Participants - Neil, Steven and Ben
Where - Creag Bheag, 487m/1,597', Sub-2,000' Marilyn, Map 35, NH 745017
All of the forecasts were agreed- it was going to be good weather. So a chance- last of the year I would imagine- to do something further away from home. As it would only be for a couple of days I didn't fancy driving too far so we booked into Aviemore which would let me do this for me new Marilyn on the way up and something more substantial the following day before driving home again.
Creag Bheag stands above Kingussie and is another one of these good wee hills to break up a journey. We started at the main car park behind the big hotel; again no problems with route finding on this one, it was well signposted.....
The path wound a way through birch woods, then pine trees before reaching the open hill. The summit area was a series of knolls, each with a cairn on it. It was a bit difficult to decide which was the highest point and the map showed two 487m spot heights. We concluded that the west top might be slightly higher but as we were traversing the hill anyway it didn't matter as we visited them all. Here I am with Ben at the west top with the Cairngorms in the background, it was a bit breezy so another bad hair day.....
Here's a selection of views from the ridge. This is looking to A'Chailleach in the Monadliath.....
back along the ridge with Creag Dhubh beyond.....
and over Kingussie to the Cairngorms.....
There was a substantial stone shelter just below the east top....
and the hill drops sharply and roughly to the north to the trench containing Loch Gynack.....
The east ridge was much steeper and the path rougher and also muddy and Ben was more brown than white by the time that we got down to lower ground. However the loch was close at hand and a few minutes swim cleaned the worst of the mud off. From the loch, the path, still signposted, went through a gate and into more woodland and we soon arrived at the edge of the golf course and then the public
roads that led back to the car park. And the forecast was promising even better weather tomorrow!
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