdui GM/ES-001 at 1309m. The Munro trade route on Beinn Iutharn Mhor is an obvious scar on the hillside.
The big hill on the left of the Larig Ghru is Cairn Toul GM/ES-003. The Devil’s Point in front.
The remains of Lochsi Lodge.
Here’s what it was like in 2015 and the now missing foot bridge can be seen.
The Allt Clais Beag from where the foot bridge was located. Easy to cross today.
Return was the same route in reverse and back at the car it was a refreshing diet Red Bull and a gentle drive home as I was somewhat more tired than when I drove up! Radio conditions were quite good and I was most pleased with the 300+km 2m FM contact.
This means I am planning a whole raft of summits for 2021 that involve relatively easy cycling. I’m just deciding on whether to live with squishing the bike in the car (an estate) or invest in a tow bar and cycle carrier (£1000 basic £1500 if I want it integrating with rear parking) or a roof carrier (limits A93 hooning etc. if the bike is not to come off at speed).