Feature

Confessions of a Bothy Virgin

By Colin Watson

OK, so I can’t ride a bike, but that doesn’t make me a bad person! I’ve made various attempts since the age of eight but all to no avail. The most recent attempt was around six months ago - I went to a minor road near home with my two daughters for some serious role reversal - they both, at times, ended up holding the back of the saddle, while I tried to get things going - but without success. So, cycling’s beyond me.

This wouldn’t me too bad normally, but I’m now down to my last thirty Munros, and most of them seem to be a long, long way from the nearest road. Recently I decided it was time to climb the four Munros in the Ben Alder Group - Ben Alder, Beinn Bheoil, Carn Dearg and Geal Charn. Everyone I mentioned this to said, “… its really no problem - you can bike it, you’ll zip down there in no time at all!” Little did they know!

Studying the map I decided that this was going to involve at least one overnight stop, but where? Should I carry in the into Culra bothy, and do the hills from there. In fact, the track down Loch Ericht is excellent tent, or stay at Culra bothy? I wasn’t enthusiastic about lugging the tent in all the way from Dalwhinnie, then having to cope with the midges, but on the other hand, I’d never stayed in a bothy. What were they like? Who was I likely to meet? What if it was full? However, I knew that I would need to stay at Shenevall bothy when I do the Fisherfield Six, so I threw caution to the wind and opted for the bothy.

Next I had to decide when to go and what to take with me. I decided to walk in on a Friday morning, do Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil on the Friday afternoon, then climb Carn Dearg and Geal Charn on the Saturday morning, before walking out that afternoon. By spending Friday night in the bothy, I reckoned it would be a bit quieter than a Saturday night. As for what to carry, I thought I would have everything I would need for a camping trip, minus the tent - so it was still a reasonable load to carry in.

I left home in Kirkintilloch around six on a dreich morning. The BBC weather forecast promised a warm sunny day over most of the country, but the road reports warned drivers of spray and surface water! However, once I was ready to leave Dalwhinnie, it was dry, if overcast and very muggy. I ate a banana, pulled on my boots, switched on the GPS and set off down the lochside.

The last time I had been down Loch Erichtside was in 1996 when I climbed the Fara, so I was very surprised to see the new estate buildings and the first lodge. Expensive looking buildings both. The track would be excellent for cycling, but it was hard underfoot - especially when carrying a load. The weather continued to improve as I made my way along the loch side. About 90 minutes took me as far as Ben Alder Lodge - with the turrets, it looked as if it had been dropped in from Disney’s Magic Kingdom!

Once I had climbed the track leading towards Loch Pattack, I stopped for a drink from the burn and some chocolate and noticed one man cycling out to Dalwhinnie. After my break, it didn’t take long to reach the shed just before the loch, where I had to have another quick stop to apply a Compeel on my right foot. I could now see the roof of the bothy in the distance - another 45 minutes walking on a good path took me to the shoogly bridge over the Allt a’ Chaoil-reidhe. As a child I remember being really disappointed when my father took me to the suspension bridge at Clyde Place in Glasgow. He always called this “The Swing Bridge” - so you can imagine my disappointment when we walked across the bridge and it didn’t move! That certainly can’t be said about this one! with full rucksack and a walking pole in each hand, the bridge certainly swung alarmingly from side to side! Halfway across I was regretting using it as the burn was actually very low and could probably have been crossed with dry feet.

I arrived at the bothy just after noon. There were 6 young guys there, about to go out for a walk. They explained that there were three rooms -they had filled one, there was another room with a couple of bikes in it, and the third was empty - so I moved my gear into the empty one, had a brew and some cheese and biscuits.

I was very impressed by the state of the bothy. It was clean, tidy and there had been quite a lot of work carried out on it recently. The room I was in was freshly wood panelled, with two sleeping platforms, a table and benches. I left my overnight gear, remembering to hang my food from the coat hooks in the wall.

I decided on Ben Alder and Beinn Bheoil for the Friday as I’d estimated that it was a slightly longer walk than Carn Dearg and Geal Charn. I crossed the burn by the shoogly bridge again, before following the excellent path leading up to the Bealach Beithe. It was still muggy, with cloud settled around 500 feet below the tops. However, it was so hazy that there weren’t any real views to be had.

