Weather/Conditions: Really beautiful conditions - sunny in the morning, a touch more cloud on Ben Rinnes, bur clearing up to give a view from both summits. Driving west in the evening, everything went grey withan incoming weather front, Cairngorms looked great.
Distance/Ascent/Time: Corryhabbie: 10.5km / 430m / 2h 20m Rinnes: 7.6km / 560m / 1h 36m
Accompanying: Struan

Struan and I commenced our Corbett bagging trip with the most north-easterly of them; Corryhabbie Hill and Ben Rinnes. The drive from Nethy Bridge was a bit longer, but the access for both hills was based out of Glen Rinnes, which runs between the two. This trip was very much in the spirit of smash and grab; up one summit, drive to the next, move on... This is far from disappearing into the wilderness, but it is innocent fun.

Corryhabbie Hill is a modest summit, and we followed it's northern arm up (Hill of Achmore). As with all these flat-topped hills it feels like a lot of effort to go anywhere, and we stood on another summit in lean snow conditions, good weather and a biting wind. This hill is also being surrounded by wind farms, something that takes a bit more away from the wildness. It's not a criticism of renewable energy per se, but when a mountain is scarred by the burning of grouse moor, has tracks driven all over it, and finally had wind turbines jostling with the summit for altitude, they lose their own character and become lost under the industrialisation. Corryhabbie Hill is going this way.

We headed back the way we came, and upon reaching the car, drove straight to the Ben Rinnes car park. The stats for this hill are already short, but it is a popular and iconic hill with a good track. Struan and I flew up from the car park, not really stopping - just putting the head down and walking. The summit was was too cold to hang about, but we chatted to runner who looked a lot colder than us! And with that, we were quickly back to the car - about 45 minutes.

Struan was keen to get back to Edinburgh, so we headed to Nethy Bridge, and I saw Struan away. I got my stuff packed and headed back west.

I drove the back-road to Coylumbridge, simply to see the Knock of Kincardine, birthplace of John Roy Stewart. The Cairngorms came into view, flat white and backed by grey cloud. It was massively impressive and threatning at the same time, a mountain range that demand respect. I got in the car and disappeared back west, happy with my lot.

Photos: Corryhabbie Hill

Photos: Ben Rinnes

360° Panoramas

Corryhabbie Hill


Ben Rinnes

Times (Time relative to 0.00)
(0.00) 9.56am Parking nr. Ellivreid
(1.15) 11.11am Corryhabbie Hill
(2.20) 12.16pm Parking nr. Ellivreid

(0.00) 12.40pm Parking, Glack Harnes
(0.53) 1.33pm Ben Rinnes
(1.36) 2.16pm Parking, Glack Harnes

Written: 2018-11-28