Culardoch and Creag Dail Bheag

Back to Braemar for the 3rd time in a row to tick off more Corbetts!

I'm really enjoying exploring these smaller hills nearer home plus they're more runnable than munros just now with less snow lower down.. I'm never fed up of Deeside either with some of the best coffee stops in the country! :)

This week we chose Culardoch and Creag Dail Bheag which lie just North of Braemar and SE of Ben Avon.
Parking at a freezing Keloch car park (-4) on the Invercauld estate there's a 1.5km run on tarmac to begin with then turning right and North into the forest just before Invercauld house..

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The route is mostly Landy track which is a little monotonous but the views are amazing especially with a little snow..

Once you climb out of the forest and onto the open hills the scenery really is spectacular looking SW over to Carn a Drochaide and down into Mar Lodge estate with the Dee snaking its way down towards Braemar, SE over to Meikle Pap and Lochnagar and then NW to Beinn a Bhuird and Ben Avon.

Carn na Drochaide to the right, Morrone to the left, Mar Lodge and the Dee center and Glen the Ey Munros at the very back.

Culardoch was first up after the long slog in on the Landy track then a good steep push on single trail up to the trig point. Although the weather was mostly clear with blue skies it was quite gusty and bitterly cold with -10 wind chill gusting up to 40mph on the tops. Thankfully I chose leggings!

Culardoch

Lochnagar with the nipple of Cac Carn Beag and Meikle Pap to its left

Close up of the Gar

My kit list for a slightly cooler day -

Inov8 Arctic Talons, OMM Flow vest under an Inov8 ATC long sleeve and then OMM Sonic smock which I switched between wearing just on my arms and shoulders and then when particularly cold or if stopping for any length of time pulling it down over my pack to my waste. I find this works really well year round and a good compromise between keeping cool when running and warmer when not.

Sheltering behind Culardoch trig point with Beinn a Bhuird/Ben Avon behind shrouded

The wafer thin Sonic does have its limits though and on Creag Dail Beag where wind was particularly bad I briefly pulled on my OMM Kamleika jacket for more protection.

Rab Powerstretch beany and Mountain Fuel buff, OMM Fusion gloves, OMM Flash tights on top of  a crotch-less leather thong (just checking you're reading this!).

Salomon Ultra 8 pack containing everything I would carry for an AL race so full body cover (INOV8 Race Ultrapants, OMM Kamleika Jacket), spare OMM thermal T, map, compass, head torch, bivvy, 500ml water (loads of water courses on route), nutrition was my staple Mountain Fuel jellies and a couple of NAKD bars.





From Culardoch it's back down on to the Landy track and retrace until back at the Bealach Dearg then it's a bit of heather bashing up onto Carn Liath or Creag Dail Bheag as it's now known.

This is where it got interesting on the summit and out of the lee of the lower slopes and into the full weather from the NE with strong gusts and driving blown snow hitting us on our right hand side making difficult running. I had my buff pulled diagonally across my face covering my right eye! The views out of my left eye were great! Unfortunately we only got rare glimpses of the nearby higher munros because of cloud.

Beinn a Bhuird and Ben Avon money shot!

Ruined wall on Carn Liath

Once back at Carn Liath cairn and following the ruined wall south we turned SE zig zagging down through deep heather which was a slow slog and difficult under foot then finally back onto the Landy Track and the tedious run out back to the van.

The long road out

Then another race against time trying to catch Rocksalt and Snails in Ballater before it closed but we lost! I had to make do with the Spanish Board at the Barn in Banchory instead, oh well! :)

Great day out even on killer landy track and well worth it for the amazing views!
The route was 23kms/1200mtrs.

The route

Live long and prosper! ;)