M117 |
1012 m. |
3320 ft.
Pronunciation kaarn bannoch
Translation Hill of the point
OS 44 | Gridref NO 223825
Cord, Frank enjoyed it
Apart from being a very economical way of adding almost two percent of the total tally of 284 Munros to our tick list this tour is also an interesting and entertaining long plateau walk. Since we wanted to do them all in one go we started our tour at the Spittal of Glen Muick. As described in my tour of spring 2001 we climbed the landrover track beside the Allt-na-giubhsaich in fine weather.
At the col above Glen Gelder we took the well engineered path which within maybe half an hour brought us to the col between the Ladder and Meikle Pap. There Frank and I sat on some rocks and looked at the cliffs of Lochnagar. As said before by many people: Great cliffs and a beautiful Loch. Then we and quite a few other people climbed the boulders of the Ladder, crossed some flatter terrain, climbed the final steepening and reached the wide summit plateau. At the summit tor we took a break and checked the indicator. Afer having bagged this first Munro we turned south west, descended form the summit and headed for the rounded lump of the White Mounth aka Carn a’Choire Bhoidheach whose summit is marked by a small cairn. Easy walking but nothing exciting. From the top of this second Munro we descended more steeply to regain the path leading over from the Stuic. It skirts Carn an t-Sagairt Beag and in due time lead us to the path that climbs Carn an t-Sagairt Mor our third Munro. At the cairn we sat in the sunshine and in strong wind and took another well-deserved break. Soon the wind chill drove us on and we retraced our steps heading south east over the grass and moss to Cairn Bannoch. This summit is not much more than some fairly big rocks in a sea of grass. With another Munro ticked our last top of the day was Braod Cairn visible a few kilometres away. With a little descending and re-ascending this hill was finally reached. Five in one go at an easy pace and on easy terrain. Piece of pie! Only our feet ached since we had already done more than 20 kilometres this day, had spent the previous eight days hill-walking and still needed to get back to our car 8 to 10 kilometreas away. We started the final leg in the company of a nice Englishman who had camped somewhere on the plateau. Soon we met a further, older gentleman who seemed to have problems making his way back to Spittal of Glen Muick since he looked quited shaky and exhausted. Our companion volunteered to accompany the gentleman to the car park so Frank and I headed off. We took the foot path that leads down to the shore of Loch Muick and then contours 20 metres above the shoreline for a few kilometers until it reconnects with the Landrover track coming down from the plateau in steep zig-zags where a stream flows into the loch forming a little alluvial fan. There we took our last snacks and a cup of tea before starting the seemingly endless last leg of this hike to the car park. Finally, after about 30 kilometres of walking we made it to our car, peeled off our sweaty clot es and drove off to Ballater to buy us a nice curry for dinner. An easy walk, great views of Lochnagar, Loch Muick, waterfalls and cliffs. Space for letting your eyes wander! The last tour of the May 2008 “campaign”. BTW: Lochnagar is the Munro in our collection which was visited by us most often of all hills in Scotland! We’ll be back but on a different approach route next time.
Description
The furthest recesses of Glen Muick beyond Loch Muick form one of the finest high corries in the Mounth, and the cliffs of Creag an Dubh-loch which rise sheer above the waters of the Dubh Loch are unsurpassed for their height and steepness. This great crag is an extension of Broad Cairn, which is itself a prominent pointed peak when seen looking up Loch Muick. Two kilometres to its north-west, Cairn Bannoch is a much more modest hill, a rounded swelling on the ridge which goes south from Carn an t-Sagairt Mor to form the watershed between Glen Muick and Glen Doll. The approach to these hills along the side of Loch Muick and up the Allt an Dubh-loch is scenically one of the finest walks in the Mounth.From the carpark at the end of the public road at Spittal of Glenmuick cross the glen to the north-west side of Loch Muick and go along the lochside past Glas-allt Shiel and up the path which ends at the Dubh Loch. Continue up the glen under Creag an Dubh-loch and the slabs of Eagles Rock until > kilometre beyond the head of the Dubh Loch it is possible to bear south up a little corrie to reach Cairn Bannoch. Continue south-east for 1 kilometre to Cairn of Gowal then 1 kilometre east to Broad Cairn. Descend east by a path which becomes a track and leads to a hut at a col on the ridge. From there either continue along the track or take a lower path which descends to the side of Loch Muick. Both ways lead back to Spittal of Glenmuick.