Glen Tromie & Meallach Mhor: a camp and a hill or four

Loch an t-Seilich from the slopes of Meallach Mhor

On the western side of the Cairngorms National Park is long Glen Tromie. It’s not as well-known or popular as the glens and passes to the east – Glen Feshie, Gleann Eanaich, the Lairig Ghru. No Munros rise above Glen Tromie, no cliff-girt corries. The hills are rolling and round heathery bumps, steep-sided but not dramatic. The glen has some fine native woodlands though and these are regenerating since the conservation organisation WildLand bought the estate several years to add to Glen Feshie which they already owned and began the process of rewilding.

Woodland in Glen Tromie

Not having been to Glen Tromie myself for many years, not since 2208 in fact when I walked through the glen in December with Cameron McNeish (as described in this old blog post), I thought it was time to go and see what it’s like now and go up into the hills from the glen.

The estate track in lower Glen Tromie

There is a Corbett rising above the glen, 769-metre Meallach Mhor. I went up this many years ago from the east but had never climbed it from Glen Tromie, to which it belongs. Guidebooks and websites mostly suggest cycling along the private estate track that runs up the glen to the base of the hill, climbing it, then cycling back down the glen. Whilst the ascent and descent routes can be varied this doesn’t spend much time actually on the hills. Most of the day is spent cycling. I decided I would walk up the glen, camp, climb Meallach Mhor the next day then follow the line of lower hills that parallels Glen Tromie. (This is a route described by Walk Highlands).

Meadowsweet, meadows, & forest in Glen Tromie

The weather was showery and cloudy with bursts of sunshine and a brisk wind as I set off from Tromie Bridge. The lower glen was lush, a mix of hay meadows and woodland. There were many wild flowers and many impressive alder trees by the river. Soon I could see young trees spreading out from the thickening forest. The walk up the glen grew more and more heartening as I saw more and more signs of regeneration.

I thought of camping by Bhran Cottage, where I’d camped with Cameron eighteen years before, but it was summer not winter and I wanted a breezier site to avoid the midges. Not much further was a little lochan, oddly situated above the track and the river. A long straight embankment along the western and northern sides showed that it was almost certainly artificial. I couldn’t find a name on any map.

Camp by the unnamed lochan

The bank was overgrown with deep heather and young rowan and birch trees. I had walked almost the whole length of it and was beginning to think I’d have to return to Bhran Cottage when I found a grassy patch just big enough for the tent. A breeze swept over the lochan, just strong enough to keep off the midges. It was a fine camp. There was rain overnight but the morning came with a touch of sunshine.

Meallach Mhor lay directly above, barely two kilometres away. The direct ascent was not easy though. The slope is steep in places but that wasn’t the reason. It was the deep, thick heather, which sometimes came up to my thighs. Relief came higher up when the angle and the heather finally lessened and I could walk normally rather than stagger and thrash.

Cairn on the ascent of Meallach Mhor

The views were excellent and dramatic though, giving a good excuse to stop frequently. There was no path but I did come upon a fine cairn that overlooked the unnamed lochan. 

Squalls in the distance

To the south and the west the clouds were low on the hills and I could see squalls scudding across the land. Further up Glen Tromie I could see Loch an t-Seilich filling a wide cleft between steep hills. Although there were dark clouds on three sides none of the rain reached me. The wind though was strong, buffeting me along.

The summit of Meallach Mhor, looking to Loch an t-Seilich

The stony summit of Meallach Mhor is flat, the high point marked by a small cairn. It’s not very distinctive but as a viewpoint it’s superb and the sense of space and vastness is exhilarating. To the east you look across waves of rolling hills to the Cairngorm giants Braeriach, Sgor an Lochain Uaine, and Cairn Toul, a magnificent view.

Braeriach, Sgor an Lochain Uaine, & Cairn Toul from Meallach Mhor

From the summit I descended to the col with Meallach Bheag on a rough intermittent path. An ORV track crosses the col and here I met the only other walkers I saw all trip, a party of four backpackers who’d come from Glen Feshie. They were leaving their packs while they went up and down Meallach Mhor then descending the track into Glen Tromie. That track probably is the easiest route from Glen Tromie to Meallach Mhor, longer but undoubtedly less strenuous than my head-on, heather-bashing climb.

Croidh-la. The high point is the tiny cairn on the horizon on the right

The hills and the fine views continued over long Clach-mheall to Croidh-la. This is the lowest but most distinctive of the four tops on the east side of Glen Tromie and the only one with a trig point, though this isn’t on the very highest point. The slopes running down to Glen Tromie are very steep with some little crags and probably not a good place to descend. There’s a rough path on the hill anyway that leads gently downwards to Cadha Giorraid where it turns westwards and descends to Glen Tromie through regenerating native woodland.

A Look At The August Issue Of The Great Outdoors

In this issue I review solo backpacking tents from MSR, Highlander, Weschel, and Big Agnes plus men's hiking shoes from Keen, Oboz, Danner, and Meindl. Lara Dunn reviews women's hiking shoes from La Sportiva, Helly Hansen, Aku, and Arc'teryx. In individual reviews Francesca Donovan likes the Helly Hansen Blaze 7/8 Tights and David Lintern likes the Sunski Ferrata Sunglasses and the Rab Force Hoody.

Peter Macfarlane gives some advice on second-hand footwear and how to restore in the Gear Opinion piece.

In the main features Julia Clarke links saunas and summits in the Scottish Highlands, Tim Gent explores the tributaries of Dartmoor, and Richard Hartfield solo backpacks the remote Via Alta Vallemaggia in the Alps.

The Skills section wilderness first-aider Cory Jones comments on reader's health issues on long-distance walks. 

The opening Almanac pages begins with an ethereal and beautiful double-page photograph of sunrise on the River Stour in Dorset by Daniel Wretham. Nadia Shaikh considers swallows. Francesca Donovan reviews a film about the Right to Roam campaign, Our Land, directed by Orban Wallace, and the book Swimming Wild In South West England by Sian Anna Lewis. 

In a longer piece Kenton Cool looks back on his 20 ascents of Everest. 

Jim Perrin has a Water Portrait rather than a mountain one, writing about the River Wye. In her Uphill Struggles column Juls Stodel gives advice on building skills and trusting yourself. 

Wild Walks looks at routes that combine hills with water where you can cool off. On the Isle of Skye James Roddie climbs Sgurr nan Eag and Loch Coir' a' Ghrunnda. There are three Lake District walks. James Forrest links Glaramara, Esk Hause, Angle Tarn, and Blackmoss Pot. Norman Hadley climbs Mardale Ill Bell and descends by Kentmere Reservoir. Vivienne Crow also goes over Mardale Ill Bell on a walk that includes Blea Water, High Street, and Small Water. In the Peak District Simon Stokes goes up Kinder Scout via the Mermaid's Pool. In Wales Andrew Galloway visits Llyn y Morynion, Llyn Du, and Gloywlyn on an ascent of Rhinog Fawr in Eryri/Snowdonia and Carys Rees climbs Pen y Fan via the Nant Sere waterfalls in Bannau Brycheiniog,

A Windy Tent Test In The Cairngorms

 

Last month I had a short trip in the Cairngorms with a tent I was testing for the first time. The weather was windy and cloudy with a few showers, which was good for the test but the reason I didn't go any further than my camp spot. 

I did make a video about the tent and the stove system I used - Robens Alta Via 1 UL and Primus Lite Ultra .

I didn't write a blog post but I did take some photos showing the ever-changing and dramatic skies so here are some of them. They don't show the wind (the video does that) or that I took most of them braced against rocks, sheltering behind boulders, or lying down. It wasn't as nice a day as it looks!

Camp in Coire an Lochain

The lochan in Coire an Lochain

Clouds swirling round the Cairn Lochan cliffs

The wind rippling the surface of the smaller lochan in the corrie

The cloud descends on Cairn Lochan

Clouds above and below. View to Meall a' Bhuachaille

As I left clouds filled the corrie

View to a cloud-filled Coire an t- Sneachda with the end of the Fiacaill Coire an t-Sneachda on the right

Looking up to the Fiacaill Coire an t-Sneachda

The Gear I Used On The Moray Way

Last camp of the walk by the river Spey

The weather on my week-long Moray Way walk in late May was pleasant. There was a strong wind the first four days but it wasn’t cold and although often cloudy there were only a few very short showers – my waterproofs never came out of the pack. The last two days were hot and sunny, making water and sunscreen the two most important items in my pack. I required copious amounts of both.

The weather was not challenging for gear. The Moray Way is a low-level walk. On the windiest days I had no problem finding sheltered places to camp. Nights were mild with the temperature only once falling below 10°C. Underfoot the ground was dry and often hard. Much of the route follows disused railway lines and too much is on tarmac or hard packed forest roads. I found it harder on the feet than mountain walking where there is more variety underfoot and much less regular pounding on a flat surface. Rougher terrain was actually welcome.

Here’s a breakdown of my gear.

Pack: Hyperlite Mountain Gear Junction 55

This was my first use of this pack and it was fine. At 910 grams it’s ultralight but still has an internal frame. It carried 12kg comfortably. At 16kg (when I had four litres of water) it did pull down on the shoulders and hips a bit but I didn’t have any soreness or aching. The design is fairly standard for lightweight packs – roll top, mesh front pocket, open-topped side pockets, hipbelt pockets, and compression/adjustment straps. The fabric is a Dyneema Composite one and it has taped seams. It’s probably waterproof – the few brief showers on the trip were not enough to test this.

Tent: Mountain Laurel Designs SoloMid Xl with InnerNet

The SoloMid pyramid tent has become a favourite shelter in recent years. I like the headroom, the space, and being able to pitch it with a trekking pole. I took the InnerNet, which effectively makes it a double-wall tent, in case the first midges were out. They weren’t and I never did up the inner doors. The total weight with pegs was 1020 grams, so still very light for such a roomy shelter. I only had one light shower in camp and the wind was never strong enough to be a problem so I never closed the outer door either.

I pitched the SoloMid with a Pacerpole and used a pair of these throughout the walk, as I have on every trip for many years.
 

Sleeping Bag: Rab Mythic Ultra 120

Launched just two years ago this down bag has already gone from Rab’s range, which is a shame as I find it excellent for summer use. (It is still available for now though). It’s ultralight at 330 grams and packs into a tiny bundle. There’s no fill on the bottom of the upper half, just thin nylon and straps to hold it in place on a sleeping mat. I don’t use these so I can sit up in the bag without the mat coming with me. The upper is wide enough that I can wrap it around me to stay warm and keep out drafts. The lower section is insulated top and bottom.

Sleeping Mats: Therm-A-Rest NeoAir XLite & MultiMatSuperlite 8

As has been my approach for several years now I took two mats – one for comfort, one for security. I’ve had too many failures to trust inflatable mats anymore. The inflatable XLite is comfortable enough and lightweight at 370 grams. The closed cell foam Superlite 8 is not very comfortable but can’t be punctured and weighs only 190 grams. The Superlite is bulky too. I couldn’t decide whether strapping it to one of the sides, which impedes the pocket, or on top, which impedes access to the main pack, so I alternated between the two. 

Stove & Pot: Fire Maple Petrel Titanium UltralightStove & Fire Maple Ramen 800ml Pot

These two items work together, the heat exchanger pot slotting onto the stove to give a stable unit. I took them because I’d be resupplying with food that needed simmering and I wanted to eat out of the pot. The Petrel stove simmers well and the Ramen pot is wide rather than tall and narrow and so much easier for stirring food and for eating from. Both are lightweight - the stove 96 grams, the pot 194 grams. They worked fine.

Mugs, Cups, Spoons, Bottles & More

I took two drinking vessels – the Snow Peak TitaniumBackpackers Cup (37 grams), which is the classic Sierra Cup design, and is useful for dipping water out of burns and could double as cooking pot if needed, and the Sea To Summit X-Mug (68g), which folds flat, holds more and keeps drinks warmer than the Cup. I didn’t really need both of them but I did use both.

I also took two titanium spoons – a standard one and a long-handled one. Again, one would have done but I like two in case of loss (it has happened). I also prefer the shorter one except when eating out of food packets.

The total weight of the pot, stove, mug, cup, spoons, lighter and fire steel, all carried in a mesh bag, was 520 grams.

One concern was water. Both how often there’d be sources and how clean these would be. With the first I ended up carrying four litres of water for the last few hours on several days, both for camp and to get me to the next source the following morning. For water that needed treating I took the LifeSystems Peak Series 650ml Collapsible Squeeze Bottle Water Filter System which I used enough to justify its 120-gram weight, especially on the coastal section where any running water had come through farmland, villages or both.

Otherwise, for day use I had my now twenty+ year-old GoLite 700ml hard plastic bottle. I like it because it’s light at 78 grams and has a wide mouth and so is easy to fill. For camp and when much water had to be carried, I had two collapsible water bags, a 2-litre Platypus (45 grams) and a 2-litre Hydropak (80 grams). These three are all I usually take on backpacking trips.

Clothing

Clothing was about comfort and staying cool rather than dealing with storms or cold. The first four days I walked in nylon trail pants (EddieBauer Guide Pro, 400 grams) and a polyester Rohan shirt (so old I’ve forgotten the name – the current Frontier shirt looks similar) that I like because it closes with studs not buttons and has big pockets. These kept off the wind and didn’t get sweaty. I did take a windshirt – I always do – a now well-worn PatagoniaHoudini (110g) but I only wore it a few times as the wind wasn’t cold.

Once the weather was warmer I changed to an old pair of shorts and a favourite BAM bamboo T-shirt, which is very soft, very comfortable, and after much wear somewhat disreputable.

I had one warm garment, which I wore in camp early and late when the temperature dropped to around 10°C. This was another favourite, the very light (220 grams) insulated Berghaus Hydroshell hooded jacket (now replaced by the very similar MTN Arete Synthetic Hoody). It was all I needed.

Waterproofs, unworn but I’d never leave them behind, were the 335-gram Montane Cetus Lite jacket and an old pair of Berghaus Paclite overtrousers (225 grams).

Shoes

Altra Lone Peak shoes have been my favourite hiking footwear for many years and they were fine for this trip as I expected. I wore them with thin Darn Tough socks the first four days and then without socks for the warmer last three days.

Other Stuff

I had a tiny headlamp (Petzl Bindi), Kindle, compass, first aid kit, repair kit, and various other items. Camera gear of course and smartphone and power banks and accessories. Lots of little things in fact that lived in some zipped bags.

Note: I am an Amazon Associate. If you buy from the Amazon links I receive a commission at no cost to you. Every click helps! Thank you if you do purchase something or click on one of my links. StoreID: christownse0c-21

Note 2: All photos were taken on the walk.

Note 3: After the walk I made a video about the gear I used.

The Moray Way: third of three videos, the Speyside Way

 

The Moray Way: second of three videos, the Moray Coast Trail

 

A Look At The July Issue Of The Great Outdoors

A belated look at the July issue of The Great Outdoors. A problem with the internet has stopped me posting for a while.

In this issue I and Steph Wetherall each review an ultralight big pack and a standard weight big pack. Also in the gear pages James Roddie reviews eight outdoor apps, Steph Wetherall reviews Maier Sports Lawa Shorts, Fiona Russell reviews the Berghaus Rain-Motion Jacket, and James Forrest reviews the Alpkit Atlas boots. Steph Wetherall also looks at sleeping bag ratings and why they don’t work for everyone.

In the main features there’s a look at big human-powered adventures ideal for summer months. David Myers describes setting the fastest known time on the South West Coast Path. Hannah Mitchell treks through the Fann Mountains of Tajikistan.

The Skills section sees the experts of Glenmore Lodge giving advice on navigation, refuelling, river crossings, and prepping for better hill days.

In shorter pieces Nadia Shaikh enthuses about bugs, in particular the shieldbug; the Peak District’s new wildfire engagement officer tells Claire Maxted what his job involves; Jim Perrin recalls his first ascent of Catbells; and Juls Stodel gives advice on navigation.

Wild Walks looks at routes reachable by public transport. James Roddie climbs Beinn Liath Mhor from Achnashellach railway station in the NW Highlands. Simon Stokes also takes the train, in this case to climb Ben More from Crianlarich in the Southern Highlands. It’s the bus to the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel in the Lake District for an ascent of Bow Fell for Vivienne Crow. Another bus in the Lake District takes James Forrest to the start of a walk up Red Screes. Also in the Lake District Norman Hadley takes the train to Windermere for Sallows and Sour Hawes. Down in Shropshire another train takes Andrew Galloway to Church Stretton for a walk over the Lond Mynd. In Wales Ian Battersby climbs Pen y Fan and Craig Cerrig-gleisiad from Pont ar Daf, which can be reached by bus.