Eastern Monadhliath Munros

An Leithir Hut and Creag Dhubh

The route start just a few miles outside Newtonmore at the end of the public road heading into Glen Banchor. To get there, from half way along Newtonmore's main street, by the Letterbox Restaurant, there is the entrance to Glen Road. This narrow road twists uphill past several houses into open moorland. Continuing for another mile or so to the road end, which terminates at a bridge just after a rough car-park which has room for around 10 cars.

Approaching A'Chailleach's summit

Immediately before this car-park, there is a track heading up the side of foresty. Follow this track, through gate for just over 1km.

At a sharp turning in the track, there is a path off left (this may be indicated by a small cairn, tho it wasn't on our last visit).The path leads down to a bridge crossing the burn hidden in the heather below.

Over the bridge, follow a faint path over wet and grassy ground heading northwards and travelling parallel to the burn.The path begins to turn, then head uphill to cross a minor burn.

Further on and in a hollow, An Leitir hut is met - carvings on wood inside are over 100 years old!

Follow a faint path uphill from behind the hut, getting more obvious as it ascends.

The path levels off in heather and peat before a last direct haul to the summit of A'Chailleach . A large cairn on the top provides shelter out of wind!

Heading to Carn Sgulain

From A'Chailleach's summit, aim due north, on a faint path at first. The path disappears as the ground drops progressively more steeply down to a burn (the Allt Cuil na Caillich).

Cross this burn and continue north over rough, wet and peaty ground until a line of fence-posts is reached.

Turn right (east) and follow fence-posts for less than half a kilometre to Carn Sgulain's small untidy cairns - the first of these two cairns marks the highest point.

Returning to Glen Banchor

From Carn Sgulain's summit cairn, head north-east to the other cairn, then continue for a further 200m or so.

Turn south-east and hike over grassy ground towards Am Bodach, losing height. I went around Am Bodach to minimise ascent, avoiding the steep rocky ground at its south-west end.Beyond, lose some more height (never too steeply) and pick up faint trods to meet up with an estate track .

Follow the estate track for around 2km until it does an obvious turn south-east .Leave the track and head south on a trod, cutting through bracken. Cross a burn (the Allt na Feith Buidhe, there is a bridge at NH706010 ), then pick up ATV tracks and then a track to follow back to the roadside around 1km east of the start point.