Cruban Beag a short sharp A9 excursion

Hill: Cruben Beag
Category: Sub2k
Height: 590m

Park at Falls of Truin.
On my way to Aviemore I decided to stretch the legs and take in a hill that I had been keeping my beady eye on for some time. What attracted me was the dual cairns that can be seen from the A9, which of course are not the summit, it is some way behind across pathless moorland.

Cruban Beag ahead

The Falls of Truin car park had more water than the falls but I fitted in without getting my feet wet when changing.
From here the two cairns and the communications mast can be seen. The only problem is to get there.
I had a look down at the Falls but no salmon leaping today although the water looked an ideal height. No doubt one somersaulted as soon as I left.

Head for the gate nae coos

Followed the track behind a cottage and spotted a gate across the field which appeared to lead to the hill. Cow pats but no cows to negotiate.

Head up the gap

I then followed a water course up the grassy slopes for a while and there odd track simply heading for the first cairn which I could now see against the blue sky.

Cairn 1 with cairn 2 behind

When I reached it I could see the second but smaller cairn but I was here so a visit to it was a must even if slightly out of the way.

Cruban Beag ascend somewhere up the front face

Rough moorland walking but I can see the target with a barbed wire fence in front to get across. Too small for a deer fence but there are cattle on other side so I suppose for them.
A golden eagle soars and calls nearby, not seen one for a while.
The crags in front are steep but from here I can make out a faint gap in the bracken, a track? Deer are around I must have saw a dozen and more and I think most of the tracks are theirs, probably not enough humans up here to create a track.

Thin heather trail

Climbed over the barbed wire fence and head for the spot. Yip it is a steep muddy thin track and I clamber up, thanking god the heather roots are strong as they were needed to pull me up at times.
Of course up top there was another moor tramp before reaching the trig.

Cruban Beag trig

Newtonmore just slightly north and over a bit the plains heading into Glen Feshie.
The views are excellent but rain is not far away out to the west and the prevailing wind bringing it this way so no point in lingering. The steep ascent was a lost worse on the descent but I made it. The heather roots definitely required on the descent.

Rainbow begins to appear

The light rain was creating some beautiful rainbows. The views up the plains to the Cairngorms superb with the colours bordering them.

Full rainbow now

I decided to simply follow my ascent trail, no circular romp today.
Someone had cut two barbed wires up this end so no problems this time scaling it.

Cairn 2 looking up north

As expected no humans to be seen today, just me, the red deer and the beautiful golden eagle. I enjoyed the short walk, the sense of isolation and glad I stopped the car.

Wildlife: Red Deer; Golden Eagle; Meadow Pipit; Black rabbit.
Time: 2.09
Ascent: 384m
Distance: 5.4km