Blair Atholl Munro Trip

In July 2025 I took myself up to Blair Atholl with my bike and my tent. This was my first solo camping trip and my first solo Munros. The main aim was to do the 5 Munros that are accessible from Blair Atholl. From the train station these all have a pretty long walk in so I brought my bike with me too. The journey up was actually really easy as there is a direct train from Edinburgh. I had been patiently waiting all summer for a patch of good weather and, when it came, it came in the form of a heatwave. It was about 30° that whole weekend but at least it burnt off the midges and I didn't have to worry about carrying too many layers!

On arrival, I cycled up to the base of the first hill and set up camp there. It was a lovely secluded spot with a burn next to it for cooking. I stayed two nights there which was ideal as I didn't have to pack up the tent twice. On the first day I did the three summits of Beinn a’ Ghlò which was a really great hike and it wasn't too hard going between the summits. The main concern over the weekend was finding enough water in the heat and I was extremely glad to have my life straw which allowed me to fill my bottles at every burn I found. There is a good path all the way and there were lots of other walkers around so I felt pretty safe. It was a clear day and the views were magnificent. The way down was quite tough with the full midday sun out and I was happy to see my tent again!

On the second day I tackled Carn a'Chlamain. I packed up all my stuff, cycled back down into Blair Atholl and then out again the other side and up the start of the Munro until I found a suitable campsite. I stashed my tent and cooking equipment nearby and continued with my bike up to where the hill gets steep. It's a particularly long walk in to this hill so I was glad to be doing it by bike, as most people recommend. It was another scorching day so the climb was tough but I made it! There was a river at the bottom of the hill where I left my bike and I was dreaming of the cold water all the way down! Getting to paddle in it and have fresh drinking water was the best feeling ever! On this hill I met another girl who was climbing alone and so we walked together for a bit which was nice. I also had a long chat with a couple on the summit. Everyone was very friendly! Once I had cycled back to my tent I set up for the next two nights in a clearing in the woods. It was good to be in the shade of the trees as this kept the temperature down a bit.

Day three began with a challenging bike ride up the first section of Beinn Dearg. I'm not a fan of cycling up hills and this was most definitely a hill. Also not helped by being overtaken at speed by several other cyclists. However, I eventually made it up to the start of the "real hill" and the walking section turned out to be relatively easy, not long at all. Spectacular views from the top and I met a couple of the same people from the day before. The cycle back was also pretty challenging as the track was extremely bumpy but, still, it would have been a very long walk so I was glad to have the bike. There is a bothy half way up and I had considered staying there but in the end didn't and I think it was the right decision as it wouldn't have been great to carry all my stuff up that far.

In fact, I had been planning to have a rest day on day 2 but the weather was looking dodgy for day 4 so I'd decided to just plough on with the Munros since I was still feeling good. The change of plan meant that I had a day to spare before my train back. Sure enough, day 4 was a wet one and I went for a low-level cycle along to the falls of Bruar. The waterfalls were lovely and I had a nice walk around the area under the shelter of the trees. I went to a cafe and treated myself to a delicious lunch. I also bought a new lighter from the shop as mine had given up and I'd had to eat raw noodles for dinner the night before! By late afternoon the rain had really set in so I found a place to camp in the centre of Blair Atholl and got into my tent. The following day I still had a free morning so I decided to cycle along to Pitlochry and catch the train back to Edinburgh from there. It was another nice cycle ride.

This trip gave me a lot of time alone. It was probably the most alone I've ever been because normally I stay in hostels when I travel so I'm always interacting with other people. Being completely isolated in a tent and not even going to shops for a couple of days was a new experience. I was also trying to conserve my phone battery as much as possible so I wasn't going on social media, watching videos or doing any of the things I'd usually do. Instead I did a lot of reading and writing and just accepted the time alone with myself. It was actually a very serene, almost restorative, experience. I felt completely at peace fending for myself in the hills with these tough physical challenges every day and the beauty of the natural environment around me. It was nice to completely disconnect from the internet and to soak in my surroundings. However, I will say that I probably wouldn't want to do it for more than about 5 days!

All in all, I was delighted to bag another 5 Munros and bring my total up to 16. I've got many more Munros trips planned for next summer already!