Geal Charn, Monadhliath - 12th Jan 2012

Pronunciation/Translation: Geal Charn - gyal kaarn (white hill).


Yes, there's quite a few Geal Charns... The one we were tackling this day was the Monadhliath offering. This was a GWHC meeting and we had driven up in Grant's car the night before, and stayed at the Pottery Bunkhouse near Laggan Bridge. (Note to self, if sharing a dorm with Grant and Barry again... bring earplugs to combat excessive snoring!)

Seven of us were making this climb. Once everyone had made the rendezvous at the start point we set off across General Wade's Garva Bridge and onto a track which took us through the first part of the route. Following the east bank of the Feith Talagain we moved through farmland until we started reaching higher ground near the Allt Coire nan Dearcag. A little upstream we managed to make it across the narrow but fiercely flowing stream.

From here it was a case of heading up onto the southwest shoulder of Geal Charn and just slogging it over increasingly rocky terrain to the wide summit (926m). To the east of the summit was some steep craggy cliffs leading down to the Laggan Choire. We moved south off the broad summit towards the bealach leading to subsidiary peak Beinn Sgiath.

After Barry had practiced some ice axe arrests above the col, we settled down for a bite to eat. Some darker snow clouds had begun to move in our direction, so we moved on quickly striding up and over Beinn Sgiath and then down over boggy ground towards a lower rising rib that lead to Meall an Domhnaich which on it's southwestern side would lead us steeply down through a band of larch wood to the Garva Bridge again.

We tentatively moved through the larch trees using trunks to slow down our momentum as we made our way lower to the bridge. Very soon we were back at the cars and planning a post-hike pint in Pitlochry.

A good hike in fresh conditions made an unremarkable munro a bit more interesting. Certainly a hill better visited in winter conditions.

Some photographs courtesy of GWHC members.