Munro-monster on Tom Buidhe, Tolmount and Carn an't Sagairt Mor

The Munro-monster was surfacing again. I had to head North and get some kind of control. Anybody else experience this internal entity when they haven't done a hill for a while? I feel like some mad Jekyll & Hyde character ready to erupt. I left Glasgow at 0700 and parked up at Auchallater car park for 0900. I knew therefore that I had a long day ahead of me and was determined to enjoy a good stretch of the legs. The plan was simple - walk along to Loch Callater, up on to Crow Craigies and then grab Tolmount and Tom Buidhe. However, as much as I enjoyed the lovely walk in to the Loch and was surprised to see a white pony above me, it wasn't long before I experienced Jock's bog. The sound of the stags rutting was awesome and their calls reverberated across the coires and glens. I began the ascent up to the bealach and immediately felt the heart pounding but I was exorcising that monster. As I plateau'd out, it seemed a fairly easy climb up to Tolmount and from there, it wasn't 20 minutes before I was at the 1st cairn of the day. I sat and had a bite to eat and relished the peace and quiet. I could see a land rover and 2 ponies (they'd multiplied) above Coire Loch Kander and then heard gun shots booming across the coire. I imagine the ponies would be slightly redder towards the end of the day. A quick trip across and up to Tom Buidhe and I still felt fresh. It was only 1330 and I wasn't ready for turning back and down just yet. TB is an odd little bump with hardly any character to it whatsoever. Hard to believe it's a Munro actually. I met a walker/runner here who had been given 5 hours by his arthritic wife to do some hills and here he was bagging his 4th Munro and off to do Glas Maol and Creag Leacach, believing he would be back in plenty of time. Good effort. Rather than go back via Tolmount, I headed directly down towards the bealach and decided to stay high and return North rather than face the bogs again. I checked the map and could see that I would be able to take in Carn an't Sagairt Mor before my descend and it would take me back at the head of Loch Callater. Poifect. I passed the Cairn of Gowal, while suffering 15 cardiac arrests by those f**king ptarmigan shooting out of the undergrowth. Bunnies were aplenty and were just beginning to turn white, in preparation for the snows. What a day. I began the short ascent up to Carn an't Sagairt Mor and saw two cairns about 100 m apart. I made sure to touch both and stopped to take in the views - wonderful. I could see some snow on Ben Avon and also the massive tors. Look forward to acquainting myself with that one soon. As I headed down off the summit, I was stopped in my tracks by a site of devastation - what appeared like wreckage was scattered in amongst some rocks. It looked like remnants of a plane and I have since found out it was a Canberra plane which crashed back in 1956. Remarkably robust considering 53 Winters had passed. Thanks to Big Al for his trivia/iPhone technology. In fact, must have coincided with his birth, the old basturt. he path off this hill back to the Loch is an absolute joy to descend and I fair galloped down it. I was getting hungry and had eaten my hill food. Once back at the Loch, it was only a 3.5 mile walk back out and it was a good warm down. This route is excellent and circumvents the inevitable bogs at the far end of Loch Callater. I felt pacified once more - for the time being the Munro-monster was satiated.

Blood and a new bum on Beinn Iutharn Mhor

After my Tour de Callater, I fancied taking a mountain bike and exploring some of the glens around Braemar. The guy at Braemar Mountain Sport told me it would take an hour to cycle to Altanour Lodge in Glen Ey. I began the cycle out of Braemar and was feeling the burn before long. Eventually Inverey came into view after a blast down past the Mar Lodge gatehouse and I began the cycle route along and into the Glen. I'm not joking when I say the saddle of this bike was tearing me a new arsehole for breakfast and I began to regret the fact I hadn't taken Compeed for my derriere. After an hour and 20 mins, I arrived at the Lodge - that guy must have been fit. I had cycled 9 miles and felt more than warmed up. However, the Munro-monster must be quelled! The views to the hills were less impressive. It says a lot when your best pic of the day is a mushroom. I decided to head up the NE-flank of Beinn Iutharn Mhor and floundered across bog for the best part of an hour. Eventually I came to the steep incline and I proceeded up for about 30 minutes. I was heading into the cloud and eventually levelled out. It was a good 20 minute walk up and over very stony ground until I found the summit cairn. I could feel the wind chill at this point and stuck on my balaclava, while enjoying a feed. According to the book, you head NE for 1km and then head down stony slopes. I took a compass reading to be sure and walked what I thought was a kilometre. Yes, these were stones which could be 'possibly hazardous in Winter' but they didn't look particularly inviting in Autumn either. However, I began the descent but realised quite quickly that the ground was loose, unstable and after cursing several times, I lost my footing and slashed my hand open on some rock. Foo. Fortunately, I had my 1st aid kit with me and did a repair job. Looking back, I had come off too late and could see the connecting ridge further back. It was 1400 by this point and I was beginning to wonder if I could be bothered taking in Carn Bhac in cloud. I couldn't. I knew I still had 9 miles of cycling to do and wanted to get to Braemar before 1700 as I was due to meet with friends. The route would be here for another time so I headed down and off the hill back to the lodge. I was rewarded with a 'stunning' mushroom. No idea what genera or species but it took a pretty picture. hadn't realised how much of an ascending road the route up Glen Ey was but it only took me 55 minutes from the lodge back to Braemar so it gives you an idea of descent - mucho fun spent straddling the bike as I couldn't endure sitting down on that saddle aka bum-breaker. I was back by 1540 and walked out of the Sports shop like John Wayne. Howdy pilgrim?