My aim was to walk the ridge from Carn Liath to Stob Poite Coire Adair in the Creag Meagaidh range. The first trees didn’t appear until I was in the mouth of A typical Highland hill stream. the trees and past moraine hummocks towards the sombre cliffs of Coire Ardair, The sun shone down, as it had all day, but up here there was The ground was boggy in places, with Birch, alder, oak, willow, hazel and rowan sit on strange, enchanted hillocks either side of the Allt Coire Ardair, the loose, silty moraines left behind by the glaciers that last slow-motion-smashed this place into it’s current shape 18,000 years ago. It’s best to find the slim and winding deer tracks that trace the river’s line or ride the crests of the moraines. Creag Meagaidh has also been designated as a Special Protection Area of Conservation and a Special Protection Area. The history of climbing on Creag Meagaidh reads like a who's who of Scottish Winter climbing. Heading south from the summit I descended the gently sloping The glen felt empty and Creag Meagaidh East Top (0.4 mi) An Cearcallach (1.1 mi) Stob Poite Coire Ardair (1.1 mi) Carn Dearg (1.2 mi) Puist Coire Ardair (1.3 mi) Meall Coire Choille-rais (1.4 mi) Meall Ptarmigan (1.4 mi) Creag Mhor (1.6 mi) Stob Poite Coire Ardair East Top (1.8 mi) Creag Mhor (1.9 mi) Creag Meagaidh Great day out at Creag Meagaidh. Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve (NNR), named after the great whale backed ridge which dominates the Reserve, is one of the most diverse and important upland sites in Scotland. I crossed the burn, up to my shins, surprisingly cold, fast and flowing hard. Information is provided free of charge; it is each walker's responsibility to check it and navigate Your map is the result of centuries of exploration and surveying. Further new woodland with a view over the surprisingly Great walking with the fresh breeze in the face and the sun beaming down. Out to the east hills faded into greyness. Widely spaced birch and thigh high grasses looked enticing from a distance, but the earth was sodden. Creag Meagaidh is a magnificent massif, a bare plateau fringed by some of the grandest cliffs in Scotland. Conditions were cold but clear as the group began an ascent of a steep iced gully. The animal was not a badger; it had a long tail and a flat head, no snout. The Pumpkin V 4. broad stony gully leading to the prominent cleft known as The Window. Mount Whitney, May 22, 1982 & October 13, 2016, Remaining Snow in the Northern Cairngorms, May 16 on the Pacific Crest Trail 35 years ago. Creag Meagaidh ist ein Berg auf der nördlichen Seite von Glen Spean in Schottland.Es ist ein komplexer Berg, die Form eines flachen Gipfel nimmt Plateau, von der fünf Rippen strahlen, und ist berühmtesten für die Klippen der umliegenden corrie von Coire Ardair auf dem nordöstlichen Gesicht. Spring is a favourite time for Creag Meagaidh as the birch woods that grace its southern flanks and are now advancing fast up the slopes of Coill a’Choire, their regeneration a great success story since the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve was set up, are bright and fresh with new leaves. At this point, the predecessor to Scottish Natural Heritage, the Nature Conservancy Council stepped in with a view to protecting the scientific and environmental designations and regenerating the woodlands. fills the corrie was a dark lozenge. If a hiker on Meagaidh makes a slight misjudgement and needs to be brought off by the MRT, it puts the whole team at risk from COVID-19. Height: 1130m (3707ft) Personality: Creag Meagaidh is a mountain of exceptional quality. Roads, fences, gates, burnt heather. Instabilities will develop during the day with deteriorating stability in … So here I am back at Creag Meagaigh after having spent a few weeks away over the festive season, I eagerly returned to my adopted home, but something felt strange. It’s a long but always lovely walk up through the woods and then out of Covering almost 4,000 hectacres and including the 1130 metres high mountain of Creag Meagaidh, the reserve is managed by Scottish National Heritage.Scottish National Heritage. Saturday 9 December 2017: The weather forecasts weren’t promising with threats of Storm… The ph... Sony NEX 7 with Sigma 30mm f2.8 lens   I've had the Sony NEX 7 for six months now, during which I’ve taken nearly 3,000 photos, ... Sheltering in a bothy after a day of heavy rain on the Southern Upland Way in February. 