No, not her but Creag Ruadh GM/CS-092 and Geal-Charn GM/CS-043 which are located at the Drumochter Pass.
I’m continuing to use up my 2020 vacation allowance on SOTA days out when the WX is good and there are no COVID travel restrictions where I’m going. The WX forecast was originally brilliant for Friday then rather pish then good again. I was up early (6.30) as these 2 are a good 2hr drive from where I live. Both are accessed off the A9 trunk road and even though there are plenty of roadworks on the A9 I made good time to the car parks. In fact I was in supercruise all the way up the M90/A9 and achieved a pleasing 48.7mpg. The WX was bright at home and the car was covered in frost. The route up did have plenty of dense fog patches and arriving at Drumochter the bigger hills were all in the cloud.
Creag Ruadh GM/CS-092
The parking for Creag Ruadh is the same as for the munro Meall Chuaich GM/CS-035 and was already busy. It’s on the southbound side of the A9 and the best way to turn is watch out for Chuaich Farm and pull off there were it’s safe to turn. The parking is a couple of hundred metres South. The entrance to Meall Chuaich comes first, this is a hydro access road to the dam on Loch Chuaich and small power station. This is the start of the Tummel Hydro Scheme which uses Lochs Chuach, Ericht, Gary, Erochty, Rannoch, Dunalaister Water, Tummel and Faskally, some of the water travels through seven power stations before being released into the normal river courses.
My access was about 500m up the A9 and as I climbed the fence I could see a pickup parked. It’s peak Stag season so I was hoping I’d not be stopped accessing the hill. I had a chat to the guy in the pickup and they were shooting Grouse and he was to make sure nobody walked into the shoot. But access to the summit was no problem and he pointed out some rocks about 1.5km away where the quad bike track to the summit started. The ground is shortish heather and rough grass but it was very wet. It seemed like lots of ground was under 1/2inch of water. The track was more like a river and was very soft in places. But as the nice man said, it went right to the top were it was rather blustery but the cloud was now well on it’s way to dispersing. It took about 1hr10 to summit.
Doing 2 summits meant I had to get a move on and there was only time for 60m and 40m. I was ready for 30m but I had already reached my “must stoip” time to ensure I had time for the next hill. 5 QSOs on 60m, 12 on 40m CW and 8 on 40m SSB. This hill is surrounded by 8 or more higher scoring summits and so is infrequently activated, it also is a boring looking lump. But for me it’s a unique and so was gorgeous!
Creah Ruadh summit shelter
Loch Ericht and Geal-Charn GM/WS-010 (not the Geal-Charn I was doing later)
The Fara GM/WS-106
Creag Meagaidh GM/CS-002 and Beinn a’Chaorainn GM/CS-012
Some panoramas from the top.
Meall Chuaich GM/CS-035
A little known fact is my head actually comes to a point underneath that hat.
On the walk back this C130H flew low up the pass… about 150-180m AGL
It looks quite low in this shot but that’s just Creag Ruadh slopes getting in the way.
Return was the same route to keep clear of the Grouse shoot and took about 45mins. I had some chocolate and water back at the car then drove the 8mins or so back down the A9 to Balsporran Cottage where there is a massive Munro baggers car park. It was heaving on the way up but was only 50% full when I arrived at 1230Z.
Geal-Charn GM/CS-043
There are 3 Munros with this name, this is the baby one. I did this with Brian G4ZRP almost 10 years ago to the day and I remembered a horrible “chocolate sauce” bog of a path at the bottom and decent ground higher up. It also was quite easy walking. Well 10 years on must have had a real effect on me because it was a bit of a slog. The path at the bottom has been massively reworked and is good hard core now. I didn’t remember it as being steep at all but it was. Then suddenly the nice path ends and there is a hiddeous god-forsaken bogfest for a good half of the climb. The Zambezi river was flowing down to the side and the sheer number of post-COVID lockdown boots have churned it to something like The Somme. I laboured on and finally the ground improved near the selection of cairns visible from the car park. Again I thought it was a quick wander to the summit but it’s a kilometer still and 75m more ascent.
I was well knackered when I got to the top and the wind was howling. With so many walkers about I kept clear of the shelter which made things less pleasant. Also the sky was clouding up and looked like the WX was turning. It took 1hr30 to summit so with the gloop and bog it would be at least 1hr down. Also the path is the Northern ridge so it would be in shade. All these things made decide on a quicker activation. Having down 60/40m on this summit last time I decided 30m was the starting point. The ground is moss covered shattered rocks and whilst I could get pegs in to guy the mast they were not firm and with the blustery wind the setup was dodgy.
Again I had a “must-stop” time in order to get down and home in time. This meant only 30m. I wasn’t going to start on 20m then stop with a pileup so when 5 CQ calls on 30m went unanswered I shut down and packed up.
View North from the first cairns. Loch Chuaich in the middle, Creag Ruadh GM/CS-092 to the left and Meall Chauich GM/CS-035 to the right.
View from the cairns showing how far to the summit still to go.
Loch Ericht. Bein Udlamein GM/CS-072 on the left, then the remote and rarely activated Stob an Aonaich Mhoir GM/CS-062. On the right of the loch and lost in their own shadows are Ben Alder GM/WS-009 and Bheinn Bheoil GM/WS-047
Beinn Udlamein GM/CS-022
It took me a while to realise what this fine looking hill was… it’s The Fara GM/WS-106 in its full glory
A zoome on The Fara summit, the shepard’s shelter is visible.
Geal-Charn GM/WS-010 Carn Dearg GM/WS-038 Beinn a’Chlachair GM/WS-023 and Geal-Charn GM/WS-031 (Yes all the Geal Charn summits are close to each other.)
Different hat, the cone is hidden.
Panoramas from the top
Carn na Caim GM/CS-039 just peaking over its slopes.
Schiehallion GM/CS-005 so obvious is visible from a huge part of Scotland.
Back on the decent path, the sun is still high in the sky but Geal Char is already into shadow.
Back at the car it was a couple of cans of diet Red Bull and then back onto supercruise for the trip home.
I certainly don’t recall this summit as being as needed as much effort as it did this time. Either my memory is flagging or 10 years makes a big difference to fitness.
I wish I could have stayed longer but the wind and having to get back limited time on both summits.
