Participants: Just me
Where: Beinn Mhor (Grantown), 471m/1`,545', Sub-2k Marilyn, Map 36, NH 993281
The Mountain Bothies Association AGM was being held at Newtonmore, the weather was continuing to be excellent, so I travelled up a day early with this Marilyn behind Grantown- on- Spey in mind. It was very frosty and foggy when I set off from Newtonmore but as soon as I turned up Glenbeg, just short of the town boundary, I was into sunshine. Sheep in a field beside the parking spot at the end of the road made a good photograph.....
and the hill was soon clearly visible.....
The walk up the track was very pleasant. The leaves were starting to come off the trees although thanks to the extended warm weather this year and the subsequent lateness in leaf fall, the colours were not as good as usual.....
The track took me out on to the hill. I had wondered if there would be any shooting going on but the hill was not covered in the SMC guidance nor could I find out which estate owned the hill. So I was more than a little dismayed to find 3 shiny 4x4's parked at the edge of the heather. I had a look but there were no warning notices and I couldn't see any sign of anyone so I just carried on. In fact, I saw no evidence of humans at all during the walk although I expect that they might have seen me. The hill provided nice and gentle walking with short heather, occasional traces of a path and a gentle angle.....
I wasn't putting off time in case the shooting party appeared and I wanted this hill for my Marilyn list having travelled so far. I was at the top in around an hour from the car. Here are a couple of views of the moorland to the north-east and the north.....
The Spey valley was still fog bound so it made a good foreground looking over to the Cairngorms.....
zoomed.....
and to Mount Keen.....
I could have stayed longer at the top but I reckoned that discretion was the best policy so just headed back down. Then I went and sat around the car park half way up Cairngorm for an hour or two.