The path deteriorated once I arrived at the Loch a Bhealaich Bheithe, although I suspect it spends a lot of the year under water. As a result, my swift progress petered out along with the path, although once I started the climb from the loch to the bealach, I did speed up again. As the bealach is over 2,500 feet, there wasn’t too much ascent left to gain the plateau. I had a short, misty view of the loch as I skirted the top of the cliffs to arrive at the trig point of Ben Alder around 4 o’clock.

Time was marching on so I didn’t pause for long at the summit, before retracing my steps back to the bealach. The hazy, muggy conditions persisted as I made my way up Beinn Bheoil - but, things were worse at home - my wife called on the mobile to say they had experienced an electrical storm. Certainly, looking to the south, conditions were very murky. This gave me the impetus to press on before any wild weather arrived here. I arrived at Beinn Bheoil’s cairn just before six.

Rather than descend the bouldery slopes directly to the path, I decided to keep to the higher ground and pick up the path further down. As I came out of the mist, I could see the power station on the west shore of Loch Ericht and the remote Corbett of Stob an Aonaich Mhoir above it - another long, bicycle-less walk beckons! On the descent of Beinn Bheoil the going underfoot was remarkably easy and I managed to pick up the stalkers path opposite Ben Alder’s Long Leachas. The path gave an easy end of a long days walking - I was glad to get back to the bothy around seven thirty.

There didn’t seem to be any new arrivals whilst I was on the hill. The boys were playing rugby and the other back room was still occupied. After a brew and a change I cooked supper - packet soup followed by Mexican Savoury Rice and beans - apologies to the couple who arrived later and shared the room with me! I had another brew as I read the latest Mountain Bothies Association Newsletter - by which time I was joined by a couple who had just cycled in. They expressed surprise that I had walked in and climbed a couple of Munros in the one day! However, it was now almost ten, so I settled down in my sleeping bag with a paperback and a large dram of Dalmore.

I woke at six. I was glad of my Thermarest rather than having to sleep on the hard platform with only a foam mat for padding. I had my usual expedition breakfast of two Weetabix with warm milk and sugar before setting off at seven.

It was another warm day - even this early in the day. The tops were in cloud, but it did seem a bit sharper than yesterday. It took about 15 minutes for the tiredness from yesterday to work out of my legs, thereafter; steady progress was made. I initially headed for the lochan northeast of the summit of Carn Dearg. By the time I arrived, I was in cloud all the way to the summit. I arrived at the cairn at 8.32 - the earliest I have ever been on top of a Munro! It was an achievement worthy of sending my wife a text-message. She replied that she was traversing the kitchen towards the kettle!

The only other summit I now had to gain was Geal Charn. I suppose I should have climbed it a couple of years ago when I was on its very near neighbour, Aonach Beag. Unfortunately that day I had to catch the evening train from Corrour to Glasgow, and to have gone on for another summit would have cut matters too fine. There is a real feeling of space at the col between Carn Dearg and Geal Charn, as you look down on the two lochans on either side of you, with cliffs towering above them. The pull up to the Geal Charn plateau was enjoyable, but it did lead me back into the clouds which meant that careful navigation was required to reach the cairn - which I did around ten o’clock.

All that was required now was to make my way across the plateau to Sgor Iutharn, sitting at the top of the impressive Lancet Edge. Thereafter, from the Bealach Dubh, I realised that I was 14 miles away from my car, and having no other summits to go for, it seemed a long, long way off.

As I descended, it got progressively warmer and I was glad to return to the bothy around one. I prepared a final brew, before packing everything up for the long walk out. Just before leaving, I gave the table a clean and swept the floor. I hope that I left the place as I’d found it.

I was ready to leave just before two for the ten miles back to Dalwhinnie. I was by now used to the shoogly bridge and enjoyed my final bounce across! I must admit that the rucksack didn’t feel any lighter despite the food eaten over the two days! It is psychologically difficult to have a heavier load for the second part of the day, but c’est la vie!

I think I’d made the right decision to stay on the Friday night, as I passed a number of parties walking or cycling in as I made way homewards. The walk from the bothy as far as Ben Alder Lodge went fine - I was able to break it down into two stages - one to the Loch Pattack shed and the other to the Lodge. However, the last five miles along Loch Ericht were long - the track was hard, the weather stuffy and I was feeling the pace of the last two days. Eventually, I could see the estate buildings, then the end of the loch and finally I was at the railway level crossing and the bliss of a seat in the car.

The walk worked out at 43 miles and four Munros, which was hard going, but enjoyable nonetheless. As for the bothy, I really enjoyed staying there - it was comfortable, clean and free of midges! Next stop Shenevall!