38km bike/hike. Anti-clockwise Munro circuit taking in subsidiary tops. Warm dry sunny weather so shorts, sun cream, sunglasses and sun hat a must!

My first day in the hills post COVID lockdown and minus the usual summer tourists Braemar was tumbleweed quiet (
From Inverey car park the 9km cycle up Glen Ey to Altanour took 1hr (the 170m altitude gain came in useful later as the return cycle/freewheel was just 30 minutes). My 20km walk took 6h50 and was remote and generally pathless.

With most of this walk spent above 800m elevation traversing summit plateaux and navigating the expanse of marsh/peat hags between the two Munros, I recommend these hills for favourable weather when the far ranging views and sense of remoteness and unspoilt isolation can be savoured instead of peering at GPS equipment in a foggy bog miles from anywhere! Visibility was excellent and nice to say that not a single wind turbine was visible anywhere; pretty rare nowadays! Loch nan Eun looked pretty at the end - it’s a noted spot for wild camping and sure enough I could see a couple of tents (hopefully good ones as prolonged heavy rain was moving in that night!)

My descent route worked out well: 150m SW from Iutharn Beag’s cairn (at a green grassy ramp) I found a definite path slanting down to towards Loch nan Eun then cut back off pathless down grassy ramps to the Allt Beinn Iutharn. This incised stream has flat narrow grassy shoulders which I could generally follow all the way to Altanour, pathless but quick thanks to the prevailing dry conditions (but impossible if water levels are high)

Carn Bhac - Munro
Carn Bhac SW top - Munro Top
Carn a Bhutha - Subsimm, Deleted Munro Top
Beinn Iutharn Mhor - Munro
Mam nan Carn - Munro Top
Beinn Iutharn Beag - Munro Top