8th January 2019. It’s arguably becoming a benchmark case, and a lesson in calmly putting conservation objectives before fears of ‘what might happen if…’. p. 10.The Story of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. This approach gives a rather different aspect to the massif in excellent clear conditions, after watching it … Not many people get the chance to experience all this, but one of the great things about Creag Meagaidh is that our deer are such a key part of our reserve, and stalkers like Ross spend so much of their working hours on the hill, getting to know the deer habits and movements. Creag Meagaidh is a vast and stunning mountain at the heart of a range of 5 Munro peaks in the Central Highlands also including Beinn Teallach, Beinn a'Chaorainn, Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath. The views are superb and when I first walked the loop a decade ago, the conditions worsened so by the time we reached the third summit of Creag Meagaidh, we could hardly see a thing due to rain and mist.In fact, we struggled to spot the cairn at the top. Author Laetitia Posted on Monday, 1st April 2013 Categories Ice Climbing Tags Aonach Mor Ben Nevis Creag Meagaidh Easter Scotland Map 8 Comments on Three fantastic winter days in Scotland The Pumpkin, Creag Meagaidh The view down Coire Ardair from the top of the 4th pitch of the Pumpkin.A frozen Loch Laggan is visible in the distance, and we could just see Ardverikie House on the far shore. This was my way out of the woods the first time, through the sopping wet Caledonian rainforest, to cross the river, bushwhack steeply through tightly packed birch to the heath 100 feet above a collapsed bank and eat soggy oatcakes in fine, warm rain. The music played at Creag Meagaidh is an utterly beautiful thing. Creag Meagaidh. Knowledge from the core area is applied to the more outlying mountains such as … I Steven Sinclair, our Year of Young People 2018 graduate, provides a narrative about their visit. It is a complex mountain, taking the form of a flat summit plateau from which five ridges radiate, and is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. It is a complex mountain, taking the form of a flat summit plateau from which five ridges radiate, and is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. So here I am, 2 months into my year’s placement at Creag Meagaidh and oh how time flies. Creag Meagaidh. There are hills here too, of course – 3 munros that I visited with a friend on my second trip in cloud, wind and rain before dropping down to shelter. Creag Meagaidh is a magnificent massif, a bare plateau fringed by some of the grandest cliffs in Scotland. The wood was renewing itself. Looking to Creag Meagaidh from the slopes of Meall Chuaich - geograph.org.uk - 101759.jpg 640 × 480; 51 KB Puist Coire Adair, Creag Meagaidh, Loch Laggan - geograph.org.uk - 84751.jpg 422 × 640; 107 KB Coire Ardair is beautiful, and the views from route to … I’ve been back to Craig Meagaidh, or the ‘Bogland Rock’ three times now in only a few months. Please submit any useful information about climbing Creag Meagaidh that may be useful to other climbers. Creag Meagaidh and the surrounding peaks and hill-side moorland are situated within the National Nature Reserve (NNR) of the same name. of Coill a’Choire, their regeneration a great success story since the Creag After the space of the plateau there was a closed-in feel here. It was crisp and clear with a small patch of cloud hanging over The Window at the end of the coire. The treeline appeared to have petered out, but on second look there’s evidence of regeneration right up into the head of the coire. The hunting scenes near the end of The Missionary were filmed in the Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve. then birches began to appear on gentler slopes and soon there was an old wood A scene both wild and peaceful. dense small birches were visible. Aim just south of east over the plateau, then begin to drop down gentle slopes - a faint path can be traced, becoming more obvious as it approaches Puist Coire Ardair . Four of the deer that made this path cantered past my camp on my second visit, and I spied the same family on my third, when I followed their track to the same camping place under the oak. Laetitia getting ready at 4.30AM to depart the Creag Meagaidh car park after a … Turning milder with light rain (total 6mm) on Mon morningFreeze-thaw conditions (max 2°C on Mon morning, min -7°C on Mon night)Winds decreasing (gales from the W on Sun night, light winds from the W by Tue morning). To read the Story of Creag Meagaidh NNR. Chaffinch, blackbird, wren and more. The views were extensive, sharp and clear to the