Monday, 12th December
I handed in my work laptop and BlackBerry, then headed out with the team for our Christmas lunch, courtesy of Brendon. Afterward, I stopped by the office to grab my bags before heading to the train station for Edinburgh. In the evening, I picked up a few last-minute supplies (including food and a spare lighter) and had pizza and salad at Pizza Hut before packing my bag.
Tuesday, 13th December
Another early start with not enough sleep! There was only one morning train, so it was crucial to catch it. By 8:30 a.m., I was at the station, ready to go. The journey flew by as I planned my route for the next four days.
Soon, it was time to begin walking. Even though I’d tried to minimise my kit, my rucksack still felt heavy with all the food. I headed through Blair Atholl and followed a pleasant path running parallel to the private road up Glen Tilt until they merged. I continued on to the lodge, occasionally seeing a Land Rover pass by.
At around 3 p.m., I left the road to climb the steep hillside toward Carn a’ Chlamain. As I made slow progress up the zig-zag path I realised that I’d be walking in the dark, so I was grateful for my navigation skills. Night fell, and the moon peeked through the cloud cover now and then, which was a big help. Progress was slow, and I reached the summit around 6 p.m and with snow patches I had decided to kick steps to cross. With just enough signal, I sent a quick message home to let my family know I was safe.
Next, I began my descent to Tarf Hotel MBA Bothy. The wind was strong, visibility was low, and there was light rain, challenging conditions for night navigation with a heavy pack. By 8 p.m., I was relieved to spot the bothy’s reflective strips shining through the mist. Just before arriving, I stopped at a stream to fill my water bag. I chose one of the four rooms in the bothy, the back one with its own external door, unpacked, made dinner, and settled in for the night.
- Distance: 22 km
- Ascent: 850+ m
- Walking time: ~9.5 hours
Lunch: Corn cakes (about three-quarters) + half a pot of hummus, a Naked Bar, a 9Bar, raisins, and chocolate oat biscuits
Dinner: Quinoa with dried onions and stock, followed by custard (I was too tired for anything more elaborate), plus vitamin tablets
I was glad to have my stove repair kit, as the pump on my petrol stove began leaking fuel, a faulty washer on the switch valve. Unfortunately, I lost one glove on the descent. I used free cycling maps on ViewRanger to confirm my location on the decent as I did not want to miss the Mountain Bothy Associate Bothy.
Wednesday, 14th December
- Distance: 12 km
- Ascent: 350 m
- Walking time: ~5.5 hours
I allowed myself a slow start to catch up on sleep, waking around 8:30 a.m. Being under a roof gave me the chance to reorganise my kit. After writing in the bothy log, I set off.
Originally, I’d planned a river crossing to reach An Sgarsoch, but the rivers were running high, and I was hiking alone with a heavy pack. I decided to walk downstream to check for a safe crossing. If it wasn’t doable, I’d bypass that Munro and cross the river via the Falls of Tarf bridge. Along the way, I passed some unusual sights, lifted turf piled into a sort of “table” with gray powder on it, a stable stacked with hay bales, and an eight-wheeled off-road buggy.
The river looked impossible to cross safely, so that made my decision easy. After yesterday’s long day, a shorter route also felt like a good call. Traveling beside the river meant a slow morning of heather-bashing, so I was relieved to reach a proper track once the rain began, allowing me to pick up the pace. After crossing a stream from Loch Tilt (soaking one foot!), I found a flat spot off the path and managed to pitch my tent just before dark.
Remembering a tip from my friend James (from our Alpine trips), I filled my four-liter canteen at the last stream. Heavy rain was falling by the time I set up, so I unclipped part of the inner tent to keep things dry while cooking. After dinner, I stuffed wet socks and gloves against my body to dry, then climbed into my sleeping bag to plan my route and wind down. I watched an episode of Clangers on BBC iPlayer, which had a lovely quote: “The best adventures, big or small, are those shared with the ones you love.” It made me think of my kids back home, I miss them and hope we can all head out on an adventure together soon.
- Breakfast: Two packs of rice noodles + miso soup
- Lunch: Chocolate oat biscuits, a 9Bar, raisins, three-quarters of a pack of corn cakes, half a pot of hummus
- Dinner: Quinoa, Quorn frankfurters, dried onion, stock, and dried apricots
I skipped making custard because it was rainy, dark, and cold, and I was already full. The petrol stove has been a bit tricky, maybe an issue with the new handle or head. I wonder which stoves other Winter MLs rely on.
Thursday, 15th December
- Distance: 16 km
- Ascent: 750 m
- Walking time: ~7 hours
I woke at first light in a wild, remote campsite high in the mountains, far from any buildings or roads. The sound of the bubbling river was my only background noise. The rain had stopped overnight, though the wind was still strong. After breakfast, I continued around a bend in the river and began my approach to the day’s Munro.
I skirted the north side of Sron a’ Bhoididh, gradually gaining height until I reached the ridge. The wind grew stronger as I entered the cloud layer, so I navigated with careful bearings, timing, and contour interpretation. By the time I stood atop Geal Charn, the gale-force winds made walking difficult. I sheltered briefly behind a rock cairn to send a quick message home, checking in on my kids’ latest activities.
