Melgarve and the Corrieyairick
I’d considered spending New Year’s Eve at Melgarve, but it’s just too easy to get to. A glance through the bothy book revealed too many barely legible scribbles extolling the virtues of Buckfast for my liking. Even as I left the first cars were rattling in along the gravel road. I hastily made my excuses and left for a secluded woodland pitch I’d noted earlier.
After a mild night, wind and rain, I crossed the Corrieyairick Pass the next morning, abandoning any Corbett plans in the face of the ongoing dismal weather. The Corrieyairick is one of General Wade’s old military roads (google it), zig-zagging up close to the 800m contour as it heads over to the Great Glen. I was last this way 10-11 years ago, riding a short travel hardtail over rocks like babys’ heads. The track seems to have been resurfaced since but it’s still a high, wild route in winter. I got my head down, slogging over the top through wind driven snow across well consolidated drifts, then descending into freezing sleet on the western slopes.
After a chilly night at Blackburn I dropped into Fort Augustus to buy new supplies before heading back to the hills. More storms on the way…
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