Carn a' Chlamain, Glen Tilt

Right of Way up Glen Tilt

Carn a'Chlamain

Just below the summit, ERDF has a lot to answer for

All downhill from here

Glen Tilt in all its glory

Looking back up Glen Tilt

Saturday 15 September 2012

Distance:  30km  (22km on bike)
Ascent: 980m  (295m on bike)
Time: 4hrs 10mins (1hr 50mins on bike)

m  Carn a' Chlamain           963m     2hrs 26mins (1hr 15min bike)

With the Three Peak Challenge looming next weekend and just back from 2 weeks of gentle exercise in France, we decided to get out on the hills. Problem was gale force winds, low cloud and rain in the west and the need to be home for 5pm. We decided that Carn a' Chlamain was the only answer - far enough east to see the sun and near enough to get back early. I had always combined this hill with Beinn Dearg in the past and on two occasions extended this to include Carn Ealar and An Sgarsoch to the north which is a brutally long day.  We took the bikes for the long trek up Glen Tilt to save another hour or so and to allow us to fully enjoy Carn a' Chlamain as a singleton.

Good decisions all and by 10:00am we were parked at Old Blair and watching a Pine Marten disappear into a garden by the old bridge.  We followed the signs to Glen Tilt which took us up steep hills and the granny gear was called for up to Fender Bridge and then Tirnie Farm.  By the time we reached Little Lude and the end of the track we were at 370m and obviously going in the wrong direction.

We returned down the track to find the right of way, the sign for which we had missed on the ascent.  It turned out to be no more than a grass track skirting the hillside. Fortunately it was more downhill than up and despite gates and stiles we made good progress down to Glen Tilt.  The gun range just the other side of the glen was in use and we were ducking as we heard the whistle of bullets .  The final 3km up the Glen Tilt track and past Marble Lodge was an easy but steady climb in the heat of the late morning before we dumped the bikes at the bridge by Balineasen.

The climb up a grassy path for the first 200 metres was steep and hard on the legs after 75 minutes in the saddle. Then we reached the track that was built in the 1990's using the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) to give access to the deer shooting areas above.  I had been passed by a couple of Land Rovers with shooting parties on previous excursions. The ascent from here is fairly easy and there is chance to cut directly up to the summit along a boggy path which is marked by a cairn at about 630 metres. We missed it on the ascent but cut across the heather clad slopes later and inadvertently avoided the worst of the bog.

There was a surreal vision of a new truck parked just below the summit where the gales that were battering the western hills also became evident as we hunkered down below the summit cairn.  Views were reasonably good with heavy clouds to the west and some haze to the north and east but Braeriach was visible as was the massive presence of Beinn a' Ghlo to the south. There is an airiness about this hill which is unusual and quite appealing, it feels like the centre of Scotland.

The descent back to the track in Glen Tilt was quick and the cycle out mainly fast and downhill with just the odd stop to admire the river, the splendid views back up the glen and to allow the 4x4 post van to pass us on its deliveries to Forest Lodge. We stayed below the gun range which was still in use and we were down at Old Blair by 2:15pm and home just after 4pm despite some heavy traffic on the A9.