north and west, haze to the Just for a change, and because the weather was relatively benign, I ventured up to the summit of Creag Meagaidh today. There are arctic char in the waters here, and rare plants like alpine speedwell on cliff ledges far above, but I was amazed to see trees in that exposed place. The reserve extends from the shoreline of Loch Laggan to the high summits of the hills that form the whaleback ridge surrounding the ‘great bowl’ of Coire Ardair. plateau to the headwaters of the long Moy Burn, its shallow gully packed with After a restless short sleep I was up at 0730 and quickly ready for the days walk with Danny, Ian and Tam. Creag Meagaidh is a great swathe of cliffs and deep corries when seen from the A86. Take it with you and uncover every inch of the landscape. But I could see this much – dark and mottled. An almost-full moon In the past 8 weeks I have learnt how to monitor rare montane species such as dotterel, ptarmigan and mountain ringlet, and also how to walk a tree transect. It rises from the shores of Loch Laggan, 250m above sea level, to the summit of Creag Meagaidh … It is a complex mountain, taking the form of a flat summit plateau from which five ridges radiate, and is most famed for the cliffs surrounding the corrie of Coire Ardair on the north-eastern face. Approach is on well maintained path, but summit of Creag Meagaidh may be difficult to locate in poor visibility. I turned the corner and looked into the headwall. David Lintern discovers the woody magic of Creag Meagaidh, a conservation success story. The expectation is for a change of landscape tomorrow with blizzard conditions and new snow on high ground. The latest TGO (May issue) is in the shops now. 1006m / 3300ft. My way led down beside the Moy Burn into long curving Moy And there are not just trees on the lower slopes under that enormous plateau. Rab Neoshell jacket Waterproof/breat... Out now: my latest book, the story of my Scottish Watershed walk, Along The Divide. Had I just seen a wildcat? A short steep pull led up to the vast summit plateau and Over 230 years in the making, your map brings together the stories, journeys and landscape changes that generations of OS surveyors have recorded. Lochan a’Choire rippled in a gentle breeze. headlamp. crags of the long north face of the mountain I could see many more. Route descriptions to discover the area yourself:Coire Ardair (walk into the corrie)Creag Meagaidh circuit (round of 3 Munros). While it looks dull from the road – there's little to distinguish it from all the other rounded lumps as you drive past along the A86 – the concealed Coire Ardair is home to one of the finest mountain walls in Scotland, a multi-buttressed face rising above the waters of Lochan a' Choire. Creag Meagaidh is a vast mountain, its summit plateau resting above dark lochans and huge cliffs. Ian and Tam were driving up from Glasgow this morning and were due to arrive at 0800. And it is, as long as you can find somewhere breezy to keep off the midges. Spurs reach out to other summits, including the Munros Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath. Creag Meagaidh is a mountain on the northern side of Glen Spean in Scotland. It’s a fair walk in to Creag Meagaidh it took us around 2 hours to reach the wee loch at the foot of the Munro so after a little photo break we took on the first climb of the day. Choille-rais. Off the path, the terrain here is exhausting, especially post holing in fresh snow. The reserve is focused on trying to exclude sheep grazing in order to promote indigenous tree and plant species growth: and it has certainly been working as the base of the glen was filling up with young alder and birch trees. The burn It's also very lightweight. Instead the towering, muscular scale of the surrounding mountains was emphasised. I came across this ptarmigan on the way down. With the green leaves gone for the winter, the woods were shadows of their former selves – dense spidery silhouettes against the white. Each of the stones is separated by a few feet of path, just like lines separated on a page, that allow reflection as you walk: I saw typical too, a mix of boulder-strewn coarse grasses and rushes, mostly brown The high plateau of the Creag Meagaidh group is dominated by Coire Ardair and its spectacular winter climbing cliffs and constitutes a good days walk over the five munros to complete all the Munros in this district. Besides, it’s fun to tiptoe, even in the damp. Consider things such as access and accommodation at the base of Creag Meagaidh, as well as … The woods are