6 hours of solid rain... 'soaked' is an understatement.
We had actually attempted to do these three munros (Càrn Laith, Braigh Cr Chruinn-bhalgain and Càrn nan Gabhar) the previous weekend but had postponed by a week due to weather warnings, so when we saw the forecast had drizzle we thought we'd give it a go and power through.
We set off from Edinburgh at about 6am so watched the sun rise as we drove over the forth road bridge. The closer we got to our destination the worse the weather got and by the time we arrived it was raining. We sat in the car for a bit trying to psyche ourselves up and convince ourselves that maybe that ominous dark grey cloud surrounding the mountains wasnt actually that bad?! Finally we bit the bullet and set off.
The car park isnt very big and even on a miserable day like we had, was full when we arrived so make sure you set off early! From the car park you walk about 100m before you go through a gate to start the main walk. PLEASE comply with the 'dogs on leads' sign at the gate - when we went there were loose cattle in the field and the last thing you want to start your walk with is being chased by a herd! You follow this track for a few km before taking a left turn by a little hut that brings you to the start of the ascent. From here its about an hour of solid uphill. We were into the cloud from about half way up so waterproofs we out and on for most of the walk.
After a few sike-summits, we got to the top of munro number 1 - Càrn Laith. From here it was a gentle descent for about 2kms before starting the Braigh ascent. I cant really say much for the walk between the two munros - we were surrounded by grey cloud the entire time and the terrain was quite same-y.
By the time we got to Braigh my legs and feet were soaked through. I was wearing my RevRace GP Pro trousers and while the coloured panels are water resistant, there isnt much they can do about 3 hours of solid rain!! My boots were stopping water getting in from puddles, but the rain was unfortunately hitting my legs and running straight down to my socks so I was walking in water from halfway onwards. My Cyclone jacket held up well though and my mid-layer fleece stayed dry!
After Braigh you start a descent again that brought us just below the cloud. We still only had maybe 100m visibility but it was a welcome sight after a wall of grey! At this point especially I really wished we had better weather - it would have been an incredible walk and views if so.
The walk from Braigh to Càrn nan Gabhar felt LONG. My hands and feet were starting to go numb (I have awful circulation) and the wind had really picked up so it was a slog getting to the top. We got completely fooled by a sike-summit about a km before the real Càrn nan Gabhar top but thankfully realised before we turned back!
We got the obligatory dogs-at-munros photo and started back towards the route down. At this point my hands were numb and I was starting to feel quite cold. I was swearing to myself that I would never hike in conditions like this again and did have a mini rant to Stephen about how I just dont enjoy it when its miserable like this. Frustrated that we had hours to go before we were back in the warm car, I started jogging. We kept up quite a good pace for a few kms which is partly why our walk time was shorter than expected! While it did feel weird jogging in hiking boots, It did really help me get my body temp (and mood!) back up.
We took a left turn along the side of a valley and after a further km, reappeared from the cloud. It was still drizzling but at least we could see ahead of us! The way down has some REALLY boggy bits as Stephen knows all about, but its quite a direct route and eventually brings you out into a beautiful open valley with a nice track path.
From here, its a steady walk back that brings you to your original turning point by the little hut. The herd of cows had come closer to the path and one lady took particular interest in Hugo so we stopped to let her have a sniff before continuing on to the car.
Overall this is a nice multi-bag route, but was spoilt by the weather for me!
Walk stats:
Distance - 22km
Time - 6h2m
Elevation - 1,735m
Walk highlands route here
