It is a long walk to the remote Creagan na Beinne

Hill: Creagan na Beinne (Hill of the rocks/crags)

Type: Corbett

Height: 888m

Brief track before the estate carnage

This is a big lump of a hill and a long circuit so be warned. Some light rain at the start but before long jacket was off and I was sweating buckets. The route description says to follow a faint track. Now, it is a muddy vehicle estate track which the estate were still working on. From up top you can see how much blatant exposed tracks have been created on this estate. Wonder how many have planning permission?

Creagan na Beinne on left, The Shee on the right

Still it helps you get to 400m quite quickly. Next is a long contouring walk through heather then open moor. A great big lump sits far away and on the right, surely that's not it I thought. Yip of course it is. Should have studied the map more closely.

Long moorland ahead

Looking back a remote landscape

This is where you feel very alone, a large open space and definitely no people around. Lots of pipits, skylarks and other moorland birds. Not recommended in a clag or if cannot see much around you, especially if your not certain of your navigation skills. But not an issue today, I can see for miles, at least until the haze stops me.

The dreaded hags

Think you are there, oh no

After a long moorland plod I finally got to the bealach and found the fence which skirts the peat hags. Now for a little disappointment as some early efforts feel wasted because you descend before starting to climb properly again. A steady plod brings me to the last gate where the fence disappears. Got there I thought, oh no, not yet. A faint track leads uphill then the plateau is reached and the rounded highest point still looks a long way away. Reminds me of the top of the nearby Ben Chonzie.

View to Auchnafree Hill

Eventually the cairn is reached. My notes say there should be two cairns but I have only found one and there is no higher ground. The haze has restricted the long distance but the Lawers range is in view as well as the Chonzie hills.

The Shee from the descent

If you don't want the circular walk then head back the same way. The circular option is to continue along the plateau for about 1.5km before picking a route down the steep grassy flanks which today were dry and straightforward. When you look back from the track it is an impressive descent. In wet weather those grassy slopes might be more problematic.

Then it is a long, long trek back to the start via the Amulree variant section of the Rob Roy Way. However, the early section was frogsville. Every pool of water was crammed with frogs all making noises that sounded like a quad bike in the distance, had me laughing, I enjoyed my time with them. Plenty of grouse in breeding mode, calling and standing their ground more than would be normal.

Seems like miles still to go!!

Muirburn at the base of The Shee

Finally I was glad to get back to the car, winter boots and a long hard surfaced estate track are not good for the feet.

Overall a dry day, a good ramble in some very remote land.

Ascent: 832m

Distance: 17.8km

Time: 5.28

Wildlife: Common Frog; Raven; Red Grouse; Oystercatcher; Meadow Pipit; Skylark; Pheasant; Snipe; Woodpecker (Knocking only);