Despite our great ideas about concentrating on the Cairngorms this year Graeme and I plumped today for the Drumochter mountains. A bad start as we had trouble identifying the starting point and ended up going up and down the A9 stopping at lay-bys. We eventually parked in the large lay-by and walked down the cycle track to what was now the obvious starting point. The book says there is a path under the railway which we took. This was an error as it adds quarter of a mile or more to the walk. On the way back we just went straight over the railway and over a fence following a well used path. This time rather than leave the path early to climb the ridge we continued to the end, about 3 kilometres. We aimed for a gap between the hills and were quicker than expected at getting through the horrible heather on the lower slopes. At this gap there is a fairly obvious rock field and we contoured our way just under this and round to the slopes to the top. All very easy and although we were now in mist it was clearly just a walk uphill. The only risk was that this might not necessarily be the correct top. It was though and we were soon at the cairn for Guinness and Stella.
Coming off the summit of Sgairneach Mhor in thick mist we followed the Munro book instructions to go South West then West, even though it looked from the map that we could have gone directly West. The book was right as going due West immediately would have taken us deeper into the Coire Dhomhain col and meant a steeper climb onto the ridge of Beinn Udlamain. The book is also dead right in telling you to avoid going South as you approach the col. It is easy to do this as we saw when the mist rose as we reached the col. It is a beautiful valley to the South but a wilderness walk if you go that way. Over the col and up easily onto the gentle sloping ridge to the top, following the remains of a fence all the way, so you cannot get lost. On the way we passed a ruined shelter, what it really was I do not know and reached the summit without difficulty. The cairn here is a peculiar, almost star shaped edifice with little sheltered alcoves. Now again in mist but just before the summit it cleared sufficiently for us to see Loch Ericht, a gorgeous sight. Here too we saw three people off to our left, also looking at the view but they did not speak. They were the only people we saw the whole day.
We had intended to come off Beinn Udlamain to the col between it and this mountain and slip off back down to the path. However, when we both cottoned on to the fact that the col was at 860m and A'Mharconaich only 917m it seemed pointless not to take it on board so up we went, up very easy slopes, past a small cairned false top and to the summit. An absolute dawdle. Coming off the summit NE as the book says you have to be careful which way you go, for two reasons. First if you're not careful you could find yourself heading in the direction of the Balsporran Cottages rather than Coire Domhain. There's a hill called the Boar of Badenoch in front and to get to Coire Domhain you go to the right of this, across rough land. It's not the obvious way, hence the need for care. The second thing is to be careful where you leave the summit ridge. We came down some mighty steep grass slopes flanked by scree and again looking back agreed we would never have climbed up that way. You need to walk a wee bit further south before coming off. Once off the top the route is over rough ground but not too arduous and out of the mist the general way forward is obvious. We were soon back on the track and at the car, tired but satisfied.