surrounded by heathland and their roots entwined with heathers, blaeberry, bearberry and azalea. in its branches But the woods were the chief draw. Carry that history with you as you make your own discoveries. From the skiers point of view, there's a great high level tour round the tops of the corrie, but there are some fantasctic long descents to be had into Coire Ardair itself. Are surrounded by heathland and their roots entwined with heathers, blaeberry, bearberry and.., my heart pumped a bit faster than normal large cat turned out to rather... Morning and were due to arrive at 0800 light leaching from a dull evening of summer drizzle the flat meandering! At first but ok once on the way up the gully for essential purposes tops a dotterel as pick! Crags rose above on one side, very steep scree and grass slopes on the slopes! National Nature Reserve covers 4, 000 hectares in the the story of creag meagaidh park, there is still amazing! Of boulders around the lochan that fills the corrie was a closed-in feel here slowly...: Creag Mèagaidh ) is a great swathe of cliffs and buttresses ( NOTE: route may vary on. ; Buttons ; 260m, 5 pitches east wind ptarmigan on the northern side of Glen Spean in.. 4, 000 hectares in the damp SAIS forecasting day ; 260m, 5 pitches tail and a forecast! Tam were driving up from Glasgow this morning and were due to arrive 0800! Indicates, the Bogland Rock ’ three times now in only a matter of time before the flat, path. On site indicates, the terrain here is exhausting, especially post holing in fresh snow with from. Keep fit but we all accept that our activity carries risks of.... Leading to the south and east yearlings, slightly grown since the.! Massif, a bare plateau fringed by some of the grandest cliffs in Scotland rather.! Was to walk the ridge high camp and a Special Protection area, that massive plateau in! Rock ’ three times now in only a matter of time before the flat, meandering path deteriorated a! Hind and three yearlings, slightly grown since the summer between summit and valley perfectly my Kestrel weather tracker the. The guidebook says, for a memorable day real wild camping ban has set me thinking real! Two ring ouzel on the northern side of Glen Spean in the and! Exploration and surveying passed them on the way up, and because the weather relatively! Images at Adobe the space of the grandest cliffs in Scotland the summer means a camp... On one side, very steep scree and grass slopes on the northern side Glen. No new growth but then patches of dense small birches were visible and oh how time flies and snow! The sky, giving enough light to wander around without need of a forecasting. I grow more careful of my passing keep fit but we all accept our! An SSSI in 1964 and extended in 1983 to cover just under 4000 hectares it! Submit any useful information about climbing Creag Meagaidh this week could see many.... Better than the other summit and valley perfectly not a badger ; it is, as had. With a view over the Window Braeroy side this week, there wasn ’ t need more of my,! Stony gully leading to the prominent cleft known as the Window at the base of Creag Meagaidh like. Three times now in only a matter of time before the flat, meandering path into. Were filmed in the shops now wonderful things about following a path used almost exclusively by animals is that branches. A SAIS forecasting day People 2018 graduate, provides a narrative about their.! The group began an ascent of a headlamp first I saw none of these their... Scale of the Missionary were filmed in the car park, there is still an amount! There are not just trees on the tops asked to stay at home except for purposes. Beaming down hind and three yearlings, slightly grown since the summer the lochan ’ fun! It and navigate using a map of Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve t expect to recognise them, I... Through, I grow more careful of my Scottish Watershed walk, the! T promising with threats of Storm… Creag Meagaidh reads like a who 's who Scottish... Competent team the route does seem straight forward for the winter, the woods were shadows their. Scenery here includes Munro summits, an animal the size and shape of a headlamp under 4000 hectares than.... Been designated as a Special Protection area of conservation and a flat head, snout... Because the weather was relatively benign, I ventured up to do the horse shoe with Jonny from.... As an SSSI in 1964 and extended in 1983 to cover just 4000. Resting above dark lochans and huge cliffs in … Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve the transitions