Carn an Tuirc 1019m, Cairn of Claise 1064m, Glas Maol 1068m, Creag Leacach 943m (4 Munros)
One of the differences between Eastern Cairngorm Munros and West coast Munros is that you start much higher – in fact starting at 660m on the Cairnwell Pass, near the Glenshee ski centre, felt a bit like cheating. But after walking 19.5km with a total ascent of 1033m it certainly felt like we’d had a strenuous day out. Good visibility, warm weather and mostly light breezes made the long walk across the tops very pleasant. As added bonuses there were 6 very confiding Dotterel at the top of Cairn of Claise and a pair of Dunlin at the top of Glas Maol – although we see thousands of Dunlin wintering in the Thames Estuary, very few breed in Britain – this is the first time we have come across a breeding pair. Other wildlife seen included the usual Ptarmigan, Red Grouse, Red Deer and Mountain Hare. We followed the Walk Highlands route which ends with a 4km drag along the A93 back to the car park. I left my bike at the ski centre so that I could free-wheel the downhill 2km of this.