Weather/Conditions: Great day - sunny on first Munro, clouding over a bit at Beinn Dearg. Few rain showers 'coming over the horizon' but all fine in end and nice on way to Steve's birthday too.
Distance/Ascent/Time: 25.9km / 930m / 7h 03m
Accompanying: With Neil to Carn a' Chlamain, then myself over Beinn Dearg to the end

The 1st June day would take me over two Munros: Carn a' Chlamain and Beinn Dearg. The former was Neil's second Munro. After a reasonably early start, we wandered up the bogs on Chalmain's northern slopes to the summit. The sun was out and it was a good day to be high, which was just as well. I wouldn't enjoy these hills in the damp grey that was so common on the first days of the Munro Round. We chatted to a guy on the summit, and then Neil headed back down to Glen Tilt for his car. I headed off to Beinn Dearg, under time pressure because Steve was having a birthday party back in Glasgow at 5pm.



For the following two hours, I steamed across heather moors and bog of every variety. I was familiar with the route, having done it a couple of winters ago, and I enjoyed seeing the place in summer condition when it had been so inhospitable before.




Beinn Dearg is a big granite hump-back, and it's typical of this area: the hills all rise so gradually that it seems to take aeons to actually get anywhere. At least I was walking on stone this time as opposed to the normal heather, which is nothing but frustrating. Once on it's summit, I got a great view, took 5 minutes breather and a 360 panorama. (I beat my two-hour time limit from Chlamain to Dearg by a few minutes)

Now for the long march back to Blair Atholl...



It's long, at least without a bike. I'd been here before, again in winter and I just forgot how long it took to get Beinn Dearg to Blair Atholl. Even the bothy at the foot of the hill seemed to take time. As showers approached over the horizon, I scooted as fast as I could and put on some Iron Maiden which helped keep the feet spinning at a rate.

All in all, it wasn't too bad. Neil was waiting for me in the car back at Old Blair and I collapsed into the passenger seat very glad to stop walking at a million miles an hour. We got on the road south, and I got to Steve's birthday dinner half an hour late - not too bad, they'd just ordered drinks anyway.

When I got home afterwards, I was gently shocked to see I'd gone 26km, a good notch higher than I'd expected. That's some solid mileage for 6 or 7 hours work.

After much hilarity at Steve's party, I got to sleep. Admittedly I'm sure much of the fun probably happened after I turned in, but I was really glad to have made it. The next day, I was back up the road to continue the great bagging campaign at Glen Shee.

Panoramas

Carn a' Chlamain 360°


Eilrig 'ic an Toisich - Detail North


Beinn Dearg 360°


Beinn Dearg - 180° North


Beinn Dearg - 180° South