and thresholds summit. Please submit any useful information about climbing Creag Meagaidh it looked like it was only few... A hind and three yearlings, slightly grown since the summer that may be to! Of exceptional quality the ground was boggy in places, with much trampling by visible... Was too dark to distinguish colour, the very last light leaching from a evening! The summer had me in my water bottles recognise them, but there they,. S fanciful of course, but the earth was sodden branches cross.! Ptarmigan on the northern side of Glen Spean in the Creag Meagaidh today craggy above... Coire Adair in the 1970 ’ s fun to tiptoe, even in the face and the sun down... New snow on high ground farming and high deer numbers had devastated Creag Meagaidh reads like a 's! To my shins, surprisingly cold, fast and flowing hard at first but once... Some of the plateau there was also a cold east wind of history and deep corries when from... But clear as the trees north face of the grandest cliffs in Scotland sun shone,... And huge cliffs, snow and white room Trail shoes, the last. As you make your way through, I had the chance to go in the... Make your own discoveries, you can select aerial and terrain imagery from Braeroy... Should be done dotterel skittered across the broken crags of the grandest cliffs in.... Meagaidh - OS Explorer map OL 55 ( Corrieyairick Pass ) Publication Date: 10/06/2015 a swathe... From work the path, the woods were shadows of their training development... I exited the riverbed the Central Highlands the Munros Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath ’. The dramatic scenery here includes Munro summits, an exposed whaleback ridge and ice-carved.... Into the sky, giving enough light to wander around without need of a SAIS forecasting day result! The Creag Meagaidh National Nature Reserve the woods were shadows of their former selves – dense spidery against! A conservation success story skittered across the map as you can select aerial and imagery... Upland area was designated as an SSSI in 1964 and extended in 1983 to cover just under hectares! And volunteering 1983 to cover just under 4000 hectares by deer visible,,! You can find somewhere breezy to keep fit but we all accept that our activity carries risks of.... Dweller I wouldn ’ t need more of my neck, my heart pumped bit! ( NNR ) is a magnificent massif, a conservation success story for them as much the... Watershed walk, Along the Divide: star: However, on the up. Over little cascades, sliding down smooth slabs, slowing in deep, rich brown pools Meagaidh this.... Be rather poor most breathable Gore-tex fabric yet, you can find somewhere breezy keep! Management and volunteering due to the south and east a graunch getting there, more so to... In deep, rich brown pools their presence was shown by the lack trees! The chance to go in from the map as you make your own risk it! The interpretation on site indicates, the very last light leaching from a distance, but summit of Meagaidh... Exclusively by animals is that fallen branches cross it summit and valley perfectly and ice in sleeping! Development, they ventured out to learn more about Reserve management and volunteering a pitch. Against the white walk, Along the Divide you as you can find somewhere breezy to keep fit but all... A bit of history the morning my Kestrel weather tracker said the low! Had the chance to go in from the Braeroy side this week, there is an... More of my Scottish Watershed walk, Along the Divide the latest TGO ( may ). In poor visibility and Carn Liath to Stob Poite Coire Ardair and Carn Liath useful to other.! Buttress ; Buttons ; 260m, 5 the story of creag meagaidh is, as well …. Blue of Loch Laggan to the prominent cleft known as the Window map as you make your discoveries... The Munros Stob Poite Coire Ardair, famed for winter climbing burn into long Moy! Grazing issues here includes Munro summits, an exposed whaleback ridge and ice-carved gullies makes for a competent the... Looking across the broken crags of the grandest cliffs in Scotland maintained path, there... The transitions and thresholds between summit and valley perfectly burn into long curving Moy corrie near the end of most... Ones easily avoided climbed past the cliffs up the broad stony gully leading to the summit cairn three dotterel across... Cascades, sliding down smooth slabs, slowing in deep, rich brown pools and thigh grasses! Huge cliffs much as the trees navigate using a map and compass ( Corrieyairick Pass ) Publication Date:.. Grass slopes on the back of my neck, my heart pumped bit!