Climbing Geal Charn: map & data
Total climbing: 707 m
Total time: 07:03:34
8.2 mile walk in 7h from 08.45 to 15.45 – average 1.2 mph
This was our third excursion on our Laggan holiday.
After checking the maps and the weather forecast, Simon suggested that we climb another Munro.
By Garva Bridge
We got up before dawn and were in the car by 7.45 am. It was a most pleasant morning with no wind.
After a short ride, we parked the car next to the romantic-looking Garva Bridge. This beautiful two-arched bridge was constructed by General Wade and completed in 1732.
8.18 – Garva Bridge over the River Spey
We faffed about for a short while by the bridge, and then headed for Geal Charn, our Munro.
8.53 – A luxury path, but not for long
We walked up following the beautiful Feith Talagain stream.
The ascent to Geal Charn is a gentle climb that doesn’t get too steep at any stage. Also, at least according to our guidebook, it’s a boggy mess. But we didn’t find it so.
9.44 – Geal Charn behind thick cloud
As we ascended, we got closer and closer to the cloud base. It looked as if Nature was bringing down the curtain.
10.19 – Looking back towards Garva Bridge
A little mystery
When you’re out and about on the Scottish hills, you often see those white pellets. I’ve always wondered what they are, and today I’ve finally found the answer.
It’s grit. You see, grouse feed on tough heather, and grit helps them grind up and release the heather nutrients.
That’s one mystery solved.
10.31 – Grouse grit
Here and there, we saw plenty of grouse flying off and making their usual call, which reminds me of a bark.
We also spotted a couple of big fat frogs. Or rather, Simon did. The first one escaped my camera, but here’s the second one, trying to go unnoticed.
10.34 – A jumpy frog having a rest
We had to ford the Feith Talagain stream at some point, and here was the perfect place.
10.43 – Simon fording the Feith Talagain
When rivers are in spate I reckon it must be tricky to ford Feith Talagain. But with not too much current and a pair of poles it’s easy-peasy.
Specially if you just go for it, instead of hesitating and picturing your glorious bum in the water, like I used to do.
11.06 – Thick cloud descending
The cloud kept descending and soon we were engulfed in quite a thick fog. I wasn’t as thick as we’ve had it other times, but the visibility was pretty low.
Finding our way up the hill
As we all know by now, with a map and compass Simon can find just about any path that exists. So up we went.
11.45 – Getting steeper & foggier
I say “that exists” because on our previous climb we’d had a surreal experience with an elusive path.
11.56 – Maria disappearing in the fog *
There was no snow on Geal Charn. Two days before we’d got snow near the top of Carn Liath, but today the snow was mostly gone. The temperature had gone up the day before, plus there had been some rain in the meantime.
This teeny-weeny white spot was all the snow we encountered.
12.17 – Snow!!!
The top of Geal Charn is somewhat evasive. Geal Charn is one of those Munros with a flat top and a cairn somewhere on it. Somewhere.
On a clear day it’d be straightforward to locate the cairn, but today we had to keep guessing.
Finding the cairn
The first plateau you reach is a false alarm. Then comes another stretch of climbing, a rocky area, and eventually you get to the plateau with the cairn.
But the search is well worth it, because the cairn is impressive. One of the biggest I’ve ever seen. Here it is.
12.29 – Maria & the huge Geal Charn cairn *
It hadn’t been too windy until now, but it was gusty at the summit.
Going down we were facing the wind, but it wasn’t nearly as cold as it’d been on Tuesday, when we had to use hand warmers.
In fact, when we got back to the cottage, we heard on the news that it’d been the warmest February day in Scotland on record. 18.3º in Aberdeenshire.
13.12 – Simon surveying the way back
For the way down, Simon chose a different route.
Like the day before when we went up Carn Liath, the descent was easier than I’d expected. At times it was boggy, but nothing tragic.
13.47 – Back at the Feith Talagain
The elegant Feith Talagain
I loved walking down along the stream. The sun was now coming out, the little wind we’d had was gone, and the winter light was gorgeous.
That terrific sound water makes is magical, and this stream is particularly noisy because of all the miniature waterfalls along the way.
14.21 – Our lunch spot
We never saw other walkers all day until we had been descending for an hour.
According to the guidebook, Geal Charn isn’t a popular Munro because it’s an isolated hill. That’s also one of the reasons why we chose it.
15.01 – The wonderfully noisy Allt Coire Iain Oig
Unlike the day before when we didn’t spot any wildlife, this time we saw a mountain hare in its winter coat. There was no snow on the ground, so we could see the white hare in all its splendour against the dark ground.
15.20 – Back at the start
We were staring at the white hare and it was staring at us. Then it ran away and suddenly stopped to look around, as if surveying its land.
It seemed to be unaware of its camouflage failure.
15.32 – The beautiful emblem of the Cairngorms National Park
It was another great day out. I loved the noisy waterfalls, the hare, the gigantic cairn and, above all, I loved the fog.
As Simon once said: when we’re surrounded by fog on a hill, we’re in our tiny secret world, with no one else in it. We’re in paradise.
I took all the photos with the Panasonic.
* Simon took this photo.