My report of a stroll of the Corbetts Culardoch and Creag an Dail Bheag, from Keiloch, close to Braemar in Aberdeenshire.

The place’s the summit?

Many mountain summits are marked with a trig pillar or an apparent cairn. On some events, similar to when strolling The Fara, close to Dalwhinnie, the cairn is just not the true summit and this is likely to be as a result of the mountain has been remeasured for the reason that marker was created.

I’ve additionally walked plenty of Donalds (mountains in southern Scotland with a summit of between 2000ft and 2500ft) with my good friend Ben, who’s a Donalds compleator, and struggled to know the place the true highest level is.

Discovering the precise prime of the primary Corbett, Creag an Dail Bheag at 863m, on Sunday from Braemar proved to probably the most difficult a part of the 24km stroll.

However let me begin initially…

Keiloch to Creag an Dail Bheag

A parking lot at Keiloch (every day cost £3.50) is the beginning of the double Corbett circuit (and in addition the beginning of the extra common mountain, the Munro Beinn a’ Bhùird). Since there have been loads of automobiles parked and my good friend Ben and I noticed no-one else on our stroll, I can solely assume most individuals have been heading for Beinn a’ Bhùird or maybe one of many woodland trails close to Invercauld Home.

The route begins on a large monitor and shortly heads by means of a big space of woods with heather-covered floor and poker-straight pines. The monitor continues northwards into open moorland earlier than taking a flip west and on to a principally pathless terrain of thick heather.

The ascent remained pretty regular for many of the climb in direction of the primary excessive level of Carn Liath at 861m though our tempo was slowed by the deep vegetation. As we ascended, the views over the broader panorama of Aberdeenshire revealed themselves and showcased many surrounding peaks.

Carn Liath was, in reality, the named Corbett till its western summit was discovered to be just a little taller.

From Carn Liath, Ben and I tracked north-westerly, first descending for just a few hundred metres earlier than strolling uphill once more. From Carn Liath, it had not been straightforward to identify our Corbett summit and as we walked on and reached a small cairn that appeared to mark the highest, we checked the map solely to find we have been nonetheless shy of the true excessive level.

Wanting throughout the summit plateau, Ben and I have been undecided the place to stroll and the place the excessive level is likely to be so we continued north-west reaching one other excessive level, solely to verify the map once more and uncover this nonetheless wasn’t the precise prime.

So, once more, we continued additional north-west to succeed in one other excessive level. In these conditions, I at all times assume it’s greatest to cowl all excessive factors on a plateau simply to make sure I’ve truly bagged the true summit.

The Corbett is now known as Creag an Dail Bheag, slightly than Carn Liath, taking its title from the crag under.

The seek for the summit jogged my memory of a number of walks on Donalds, when Ben and I coated a lot floor ensuring we had truly reached the true prime. The mountain supplied pretty views of Ben Avon and Beinn a’Bhuird.

Creag an Dail Bheag to Culardoch

To succeed in the second Corbett, Culardoch, Ben and I retraced our steps to Carn Liath then walked eastwards. The following Corbett was apparent, though fairly distant, and checking my watch I realised we had not but walked half the anticipated complete distance.

We descended on tough floor to 650m at Bealach Dearg and joined a large monitor. The monitor staying on the monitor for about 700m earlier than we as soon as once more headed off-trod and began the steeper climb to Culardoch.

We cam throughout a set of mesh and plastic cloches masking heather on the moorland. It appeared like there was some kind of experiment on the expansion of the vegetation. Does anybody know what that is about?

At greater elevation, we discovered a path and principally caught to this. Brilliantly, the summit at 900m was marked by an apparent trig pillar. Very good views prolonged throughout Aberdeenshire and we appeared east in direction of Morven (our aim for the subsequent day) and south to Lochnagar, the place had walked solely a just a few weeks earlier.

The tors of the mountain vary of Ben Avon appeared small though distinguished from the place we sat to eat a second lunch.

Return to Keiloch

It’s attainable to return to Bealach Dearg to rejoin the monitor and full the stroll again to Keiloch, or to move extra straight south-east from Culardoch summit. Ben and I selected the latter.

Having walked many Corbetts, we’re used to tramping over thick vegetation and the downhill is often simpler than the uphill so it appeared like no time in any respect earlier than we have been approaching a monitor decrease down the glen.

This monitor by means of Glen Feardar took us south-west to hitch the unique monitor we had walked on firstly of the circuit. As a result of we have been having fun with our dialog, we overshot the turning again in direction of the home and ended up on a really nice path additional west. It’s at all times good to discover extra paths if there may be an choice, slightly than following the return route precisely.

As soon as once more, we walked by means of the attractive woodland and regained the automobile park.

Creag an Dail Bheag and Culardoch route particulars

The double Corbett circuit was satisfying though not exceptional. It was the vistas of the mountains throughout that made it extra rewarding.

Route: OS Maps.

Distance: 24km

Whole ascent: 991m

Corbetts bagged: 127 & 128.