An Dun and Backpack to Beinn Bhreac
The original plan had been for those interested to start the week’s walking on Saturday with a three-day backpacking trip taking in the Corbetts An Dun and Beinn Bhreac. However, a mixed weather forecast meant we began with a day walk up An Dun instead and delayed the backpacking.
Saturday was overcast but dry and five of us (David, Susan, Patrick, Stephen and me) drove out from our comfortable Aberfeldy bungalow to the start of the walk, just off the A9 west of Blair Atholl. An Dun is a very steep rounded hill accessed 13 km or so along a good estate track, formerly the Gaick Pass drove road, leading eventually to Strathspey. An Dun is usually climbed with Maol Creag an Loch slightly to its east, but that had been ticked off last year when the cornice on An Dun looked too ferocious for an attempt.
A couple of cyclists sped ahead but we made good time along the largely level track past a bothy and a cairn. Further on, we passed an abandoned lodge in the woods to begin the ascent. Rucksacks were ditched to climb the rather intimidating grassy slope as the mist descended. Fortunately, a path appeared so the upper reaches were relatively easy to climb. Before long we were on the long heather-covered summit plateau in the murk. We walked to both small summit cairns for the obligatory photos and descended the same way.
After a quick lunch at the rucksacks we retraced our steps, thankfully still in the dry. That evening we had a tasty supper of chicken traybake and cheese and biscuits.
Fast-forwarding to Tuesday, the Famous Five backpackers (the above minus Patrick and plus Gema) set off in David and Susan’s car for coffee at the House of Bruar before parking near Calvine to start the walk in on a drizzly and dull morning. The going was good along another estate road following an old drove road towards the Minigaig Pass. As we climbed through plantations and onto moorland the weather cleared and after three and a half hours or so we reached the rather bleak Bruar Lodge. We pitched our tents just beyond the lodge at an ideal spot by the Bruar Water and settled down to hot drinks, peanuts and red wine, Firepot meals and an early night.
The next morning, we set off east up a gorge towards Beinn Bhreac. The landscape soon opened up and we passed beneath the Munro Beinn Dearg on intermittent paths through the heather and peat hags. After a couple of hours and 8 km or so we approached the dome of Beinn Bhreac and a steady trudge uphill soon led to the summit cairn from which there were splendid views across the Atholl hills. As it was windy we didn’t linger but returned to our campsite. Susan had hurt her knee before the trip but determination got her to the summit and back. The backpack meant that what would have been a 41 km round trip was broken down into manageable sections.
Another evening of re-fuelling on hot drinks, wine and ready meals was followed by another early night as the rain started. We listened in dismay from our tents to it beating down but by morning it had stopped which meant a welcome dismantling of tents in the dry. The sun even shone intermittently on the walk out and by lunchtime we were back at the car and soon tucking in to coffee and cakes again at the House of Bruar.
Back in Aberfeldy, yet another roast dinner was rustled up by David with Patrick chipping in after his return from Munro-bagging. Prosecco was drunk to toast a successful backpacking trip - and another great Scottish week thanks to David and Susan and all fellow participants.
Phinella
Non-backpack Activities
After the initial “warm-up” day we were all set to tackle Stob a’ Choin 869m on Sunday 05 May – this was “the one that got away” when the initial stages of Storm Babet stymied our efforts in October 2023. Thankfully, the weather was more accommodating this time around, but we all agreed that it was a beast of a hill proving that Corbett’s are often much more difficult to bag than the “mighty” Munros. We picked up fresh Venison escallops and a haunch from the farm shop by the path before heading for dinner at one of our favourite Scottish restaurants Mhor 84.
Many of the Group took Monday 06 May as a rest day considering the backpacking challenges that lay ahead though Phinella and I ticked off the approachable Ben Vuirich 903m. A visit to a notable Montrose Society monument near our remote car park added a cultural element to the day’s activities.
Tuesday 07 May was a rest day for me in preparation for Wednesday and Thursday when I summoned up the courage to try a couple of solo Munro bagging expeditions, sadly I was well into the Schiehallion 1,083m trail before realizing that I had already bagged it but it’s a worthy hill and was worth repeating, not to mention the photo op provided by the signpost to a local hamlet called Dull which is twinned with Boring, Oregon. I felt more fulfilled when I completed two of the Beinn a’ Ghlo Munros on my own the following day – Carn Liath 975m and the unwieldly named Braigh Coire Chruinn-bhalgain 1,070m. This was our final day at Aberfeldy, and we enjoyed a hearty venison roast dinner that evening with a side of steamed wild garlic foraged by one of our members.
Patrick
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