Mullach Coire an Iubhair

Looking down to the loch on an ascent of Creag Pitridh and Geal Charn from the north shore.

Taken from the stalkers' path contouring round the end of Beinn A' Chlachair.

From the summit of Creag Pitridh a broad ridge descends initially to the west. Beyond is relatively low lying moorland with extensive forestry plantings. The snowed mountains include Chno Dearg and the Easains extending away to ever higher ones, ultimately reaching Ben Nevis, but that, probably, is obscured by the bulk of the Aonachs.

View south west from the summit of Geal Charn.

There are a number of hills with some variation of the name Geal Charn (meaning white stone or cairn) in the Scottish Highlands. These are high hills and still carried a lot of snow in this day in early May. Beinn a'Chlachair ('the stonemason's hill') also appears on the right of the photo.

Binnein Shuas, on the opposite side of Lochan na h-Earba is the smaller hill on the right of the photo.

A big and gentle corrie on the Ardverikie Estate. There is a very good pony path running up it almost to the summit of Mullach Coire an Iubhair, and this path is still used to bring deer off the hill.

Meall Buidhe is a top of Mullach Coire an Iubhair (aka Geal Charn). Here at over 800m, gentle slopes fall towards the Pattack with a big view across Badenoch. A view about to be "enhanced" by a row of big pylons.

The path runs across the face of Coire an Iubhair Mòr and on to the plateau at 1000m. However today it was buried under a massive hanging drift which had avalanche written all over it in big unfriendly letters, so I went up and down the easy ridge on the northern side of the corrie. The snow bank here is a familiar landmark in Badenoch and can be seen from a long way off. The path shows signs of still being used by ponies to bring shot deer off the hill. Some of the Ardverikie paths are disappearing into the peat, but most are still in very good condition.

From above it is obvious that the lower part of the ridge on the north side of Coire an Iubhair Mòr is a moraine. This is one of the bigger lumps of rock in the moraine and is a long way from any granite bedrock. The hill is made of slabby schists and some quartzite. The rock is about 3 x 2 x 2m in size. There is a pony path here and it runs across the face of Coire an Iubhair Mòr and on to the plateau at 1000m. However today it was buried under a massive hanging drift which looked distinctly unstable on a warm day, so I went up and down the easy ridge on the northern side of the corrie. The snow bank here is a familiar landmark in Badenoch.

... or yet another Geal Charn if seen from the west. The triangulation pillar is overshadowed by a huge and very well built cairn. There is no ambiguity about this summit.

Named Mullach Iubhair in the OS database this is a Vanessa tube pillar in quite good shape, 1049m above sea level. High enough to be snowed up after a very cold Spring. The snow was doing that strange trick of feeling hot, due to it reflecting the Sun's infra red radiation. I was well covered up - there is a lot of ultra violet flying around in late May too!

... also known as Mullach Coire an Iubhair. Someone is approaching the top by the usual approach route from the west. My route from Gallovie was over 30km long. Distances can be great in Ardverikie, but good tracks and paths speed you along the way. The quantity of snow was unusual for the time of year.

Jagged rocks decorate the eastern summit of Mullach Coire an Iubhair, perched above the very steep Sròn Garbh spur.

The plateau of Mullach Coire an Iubhair and a very Scandinavian scene of big flat topped hills under Summer snow. Solar radiation was being reflected from the snow giving a strange feeling of being heated from below. The view is of the hills either side of An Larig: Ben Alder, Geal Charn (1132m - Mullach Coire an Iubhair is also known as Geal Charn), Aonach Beag and Beinn Eibhinn on the south side of the Larig and Beinn a' Chlachair on the right side.

A view along the lip of Coire an Iubhair Mòr towards the summit above Sròn Garbh. This is the eastern of the two tops which gives Mullach Coire an Iubhair its distinctive appearance when seen from Badenoch. The huge drift has concealed the pony path which runs up from Moy.

A heathery top of Mullach Coire an Iubhair. Here a pony path crosses the lip of Coire an Iubhair Mòr at the head of the Allt Mhainisteir.