Auchnafree Hill and Ben Chonzie

Munros

Ben Chonzie

Corbetts

Auchnafree Hill

Grahams

None

Bothies

None

Distance/Ascent

23km     1170m

Estimated Time

9h 00mins

Notes

View Auchnafree Hill in a larger map

11-12 August 2022

It had always been my intention to combine this walk with Meall na Fearna and Ben Vorlich, but I only had the Wednesday afternoon to Friday afternoon between picking up #2 son from golf camp to collecting #1 son from Perth train station, but this route was close to Perth so fitted in well with picking him up on the Friday afternoon. I had planned doing Creag Dhu on the way down but I was not quite packed and did not fancy climbing up the hill during the hottest part of a very hot day.
So the new plan was to leave around six and arrive at the Glenturret car park at around nine. However there was a serious road traffic accident Ralia between a car and a lorry resulting in fatalities. The road was closed with a diversion along the A86 to Laggan, which is hardly an A road, as lorries have to squeeze slowly past each other and then along the A889 to Dalwhinnie. I arrived at eh Glenturret Distillery at around half past midnight and decided to sleep in the back of the car there rather than driving up the glen to the start of the walk. I never at any time felt annoyed about the journey taking twice as long as expected; just grateful that I was not one of the poor souls in the accident.
It is not very comfortable in the back of a Vauxhall Corsa and I only used a fibre pile sleeping bag liner as I did not want to have to unpack my rucksack. There were a few camper vans and a tent at the Glenturret car park. It took me a little while to sort myself out before setting off in the sunshine.
I was glad that it was Thursday 11th:
I took a bit of a look at the dam and wondered how they mowed the steep banks in such straight lines:
This seems all very hi-tech. It does not indicate the target species.
I had always planned to take the long way round, using easy tracks and was looking for an easier walk, especially as I was carrying a big pack with camping gear. I saw a red kite but did not even bother trying to take a photo with a lens that was only 40mm at the long end, but I still stopped to take a few pictures along the way.....
.... until reaching the large cairn on Choinneachain Hill. This is the largest and most impressive cairn on the route and acts as a good viewpoint too, including the neighbouring Carn Chois - Ben Chonzie ridge and the more distant Stob Binnein and Ben More.
Near left: Carn Chois. Distant: Stob Binnein, Ben More, Ben Oss and Ben Lui. The top of Ben Chonzie is out of view to the right.
I initially intended to maintain as high an elevation as possible and head for the summit of Auchnafree hill across the open moorland but when I saw patches of peat gag and realised that keeping to the track did not mean much extra drop in height, I headed back NW to rejoin the track.
Eventually, I reached a cairn, where I alarmed a hare who ran around the cairn in circles like some sort of demented peak bagger, before stopping to check me out. It seemed OK about my presence until it heard the shutter of my camera. Perhaps it was camera shy? Having seen so many hares on my first ascent of Ben Chonzie, I had expected to see a lot more hares.
An explanation for a decline in the hares can be found here.
There is a second cairn approximately 100m away, which I took to be the true summit.
When searching for "SAIRSE" on the internet, I found an American-Irish actress born in 1994 and still alive. Further searching suggested that SAOIRSE is a dog.
​Posted by PGCE on hill-bagging.co.uk: "Small cairn may now be a larger one: I met a keeper on the summit rebuilding the cairn with added stone. When I asked, he said he was burying his favourite dog, which was 12 years old." Sorry if I was sitting on the dog's grave. Maybe its ghost chases the hares at night?
I did not stop long but headed NW towards Moine Bheag, where I stuck my feet in a puddle and went in up to my knees. As I tried to extract my leg, I felt strong pains in my calves. After the pain subsided, moving backwards and forwards created enough of a hole to extract myself. Odly enough, I did not do a selfie of myself doing this. You will need to use your imagination. Failing that, watch this clip.
Continuing onwards and upwards, I headed for Biorach a' Mheannain which lies above some crags and gives the finest view down Genturret.
After a short descent, there was a 200m rise up to the top of Ben Chonzie. There was quite a stiff breeze but the weather was set to remain clear into the next day and there was a circular cairn to provide shelter for cooking. Often, I find that the wind drops as the sun descends and this was to be one such occasion, with the tent barely flapping through the night.
 I had been careful with my water consumption and still had plenty for a night on the hill. ​
My pitch with the Ben Lawers range in the distance.
I had several visitors during the evening. Firstly two medical students from the University of Dundee, who had come up from Glenturret. Then, just as I was setting up my tripod for a 12 second shutter delay selfie, a lady with matching pink running shorts and shoes came onto the scene. She seemed to be avoiding me, sitting on the slopes overlooking Glenturret, but she finally came over to the cairn so I asked her to take my photo.
She was a polish lady, living in Creiff and had come up from Glen Lednock. If you are reading this, thank you!
Next up was a man on an electric bike, who had also come up from Invergeldie in Glen Lednock. From what he said, his ascent had been very quick, even if it was assisted with an electric motor. He was planning to continue over Carn Chois, which though it is a short rise, has quite a rocky summit. He said that he only had 21% charge left. Perhaps he is a very technical rider or maybe he skirted the top by the path on its north-east side?

