22-23/02/25 Weekend Meet: The Cabin At Balgowan – Whacked By Wet Wind!

Due to an unfortunate booking error, instead of our normal Friday and Saturday booking the club had an unusual Saturday and Monday night stay at The Cabin, Balgowan, NN 63892 94397. Run by the Edinburgh JMCS, http://www.edinburghjmcs.org.uk/index.html. It is a comfortable base for exploring the surrounding Monadhliath Mountains. The weather was wild and windy for most of the time spent there and so relatively few pictures were taken.

First up, on Saturday MM & GB had a wee walk up Creag Dhubh, NN 67801 97241, about 4km NE along the road from the hut. Pic shows MM at the top and the view to the west.

…and the view east towards The Cairngorms.

On the Sunday GB, MM, BR & IH went to do Fiona Càrn Glas-choire, NH 89160 29222, located about 7km north of Carrbridge. The route they took was a simple straight out and back the same way; https://consumerplatform.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/25749341/250222--carn-glaschoire--the-cabin-weekend?lat=57.32968&lon=-3.82688&zoom=13.2353&style=Leisure&type=2d. It was very windy at the top. Pic shows IH, MM and BR relaxing in their wet breeks! A trip of 3:10hrs covering 13km and about 450m of ascent.

On Monday BR & IH headed to Corbett Meall na-h Aisre, NH 51554 00057, Pic looks back are the mountain, dead centre, taken near their parked car at Garva Bridge at the end of the day. The route followed was  https://consumerplatform.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/25750780/250222--carn-glaschoire--the-cabin-weekend?lat=57.04735&lon=-4.46422&zoom=12.3268&style=Leisure&type=2d.  The latter half of the return route went through the main forest as opposed to going around to the west of it, as in the outbound leg. This was decided to relieve the tedium of the long march back along the track. However, after a seductive start, the terrain in the forest’s central firebreak proved to be VERY ROUGH and WET, the icing on the cake being an adventurous crossing of the Allt Gilbe to the immediate south of the forest!

Pic also taken from Garva bridge at the end of the day, looking SW to Glen Shirra Forest and Carn Liath hills, NN 47227 90341. It had been unfortunate not to get a view from the top of Meall na-h Aisre, making a return to climb from the eastern side quite likely. An overall trip of 4:55hrs covering 16.1km and 637m of ascent.

Finally for Monday, GB & MM headed off to Newtonmore and parked their car at the end of Glen Road, NN 69284 99759, then headed west to climb Craig Liath, NH 66377 00770. Pic shows their march west towards Cairn Liath dead centre, adorned with a rainbow.

A weekend of good laughs, mixed weather and nobody to be seen on the hills.