This was my first munro for two years and I was a bit concerned as to whether or not age was getting the better of me. This hill was picked as an easy day starter and because it tidied up the "Drumochter Hills". With Roy Tugwell for company we parked in the lay-by near the locked gate mentioned in the book - with just a little apprehension as I always feel it a bit exposed there on the A9. First through the gate and up a track to join another after a couple of hundred yards. A pretty cloudy day but no mist and quite clear. It's a long easy walk (though stony in parts) up to the Hydro station with an aqueduct following us all the way. After this there are a number of splits/forks in the path but you keep going on the main track virtually all the way to the reservoir at Loch Cuaich. A path goes off to the right just before the dam and soon reaches a bothy. Unfortunately this was locked but through the window you could see it had an old sofa and chairs. Quite posh but no idea how you get in to use it. Shortly after you cross a burn and follow a very obvious and well used path northeast up the hill - in fact this path, with just a couple of short breaks, goes virtually all the way to the top. It is quite steep at first and Roy was way ahead of me (this was the pattern for the week). No way difficult and the climb eases as you get on to the ridge. Towards the top there is an easy, stony and steep walk up to the summit. All of this would, I think, be easy in mist. Guinness and ham sandwiches at the top. Some nice 360° views and good to see clearly Carn na Caim where last I stood looking at this hill. Slightly hazy though. Three walkers turned up briefly (even on the quietest days someone always seems to turn up at the cairn). They had started yesterday at the Cairngorm car park, went over Ben MacDui and Braeriach (where they had camped) and were walking all the way to Ben Nevis.
Roy decided he wanted to try map reading so we followed his northwest bearing off the top down pathless slopes. Admittedly a clear day but he was spot on, avoiding the crags on the left and down some very steep slopes, with a few awkward drops on grass. On reaching a deer fence you just follow it till you reach a gate by the start of the loch. For some unknown reason the gate was locked and would have been difficult to pass had not previous walkers forced an opening through which you could crawl. Following the path along the loch takes you back to the main path and back to the car.
