Thu 10th June - Day 55, Faskally to Beinn a' Ghlo, Glen Tilt (12 miles)
River Garry - looking west from Soldiers Leap |
Not expecting to do much today we didn't start until 09:40. From the campsite at Faskally we took the path along the River Garry as far as Killiecrankie. Apart from a very heavy shower this was a pleasant walk through the trees, at Killiecrankie we crossed over the river to use the quieter roads to Blair Atholl.
With three days walking ahead of us through the hills we had a lunchtime meal at the Atholl Arms Hotel in Blair Atholl then stocked up with, hopefully, enough food.
Looking ahead to Beinn a' Ghlo |
We could have just walked straight into Glen Tilt from here but as the weather was reasonable I wanted to go up some hills and so we took the minor road out to Monzie.
By Loch Moraig we branched off on a track, we hadn't been going long when it started to rain heavy with thunder & lightening. Fortunately we were able to take shelter in a hut and we had a brew of tea inside to give it time to clear.
Carn Liath, Beinn a' Ghlo |
We set off again at 16:15 following the path straight up the hill onto the south-west shoulder.
It was a long steep climb up the first of three mountains and we reached the summit of Carn Liath (975m) at 18:00 and had a much needed break.
This was a tough start to the walk for Mac, a big climb with a heavily laden pack, especially if you are not used to it.
I had thought we would get over all three peaks today but as Mac was finding it hard going, not that he was complaining, I was thinking to myself that we would stop as soon as I could find a suitable pitch for the tent. If we had started earlier it might have been okay.
Dave on Carn Liath looking ahead to the next two peaks |
We set off again coming down off the stoney top, just before we reached the col I found a reasonable spot, it was only 18:30 but there was no argument from Mac when I suggested we stop here for the night.
Camping on the ridge just north of Carn Liath looking east |
We were able to pitch the tent on the lee side of the ridge, this was a site with spectacular views.
960 miles completed.