Tolmount and Tom Buidhe

Climbed by year and month

Climbed by year and month

Paul dropped us off at the wee Allt a Gharbh-Choire car park just 2km north of the Glenshee ski centre with a plan to do 3 munros. Carn an Tuirc is on the way to the other 2, but Cairn of Claise was so near and since I felt pretty good with such lovely weather, I thought it would be rude not to. So we did 4 munros, 2 old and 2 new to me.

We set off just after 9am. Weather couldn't have been more kind to us. A good cool breeze to keep the midges down along with sunny and bright. I looked back from barely beyond 200m along the track and Paul had already driven off. "I think we're alone now" popped into my head. Time to get walking. The track starts quite boggy and becomes indestinct quite quickly. Walkers have spread out confusing the picture, but looking ahead a bit a path of sorts appears. And anyway, we can see where we need to end up... it's dead ahead.

It was so "nice" to be walking on grass, moss, peat and mud. So different to the stone pitched path on Beinn Alligin. This was easy and oh so pleasant.

Making good progress, I felt pretty good and even the rough boulder field nearing the summit of Carn an Tuirc couldn't dent my happiness. I was on a hill and in control. Whilst I was there 3 guys appeared without rucksacks. They were doing 10+ hills and had overnighted so left their sacks and were doing this one as an out and back.

I wandered off towards Cairn of Claise with the intention of veering off to Tom Buidhe before I quite got there. But as I approached I figured I'd visit its rocky top anyway. You can't miss this munro as a stone wall goes right over the summit.

Leaving Cairn of Claise I figured I'd simply wander in the general direction of Tom Buidhe, having figured out which one of many vague bumps it was of course. This had the advantage of finding a snow patch to kick steps into and give Skye something to play on and eat. It did however take me a lot longer than if I'd turned left on the track just below the summit, and then a right onto a path across the moors. Ho hum.

The stroll across the usually boggy moorland was surprisingly dry. The grass still brown, burns and the odd spring stood out well and could easily be avoided. Even bare peat was dry and navigable with ease.

Appraoching the summit of Tom Buidhe we met a guy with a black lab that I'd seen approaching Cairn of Claise from the Glass Maol direction. He'd well and truly beaten us to the top. Paths eh.

With the grass still brown, the path to Tolmount stood out clearly. Just a matter of dropping a little way along the way we'd come, and branch off right, across the burn, and up the other side. It didn't take us long.

Hanging about on Tolmount summit for a breather it became a bit of a gathering. A lady from Germany, a guy, a couple who'd come up Jock's Road who said "we'd lost the path". And some others passing through. Time was marching on and so should we. Descending Tolmount I picked up a feint path heading slight east of the main path which took me down just below the visible bealach. The area was covered with peat hags without much sign of Jock's road. Checking out mapping app it put me directly on the path. Uhmph. Well, it was obvious the direction I needed to go in, and I'd need to descend, so we made it up as we went. We did find odd sections of path but they were really not connected with each until we'd dropped a fair way.

Glen and Loch Callater is lovely and maybe worth a visit just for a walk to the lodge, which has a composting loo.

Overall it was quite a big day, but a good one.

Jock's Road is named after a guy called Jock Winter who won a court battle against a rich landowner in Glen Doll, which is to the south over the pass, who wanted to restrict access.