Day 10
Sunday 20th May - Glen Builg to Shieling at NJ271129
My OS map suggests two further crossings of the same burn below this, but these were not needed - the path continues on the same side. (The marked bridge crossing the burn to lead up Glen Avon, however, is badly damaged. Two other Challengers had found this, heading in the opposite direction, for Ballater and Tarfside.) At Inchrory, I headed north up the shoulder of Bad a'Ghuail, and on over Creag Vannin and Tolm Buirich. Although mainly rough and pathless, the terrain wasn't too bad, and for once I decided to listen to some Sunday morning radio on the trail. When it came to the Desert Island Discs choices of Greg Dyke, Bruce Springsteen certainly put a spring in my step!
So all was well with the world... until I reached Carn Ealasaid, which despite its lovely name proved a purgatory of peathags, mercifully dry but extending for miles, and huge, so that when I had to descend into some, they were far above my head. To add insult to injury, a band of rain appeared visibly to follow me along the ridge! Those hags were followed by deep heather for a long contour, and it took hours for me to fight my way to the road just below the Lecht ski area. As I crossed over to the hills opposite, I abandoned any hope of a nice dry romp along the tops of the Ladder Hills! (Ian Shiel had warned me I might find it boggy up there...the understatement of the year. Why didn't I listen?)
I cut up and over the tussocky heather, seeing lots of red and black grouse and mountain hares (one of which appeared to sit for her portrait), to a building marked on the map as "Shiel"; this wasn't a bothy, it was locked, but it provided sheltered flat green camping by a burn, with sunlight at last - and hailstones to follow.
