munros	Carn Bhac (946m, Munro 221) Beinn Iutharn Mhor (1045m, Munro 88) Carn an Righ (1029m, Munro 102) Glas Tulaichean (1051m, Munro 79) An Socach (944m, Munro 227)
ascent	2050m (6,725ft)
distance	40km (25 miles)
time	bike/run : 6:40hr, bike/walk : 10:30hr*  *Naismith's rule : 4km/h distance + 600m/h ascent, 10km/h on bike
profile	view profile of the main route
location	view map of location
start/finish	Inverey (grid ref : NO089892)
maps/guides	This area is covered by 1 OS Landranger 1:50000 and 2 OS Explorer 1:25000 maps :
GPX data	download a GPX file of the main route
terrain	easy difficult
navigation	easy testing
effort	stroll long day
scenery	ok stunning
images	view photos of the route and hills

main route summary
An 8km cycle along a good track from the ruins of Altanour Lodge, brings you to the start of a circuit of 5 munros. The terrain is easy, being heather and grass covered, with rocky ground confined mainly to the summits. The route however has very little in the way of good paths, therefore your navigation skills will be tested on misty days, particularly on the featureless landscape between Beinn Iutharn Mhor and Carn Bhac.


main route outline

Getting there
From Braemar, drive west to Invervey, where opposite a row of houses and by a memorial, there is the start of a track heading south with an area to park several cars.

Approach in to Altanour Lodge ruin
Get on your mountain-bike and cycle down Glen Ey on this track, initially past a large house and some old forest for just under 1km to a bridge. The ascent steepens suddenly, so cycle hard and to show off to your mates who have had to get off and push their bikes. The ascent finishes as abruptly as it starts, and from here on, the track continues fairly flat with only a few gently rises to contend with. Deer gather in this glen - cycling with them as they gallop is quite exhilarating. The track crosses the river at two more locations, the last just before the old trees and ruins of Altanour Lodge. Drop your bike off at the ruin.

Carn Bhac
From the ruin, follow a path on grass heading south-west from the lodge. This path splits, keep right, staying on the north side of the Alltan Odhar. The path progressively becomes fainter and eventually disappears in to the heather around 2km after leaving the lodge ruins. Further up on Carn Bhac's gentle heather covered slopes, bands of stones are crossed, which indicate the summit is not much further. Stoney ground on the summit surrounds the large cairn and views are quite exceptional considering this hill's flat shape and diminutive height when compared to the mountains all around.

Beinn Iuthan Mhor
From Carn Bhac's summit, head south-west for the col, from where the route around the top (marked 920 on map) to continue south to the next rise, is obvious. In mist however, due to the featureless ground, it may be wiser to attain the top, then bear south for 1km over the grass and peat hags. Continue over the rise (marked 818) down to the base of a dip, then climb up a gentle rise (on a very faint path), to reach the bottom of Beinn Iutharn's bouldery north-east shoulder. There's no choice but to head up the steep loose terrain ahead ! Once on the shoulder's crest, an obvious path is followed around the northern coire to the tidy cairn on the summit.

Carn an Righ
Leave the cairn and head south, then south-east-south for just under 1km over grass to a col. A path appears, follow this south, then south-west-south around Mam nan Carn, then pick up this hill's bouldery south-west shoulder and continue to the peat-hagged bealach below Carn an Righ. Follow a badly erroded path up the heather to the bouldery areas higher up and the summit cairn with its fine vista over Beinn a'Ghlo.

Glas Tulaichean
Return to the bealach, then leave the path and bound over heather to follow a burn south-east down to the grassy foot of Glas Tulaichean. Aim ses directly up hill on grassy, occasionally wet and ever steepening ground to reach the hill's western shoulder with its fence posts and track. The fence posts continue to the summit with its lonely trig point. Being elevated from all its immediate neighbours, this hill has some fine views in all directions.

An Socach
Staying on a path, leave the summit and head north-east following occasional fence-posts. The path continues down to 800m, where you have a choice to go around, or climb up over a 50m hillock - go up and you'll be rewarded with a view over Loch nan Eun, so called due to the number of gulls that nest there in the breeding season. Cross the burn coming out of the loch, and now on pathless heather covered ground, continue north-east for 2km to the foot of An Socach's western summit, where a path starts to appear. Follow up this path which disappears abruptly into the hillside just as the steep bouldery ground is reached. Very loose ground with boulders and heather requires some concentration to ascend, but is soon starts to flatten out to the long summit plateau. There are two cairns on the summit - take your pick !

Return
Aim north over bouldery ground, following a faint path for just under 1km, which then gives way to a steep heather covered descent. The heather thickens further down, but a path can be found to follow to the bridge over a minor gorge in the Alltan Odhar, just by Altanour Lodge. This bridge was looking a bit nackered on my last visit ! Pick up your bike and head back to Inverey.