This months BAM was meant to be a Borders 350 / 220 bivvy but my dodgy knee put paid to that.... In the event I still wanted to get out as this was my first opportunity to do an over nighter near to the Solstice. I fancied having a crack at the Monega Pass in the eastern cairngorms - its the most westerly of the Mounth roads (The mounth being the name for the hills east of the main cairngorm massive, which stretches all the way to Aberdeen). Its also the highest with a substantial portion of it over 900m.... I've bagged all of the other mounth roads on various trips over the years and this was the last one to do.
Maybe not the best thing to tackle with a duff knee but it was the only significant climb of the route and would be a straight push from bottom to top which would actually do my knee some good. Or something. Anyway I departed a scorching Pitlochry at 4, headed south then east over a moor covered in a network of tracks and trails which takes you into Strath Ardle
A quiet back road to Glen Shee, a bit of the A93 and some fine wee roads took me into Glen isla. Heading up here the road slowly narrows, then becomes a track and then leaps straight up to Monega hill
An old Scotways sign points the way. There is an alternative up to the plateaux from the back of Tulchan Lodge which looks to be a better track, but I felt honour bound to stick to the correct route. http://www.heritagepaths.co.uk/pathdetails.php?path=37 gives all the details....
At the top of the worst of the push - its not too bad I suppose but the flies were horrible and the midges joined in until the wind got up. In the background is Glen Isla and the lower Glen Shee hills. In the far distance the Lomonds - it always surprises me where I can see my local hills from. After this bit I remounted and the going was surprisingly good. Its one of those ridge climbs that just keeps giving - every time you crest one horizon, another presents itself.
Finally at the top of Monega hill (908m) looking into Cairnlochan glen, with Lochnagar in the distance.
There is more to come! You drop down a ways then climb steeply up to little Glas Maol at 973m.
Looking down into Cairnlochan Glen. Navigation is tricky up here and you need to keep your wits about you. There are some drastic ski descents into this glen if you have the nerve (I don't) and the conditions are right.
Amazingly up here you are following a vehicle track which provides easy riding. You can actually bag Glas Maol itself (1068m) but I twice had bikes up to here so didn't feel the need this evening. You do break the 1000m barrier however! The track skirts round its summit and suddenly the top of the Glas Maol pommer lift appears, the highest point of Glenshee ski centre. The Monega pass descends above the red run down a ridge to the A93. I've done this before but tonight was keen to trace a longer route I'd scoped out into Glen Callater. I kept my height heading for Cairn of Cleise (1064). I faffed around a bit here as there is a walking trail and the vehicle track. The walking trail gets a bit rough, unrideably so, but the track misses out the summit. I've also been up here before so no big deal. I had one more navigational faff round the back of this peak as the track faded into the rocky landscape for a bit. None of this is marked on the OS map and I'd meant to sort a gpx track out using bikehike before this trip but as per had forgotten. Given the altitude and the various wide backed ridges descending in all directions (and some big drops if you got it wrong) I was painfully aware that I had no back up to the GPS and not much kit with me. I'd thought of bivvying up here but it seemed a bit un-hospitable despite the sunny evening so was keen to press on and drop down to pleasanter climes.
After a bit of nose following I regained the track and bombed down (and up at one point, all the best descents have uphill bits) into Glen Callater.
Looking back to Cairn of Cleise and Glad Maol.
It was 9.30 by this time and the cloud was building. Given that I only had a lightweight bivvy bag with me this was of concern. In the event I bottled it into Callater Stables bothy. No-one else was in it, remarkably, so plans to ride into the dark (I'd also forgotten any form of lighting) were dropped and I sat reading and drinking cheap whisky until flaking out at 11.
This is a smart bothy and has a composting loo to boot! No fire tho but not needed on this warm night.
I had a leisurely start the next morning and then headed down to Braemar for breakfast courtesy of the co-op. I was seriously TLS this trip and hadn't got a stove so caffeine came from a horrible 'iced' latte (ie a carton of cold coffee for 2 quid, yeuch...) My bivvy bag choice was piss poor though as it had actually drizzled a bit in the night and I caught a few drops heading into Glen tilt so just as well I'd gotten into the bothy. Hey ho.
Anyway the Glen Tilt descent was a peach as usual and (mostly) dry. Despite weeks with little or no rain I was surprised that all the burns were still running and there was plenty of water in the rivers. Scotland rarely runs out.....