Once I started getting cold, I moved on toward Carn Bhac, interestingly, it seems the summit is slightly misplaced on the OS map. I nibbled some snacks behind the cairn, then descended west to the col and headed NNW along a ridge with a track. This route offered some relief from the wind. As usual on the tops, visibility was poor, but I’ve grown used to navigating in the mist.
Noticing only 30–40 minutes of daylight remained, I double-checked my position using ViewRanger, confirming I was near the ridge-top path. I aimed for the main track before dark, but that meant I couldn’t search for a perfect campsite. Once on the track, I paused for a snack and continued up the valley, stopping at a stream for water. Eventually, I climbed the hillside to find anything resembling flat, dry ground, no luck. I pitched on the best spot I could in pitch darkness, cooked dinner, sorted my kit, wrote a quick diary entry, and turned in for the night.
- Breakfast: Two packs of rice noodles + miso soup + hot chocolate
- Lunch: Chocolate oat biscuits, a 9Bar, raisins, a Naked Bar, half a pack of corn cakes, and half a tube of Primula cheese
- Dinner: Quinoa, dried onion, stock, custard, dried apricots
Friday, 16th December
- Distance: 13 km
- Ascent: 480 m
- Walking time: ~5.5 hours
It wasn’t my best night’s sleep, lumpy, uneven ground on a bit of a slope. Still, I was up and out within 90 minutes. Crossing a bridge and heading up a valley, I noticed an estate worker on a quad bike in the distance. I filled my bottle in the Allt na Slaite, then continued onto the shoulder of Carn na Drochaide. The ground was easier here, and I made solid progress.
Turning on my phone, I found a message from one of the directors at the company I was about to join regarding a Las Vegas conference; I needed to register right away. I sheltered behind a cairn, turned on my iPad, and spent about 45 minutes filling in details like passport info and choosing a flight schedule that would give me a bit of free time. My hands were freezing by the time I finished, and my battery had dropped to 3%!
By then, the mist had closed in, so I proceeded with careful navigation, soon reaching the track that climbs Morrone. At the summit, there’s a mast and a path eroded in places leading down to Braemar, the end of this first leg of my adventure. Despite the wind and cloud, I felt surprisingly relaxed. Maybe the podcasts I’d been listening to helped. Partway down, I noticed a post designed as a camera rest and used it to snap a photo of the view.
In Braemar, I stopped by the visitor centre for a chat. They showed me how to reach the B&B I’d booked and suggested a bothy for Sunday night. Then I treated myself to a jacket potato at the Bothy Café and went on to Craiglea for tea with other guests, where conversation turned to local hikes and river crossings. Finally, I had a well-earned shower and shave at the B&B. While waiting for my friend Ben to arrive, I sorted out my gear and planned Saturday’s route.
- Breakfast: Two packs of rice noodles + miso soup + hot chocolate
- Lunch: Chocolate oat biscuits, 9Bar, Naked Bar, raisins, half pack of corn cakes with half a tube of Primula cheese
- Dinner: At the café
Saturday, 17th December
- Distance: 22 km
- Ascent: 1,046 m
- Walking time: ~7 hours 10 minutes
Ben arrived around 10 p.m. on Friday, great to see him and collect my holdall of kit (especially the clean clothes!). After a bit more planning, we turned in for an early start. I woke up before dawn and enjoyed a hearty cooked breakfast. Good thing I’d brought my own herbal teabags, as they weren’t available.
Some creative map-folding ensured the continuation on the back aligned with the main section on the front. Then we drove about 15 minutes south of Braemar, parking at Sean Spittal Bridge. We followed a path to some ruined houses at a bend in the river and made quick progress up Carn an Tuirc (1019 m) on an intermittent trail. From there, we headed on to Cairn of Claise (1064 m), then detoured to Tolmount (958 m), stopping for lunch behind an old wall.
Next was a short trek over to Tom Buidhe (957 m) before looping back to Cairn of Claise, where we crossed paths with a young woman practicing her navigation. This cluster of Munros offered generally fast going, flat-ish terrain and plenty of paths. We decided to squeeze in one more summit, so we followed a ridge down, spotted some late-season snow, and practiced kicking steps while grabbing a few photos.
Finally, we headed over to Glas Maol (1068 m), then down the Sron na Gaoithe ridge, catching a spectacular sunset. We kept a brisk pace and reached the car just before needing our head torches.
Around 5 p.m., we enjoyed an early dinner at the Bothy Café, another jacket potato with cheese and beans, plus soup, then returned to the B&B to shower and unpack. Despite the rain, we managed a short walk around Braemar in the evening, followed by a final round of route-planning and packing. I managed a quick call home to speak to my kids, it was great hearing about what they’d been up to. We ended the day a bit sun-and-wind-burned, but it was worth it!
Lunch: Ben brought a flask of hot chocolate. We also had hummus, corn crackers, and 9Bars. Thanks to the big breakfast, neither of us was too hungry.
“The best adventures, big or small, are those shared with the ones you love.”
Missing my kids and already thinking about our next family adventure, looking back on this there were so many to come with them over the next decade.
Part two of this trip here:
What I took and what I learnt along the way: