Curlew Hill and the Fairies' Hollow

Just a few from January and a little wander over Ben Gulabin, the hill that overlooks Spittal of Glenshee where the road bends north towards the Cairnwell. I almost didn't bother as the wind was rocking the car when I parked up at the Spittal. Several months away from the hills have dulled the edge a bit. I'm ashamed to say that the fact this was to be Corbett number 100 swung it for me.

It's a deer and grouse farmyard up there, complete with larsen traps and bulldozed tracks, overgrazed erosion-prone slopes, too many deer carcasses, too few trees.Ben Gulabin is a wonderful vantage point though, a chance to pull out from the gory close-up detail and a connection back to the bigger picture of the immense, rolling landscape of these eastern mountains, dramatically sidelit by slanting winter sun.

I dropped back to the glen by the steep slot of Coire an t-Sith, the fairies' hollow, that lends its name to Glen Shee. Rain and rainbows chased me back to the Spittal.














Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Island time

Image
Early morning, near the end of a week of family camping on Harris, I sneaked out to the car while the children slept the deep sleep of tired, sore legs and fresh air. Minutes later I was swooping along, riding the rollercoaster road from beach and sea loch-head saltmarsh, following tilting rows of telegraph poles up to barren, slabby mountain passes. I was aiming for the cloud-swathed heart of Harris where wild mountains climb from sea to summit and dark rocky glens curve into the interior. The Clisham is the crowning hill, the highest on the Outer Hebrides, but I didn't want to just 'raid' it from the highest point on the road. The bridge over the Abhainn Sgaladail, which drains the northwestern aspect of Clisham and its satellites, is a much more sporting 50 metres above sea level. Wet moorland gives way to slabby pavements on the first top, Tomnabhal. Huge Loch Langhbhat wends north from its mountain cradle into the flat watery maze of inland Lewis. This is recognisably ...
Read more

Daytripping the Monadhliath

Image
The signs weren't good but I couldn't help feeling good. I was hurtling north through clag and drizzle on the A9, early on Saturday morning. A short notice work trip to Scotland, an evening visiting parents in Fife, then north for a dose of solitude and space in the anti-London, the beleaguered beauty of the Monadh Liath. Crossing Drumochter a veil was drawn back, the glen unwound ahead and a great rent of blue appeared in the clouds above. From Kingussie I walked up by the Gynack Burn. A stream of cars was arriving at the local golf course - different strokes for different folks. I was heading straight for the rough. Beyond the manicured greens the glen narrows and the road winds though hoary trees bearded with lichen. On the left the Gynack rumbles and chatters through it's wide rocky bed. It's still, gloomy, mild. Climbing gradually over sombre moors, the cloud softening then obliterating. A golden glow persists all day over Strathspey. There's an edge to things ...
Read more

Everybody knows this is nowhere

Image
Three days, two camps, 36 miles of tramping between two Highland villages, and just enough weather to make us uncomfortable if not quite threatened. There was a bit more to it than that though. The walk started through parkland around Blair Castle. Mick met me from the train at Blair Atholl station. Fife had been bathed in sun but here amongst the hills the clouds were heavy and rain threatened. We walked up through Glen Tilt, losing layers as we went. In conversation we missed signs for a diversion from the path around a washed-out section of track. We weren't the first judging by the irate reaction of the contractors as we rounded the corner towards them. They let us past - just! Glen Tilt has a long history of habitation. We crossed the river to the west bank, continuing on into the wilder middle reaches of the glen. We passed the barest remnants of old crofts, just piles of grey rock now, and remains of drystone walls climbed the hillsides. Mick sensed an atmosphere, and I did ...
Read more