​Either way, he was very sociable and I enjoyed chatting to him for a while. It is interesting to hear about people's routes and methods of reaching the summit.
I had thought about having a bit of a snooze and waking up for the sunset but there was just to much to take in around me. While chatting away to people, the "golden hour" had arrived!
The view towards approximately 250° from near the summit. The most prominent peaks just right of centre are Stob Binnien and Ben More. I rather like the bit of flaring in the photo. Some may consider it a weakness of the lens but I feel that it adds to the composition.
I did not feel that there was enough cloud for a truly dramatic sunset. However my 20-40mm lens is a little unusual in allowing me to stop down all the way to f1/32 and therefore is capable of producing decent sunstars. [40mm IS0200 1/100 sec]
There are a series of grouse buts near the summit, evidence of the estate's priority for having a good count during the grouse shoot over the conservation of the hare population. 
The camera is aimed at about 300° with the sun setting between Meall nan Tarmachan and Beinn Ghlas with the outlines of Ben Lawers, An Stuc and Meall Garbh clearly seen.
After the sun had set, it seemed to early to go to sleep and there was still enough light to potter about. The man with the electric bike had told me that there were two more behind him and though they never appeared at the summit, I could hear loud voices to the southwest, so I went for a wander to investigate.
There was what I took to be father and daughter who had set up camp. After initial greetings to my neighbours, I said (with a bit of a smile on my face) "actually, I have come over to ask if you wouldn't mind keeping the noise down". I'm glad to say that it was received with the humour that was intended with the man throwing back his head with laughter. It seemed they had hiked up to see the moon rise. He told me that it was a "sturgeon moon". I had never heard of this. All I knew was that a sturgeon was a fish that produced black caviar and I remember visiting the local museum in Worcester as a kid and seeing a stuffed sturgeon that had been caught in the River Severn many years before. I fished the Severn and wondered what it might be like to catch such a big fish. Many years on, I could not see how the moon could ever look like that fish.
As we chatted, the moon rose. I was amazed at it's (apparent) size and colour. I had left my camera in the tent and the photos on my phone do not do it justice. I wished that I had my 300mm lens but that would have added another kilo to my pack.
After a while, I returned to my tent and had one of the best night's sleep, ever! I usually wake up early when wild camping, but not on this occasion, sleeping through to past 7 a.m. After coffee and porridge, I broke camp and headed for Carn Chois. The last part was a steep, rocky climb and with it's trig point seemed like the best peak of the entire route, even though, as far as I am aware, it does not appear on any bagging list.
It is always good to look back at where you have been. Here, looking back at Ben Chonzie with Loch Turret to the right.
And finally, up over the style that gives access to the Turret Dam. This is a stitched photo, hence the slight fish-eye effect.
I had a good idea that my previous ascent was in 1992. It was a trip that I remember well. It was my first trip to the Highlands as a car owner, a Vauxhall Chevette or as my friends rudely called it a Vauxhall "Shove-it". I camped at Kenmore for two weeks, back when the village was far less developed. I really liked that campsite and the old man who owned it always seemed willing to do me a good deal. I think he set the price according to the appearance of people's cars? 

​I often look Munros up in my original SMC guide after my repeat ascents and while I never entered much information, I was surprised by what I saw. 
It was exactly 30 years to the day since my first ascent! 

I did not plan things that way, just pure coincidence. So what has changed in those thirty years?

The main thing that I remember most about Ben Chonzie was the number of mountain hares running over the slopes. This time, I only saw two and one of those was on Auchnafree Hill. Where did all the hares go? What happened to them all?

As for me, I had a lot more hairs on my head too! It is just as much of a mystery as to what happened to them!
​
I look forward to climbing the hill again on 11 August 2052, aged 89!