ACTIVE OUTDOORS: Chasing the sunset on late-night Munro mission

The sensible option would have been to lay down in the tent and get some rest as the evening wore on, but it was such a beautiful night I couldn’t resist a run.

When I say a run, it was more of a heart-pumping march up the hill with some intermittent jogging, followed by a tentative jog down in the darkness. Still, I completed the circuit of just under seven miles – with more than 2000ft of ascent – in a little over two hours.

Mullach Clach a Bhlàir lies on the edge of the Mòine Mhòr, the last in a line of high ground to the east of Glen Feshie. The 1019m rounded summit is usually accessed from a clear track that climbs from the crossroads close to the long absent bridge at Carnachuin, round the edge of Coire Garbhlach to the ‘Great Moss’.

However, I don’t like to always follow the usual route, and had my eye on a circuit via Creag na Gaibhre and Druim nam Bò, returning via the track.

The many references to “bò” – Gaelic for cow or cattle – place this area as a probable stopover along the ancient drove road through Glen Feshie, a right of way that has been in use for hundreds of years, at least.

I set out around 9pm from Ruigh Aiteachain – where there is a rather luxurious bothy and “wild” camping area – and found the start of the old stalker’s route up onto the hill.

After battling the gradient and the overgrown route through trees and heather, I found myself devoid of any visible route on the ground and decided to make my way up using the contours. I had clearly gone a more direct way up the hillside since losing the path, and the logical route from here, to me at least, seemed to follow a vague spur on the north edge of Coire nam Bò, named only on the OS Explorer map.

It was hard work bashing through thick heather even when I emerged above the treeline. The large cairn on Creag na Gaibhre was visible but would have been a big detour to the south for no real advantage, so I continued with my plan and made my way through a beautiful mass of bog cotton onto a little spur at 760m just north of Lochan nam Bò.

Looking back, the view over Glen Feshie was fantastic, but my heart was pounding from the adrenaline of battling the steep slope and rough ground while racing the setting sun! I wanted to get to the summit before the light faded, safe in the knowledge that the return route was easy to follow even in darkness.

An unmarked track led across the spur and I crossed it, dropping down into a briefly marshy area north of the lochan before starting the ascent of Druim nam Bò. A level stretch of ground allowed for some running on grass and careful treading over rocks before I reached an informal argocat track that followed the ridge all the way to the top.

That was an unexpected bonus, and I managed a gentle jog for much of the rest of the climb, which involved another long flat stretch that was a pleasure to run along.

I reached the small summit cairn with some light to spare, and the view ahead showed cloud hanging below to the north.

After taking in the scene in the fading evening light, I geared myself up for the descent, putting my head torch on – though in the end I didn’t use it, preferring to keep my night vision intact and benefit from some peripheral vision rather than distort it with artificial light.

It meant I had to take it particularly carefully on the way down – a trip here on a late-night solo run would not be wise. I took a quick bearing from the top, just to ensure I was heading towards the right track, and started to make my way down as the moon and Jupiter started to shine out of the night sky.

To my surprise, as I met the track and started to drop down, a guy pushing a rather narrow-tyred bike was making his way up, clearly intending to enjoy a high camp. We had a quick chat before I continued with the descent, pausing only to look into the dramatic void of Coire Garbhlach.

In daylight, I might have followed the path up to Meall nan Sleac and back, but by now I was looking forward to reaching my tent and getting warm in my sleeping bag.

Eventually I reached the crossroads at Carnachuin where I turned left for the last few hundred metres back to Ruigh Aiteachain, a short sharp adventure in this most appealing of places.

Route details

Mullach Clach a’ Bhlàir

Distance 7 miles / 11 km (from Ruigh Aiteachain)

Terrain Stalkers path, overgrown; open hillside; argocat track, 4x4 track – navigation skills required

Start/finish Ruigh Aiteachain, Glenfeshie

Map OS Landranger 35/36; OS Explorer OL57

A late evening run/walk up this remote Munro rewards with a fine sunset

Click here to see the route in OS Maps