Carn a' Chlamain (Blair Athol)

Climbed by year and month

Climbed by year and month

I planned a two day bike and hike based around Blair Athol and the Old Bridge of Tilt. I'd been here before when I walked Beinn a' Ghlo with the SWWG. With Anna away it was a good time to get the bike out.

Reading the notice board in the Old Bridge of Tilt car park I discovered the Jubilee Rifle Range had a long distance shooting competition (1000m or so). It's not often you get to bag a munro to the sound of gunfire! The track down in Glen Tilt and the track above the range were fine but a track passed through was obviously closed.

Setting off on the bike I soon discovered I should have been out on it in the week before, at least. It's a heavy beast, much more so than the Trek Farley. The Glen track was well packed and smooth with a dusting of fine gravel which was to give me a few heart stopping moments on the way back.

I made reasonable progress, my gasping for breath punctuated by the crack of high velocity rounds echoing off the sides of the glen. And was soon at the wooden railings and bridge marking the point to lock up the bike and take to the hill.

A steep path climbs from beside the bridge over the Allt Craoinidh and goes straight up the nose of the south west spur from Carn a' Chlamain's south east side. It took me a while to settle into the walking. Joining the rough track above I found I was swapping side to side, and walking in the middle where the grass grew.

Other folk were about and were catching me up.

Near the top of the spur I took a short cut - the old stalkers path, to get onto the south east ridge proper. Here the ground was mostly moss and rocks. Ahead the final slopes to the summit were a boulder field, with scree path zigzagging through.

WalkHighlands suggested route was to make for the right had side and go up from there which worked fairly well.

The views were hazy and the strong wind very cold. I hunkered down on the lee side to don my insulation jacket before I took any summit photos.