Made the trip to Sutherland yesterday and headed up the road from Ardgay towards Croik and down to Glencalvie Lodge. The Lodge and surrounding buildings are in great condition and well kept and it is like walking through a public park to get onto the footpath ( track ) that runs up Glen Calvie. E very quiet and beautiful glen with the remains of the Caledonian Pine Forest and some birch regeneration going on. The hill dominates the skyline as you approach and just past Diebidale ( another very fine building ) the track turns West and uphill and a clearly defined stalkers path continues north. this is one of the best stalkers paths I have walked on, nice easy angle, good surface and super route as the views open up gradually into the surrounding glens and open countryside. The path leads right up the obvious ridge to just below the west top where there is a cairned junction. Turning East leads onto the col and easy slopes lead to the circular cairn and trig point. Views yesterday were fantastic with Suilven, Cul Mor and Cul Beg standing out along with Ben Hope, Klibreck, Loyal and a multitude of other hills. A direct descent back to the track and an easy walk out gave a good 4 hour circuit of a fairly remote hill. Great Day !
"Richard Webb" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Epic.... path... That took some building...
The hill really does look like a scaled down Cairngorm.
Definitely has that feel to it and from the walk in the west top looks higher until up on the mini plateau wher the summit is obvious. Also has that short grassy / mossy / stony surface like many of the 'gorms
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BTW how come you were in Sutherland? Detour?
Probably a bit of poetic licence or just apathy on my part as I never think too much about counties or districts. When I put Ardgay into the sat nav in the car as the nearest town it came up as Sutherland so I mentally stuck the hill in the same box ! From what info I can find on google re the Glencalvie estate it also claims to be in Sutherland but it may well be that the summit of the hill is not. Easter Ross features greatly in a number of articles and claims Glen Diebidale lies in Easter Ross so I think I may need you or anyone else on the ng to clarify exactly where this hill lies. There is a "national boundary" running through the summit on the os map ?
There was a brief period of two tier local government, when Sutherland looked after some of Easter Ross under Highland Region. Similarly a big chunk of East Sutherland was lumped in with Caithness.
Thats probably where the confusion set in.
I know this because Sutherland used to have itsown tourist ads.. They claimed 5 M*nros.. WOndered if Foinaven had been given poetic licence (yes I know its very probably over 3000' anyway) but it turned out that they were claiming Seana Bhraigh.
One memory I have of the Carn Cuinneag was watching the estate helicopter whizzing around, especially when I was cooling off with a swim in the Calvie.
