Day 11 Loch Builg to Glenbuchat
Sunday 21st May Day 11 30km 1096m ascent Corbetts 3
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| I was used to the sounds of wind and rain but was woken in the night by something different, sleet!, however by morning the sun was shining and the only sign of the overnight conditions was a dusting of fresh snow on the tops which were now visible. The ascent of Brown Cow Hill, a strange name for Scotland, was over short heather and made a very nice walk with views back to Ben Avon and south to Mount Keen between a few light snow showers.
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| A few peat hags on the descent to the track gave me a taste of the joys to come later in the day before walking down to the infant River Don which I managed to cross with only one wet foot before climbing the beautifully manicured grouse moor to Carn Ealasaid. From here the tops of the Lecht ski tows were only a few peat hags away on Beinn a Chruinnich where there were large numbers of gulls circling although what they found exciting about all the exposed peat of this damaged hillside steaming in the midday sun I could not see.
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| One advantage of the ski center is the fine new building by the road and I followed the smell of frying to the cafe where I found Neville and Ann Tandy partaking of the refreshments on their way to Cockbridge.
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| After being suitably fortified with fat, cholesterol and salt washed down with more tea I climbed up the much less damaged ski runs to the east to start the interesting ridge walk to Carn Mor through numerous deep peat hags and snow showers until I reached the top where I met two walkers who looked horrified at the thought of 300 people walking over the hill before I had fully explained the TGO Challenge to them.
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| Descending from Dun Muir I took the wrong path in the now continuous snow, sleet or rain as I got lower, and had to climb an extra 130m over from Littleglen Burn to Coulins Burn where I had planned to stop only to find that it is steep sided with no suitable place to pitch so I continued past Glebuchat Lodge and pitched among the trees for a rather drippy night.
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