Corryhabbie Hill and Ben Rinnes

Ben Rinnes

Heading up the snow slopes to Corryhabbie Hill summit

Cold and Blue on Corryhabbie

The Barley Mow in the Folds of Corhabbie

Winter landscape Glen Rinnes

On the ascent of Ben Rinnes

Ben A'an and Beinn a'Bhuird at sunset from  Ben Rinnes

Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Ascent:   CH: 560m., BR: 575m
Distance:  CH: 11km., BR: 7km.  
Time:  CH:2hrs 58mins., BR 1hr 59mins

Corryhabble Hill   781m      1hr 36mins
Ben Rinnes           840m      1hr   4mins

The northeast is part of the Scotland area that I know least well, possibly because there are no munros nor is it close to the ever-beguiling west coast. For a year or so I had planned to take a couple of days in winter to climb some of my remaining corbetts near Glenlivet and, when the Met Office predicted two consecutive days of winter sun, I jumped to attention and arranged an outing. Leaving at 7:15am I collected Mark in Callander and drove up the A9 amidst very nervous traffic, everyone was watching their speed following the introduction of the 60mph average speed restrictions. By Aviemore we were driving in a convoy so slow that the average Tour de France cyclist would have been able to break away. Fortunately, I was able to turn off for Grantown on Spey and then enjoy the glorious Moray countryside to Glenlivet and continue to Glen Rinnes.

We parked by an assortment of wheelie bins at Ellivreid to begin the ascent of Corryhabbie Hill. A local lady passing in her car gave us her blessing to park and said it would be wonderful on the hill although she was not tempted to join us. She said she was off to the hairdresser to fill her day but she would watch us climb Ben Rinnes through her binoculars when she got home. It confirmed our perception that not much happened in these parts in winter.

The walk from Ellivreid was in perfect mid-winter light, we crossed a field of grazing sheep and eventually found a way across a waterlogged burn, through the gate and southwards over easy ground to the Hill of Achmore. From here it was a long tramp through deep heather to reach the foot of the steeper slopes leading to Muckle Lapproch. The hard work was over and we were privileged to alight onto a snow-covered ridge that eased us towards the Corryhabbie. We crossed some peat hags and then attacked the steeper and deeper snow slopes to the summit. The sharp breeze from the lower slopes had become a mini jet stream with a chill factor that rapidly extracted all body heat. We took a quick stop to admire the fine vista of the Cairngorms and the pristine rolling hills dotted with wind farms.

We descended to the north, quickly seizing the opportunity to escape the wind as we scattered noisy grouse and flocks of starlings. As we reached the Folds of Corhabbie, the fields of mown barley created beautiful patterns in the sunlight. We crossed a burn and climbed the ridge behind Sheandow before dropping back down the slopes to Ellivred. Despite its reputation as a troublesome hill, Corryhabbie had been a good outing, maybe helped by the sun and the snow on the tops which lubricates progress through the heathers.

From here it is only 5 minutes to the car park on Edinglen road from where a well-made path ascends Ben Rinnes. We made good time along the long flat ridge of Roy's Hill and we arrived at the summit as the sun set over the Cairngorms. The winds of midday had blown themselves out and we just had the sparkling coolness of a clear winter's evening and a nearly full moon to accompany us back to the car. My trusty Olympus camera succumbed to the cold and froze and I am seen trying to fix it in the light of the silvery moon.

It was just about dark by the time we were down and we retreated to a superb Bank House Glenlivet B&B that I had booked the night before. We were made to feel at home, invited to an evening meal as the local pub was closed in winter, enjoyed an open fire, a malt whisky and conversation with the welcoming owners. In 25 years of fairly intensive hillwalking I have spent about 250 nights away from home; mainly in tents, bunkhouses and hostels. This was only the sixth time in a B&B but it was undoubtedly the most comfortable and relaxing night during all my hill walking exploits thanks to Helen and Ruud.

Ben Rinnes man triangulates with the moon