First footing on snow
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
THERE’S something special about setting foot on virgin snow. It’s almost as if no-one’s ever walked the ground before. It makes me feel a bit like an explorer discovering new territory.
The amount of white stuff on Carn an Fhreiceadain came as something of a surprise, the impression from below being only of a smattering. But the hill was white – the only marks on the snowy surface created by mountain hares, in various stages of transformation into their winter coats.
There were lots of them too, occasionally squatting on their haunches like meerkats, front paws and ears in the air, then dashing off as we approached.
Rising rather unassumingly above Kingussie, Carn an Fhreiceadain is a Corbett with not much to commend it except the views from the top. Today, though, it was transformed into something quite beautiful, a white wonderland.
Rosemary and I had started our climb from Ardvonie car park, next to Kingussie’s health centre.
After a short walk up Gynack Road, steps lead down to a bridge over the Gynack burn – part of the Kingussie paths network. We made our way up to Ardbroilach Road and headed north along it, passing the golf course and on towards Pitmain Lodge.
There’s a substantial bridge leading to the lodge but walkers are meant to use the next one, with signs pointing to Carn an Fhreiceadain.
But heavy August rain had washed away a big slice of the track, isolating the bridge with no way of getting to it and a tricky river crossing. I decided to ignore the private sign to the lodge and we crossed that bridge instead.
Walking round the lodge to continue up the hill a young estate worker, passing in a vehicle, gave us a friendly wave. No problem then.
The circuit over the Corbett can be done either way but I’d decided to repeat the route the first time I’d done it with Derek, a friend from Kingussie, going clockwise on a warm, sunny day.
It was rather different on this cold, autumn day as Rosemary and I made our way over the moorland.
Pitmain Estate is installing a hydro scheme and the character of the area is changing dramatically. Contractors will be working until next June and an unsightly pipeline is being laid across the heather. A machine was putting pipes in place as we passed. The presence of machinery took the edge off this part of the walk and I was glad to leave the scene behind as the track dipped to the right to cross the Allt Mor over another bridge.
After this it begins to climb steeply up the side of Carn an Fhreiceadain.
Unlike when I’d done the walk with Derek, the track now continues all the way to the summit, over it and back down the east side, taking in Beinn Bhreac. It makes walking and navigation easy, but the hill has lost some of its wild feel.
The snow helped to restore some of that, though, as we made our way to the giant cairn passed on the way to the trig point. The Cairngorms were shrouded in cloud, but at just under 900 metres we had views of the Monadhliath and north towards Strath Dearn, carrying the River Findhorn. The track down from Beinn Bhreac was much more pleasant, the only activity being the estate worker we’d seen earlier putting grit out for the grouse.
Grouse use grit to aid their digestion and it can be medicated to prevent disease. Now improved since I’d walked it with Derek, the track emerges opposite the bridge we’d been unable to cross.
We turned left and made our way in the afternoon sunshine back along the tarmac road to Kingussie.
