[RWD version 1 ] These two hills are usually visited either from Glen Feshie to the west or from Linn of Dee to the south-east. This track was recorded using the Linn of Dee approach. According to the latest edition of the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) guide to the Munros, the Glen Feshie route is 29kms with 1520m of ascent, and the Linn of Dee route is 32 kms with 1275m ascent. A strong bicycle can be used on approximately 15kms of the Linn of Dee route and a mountain bike was used when recording this track.
Paid parking is available at the Linn of Dee carpark operated by the National Trust for Scotland (NTS) grid reference NO 063 897. Parking is free for NTS or National Trust members. The parking ticket machines only take coins as there is no mobile phone signal at the car park. In 2022 the parking charge was £3 per day.
There had been torrential rain the night before this track was recorded. The Dee had burst its banks and floodwaters had extended over any flat land near the river. The track from the Linn of Dee to the White Bridge is quite good, although a little rough in the places, especially on stretches where the stones used to form the track are quite large. After crossing the Dee at White Bridge, stay on the west bank and follow the Dee west then northwest. The track now becomes very narrow and quite rough with a lot of water cuts requiring several dismounts. Because of this, the value of continuing to cycle as far as Allt Iarnaidh as described in the SMC guide is questionable. The bicycle was left at NN99840 89536 and about 200m farther on, the Allt Iarnaidh was crossed easily enough despite the overnight deluge. A faint path through the lower, boggy ground was followed, the ground improving with the climb towards the rocky 942m summit of Càrn Cloich-mhuillin, NN9686 9068.
Summit cairn Càrn Cloich-mhuillin with Beinn Bhrotain beyond
This hill was classified as a Munro until demoted by the 1981 committee. It was the Munro that Sir Hugh was saving for his last Munro, but he died in 1919 while performing charitable work in France before he could visit it. Leaving Càrn Cloich-mhuillin, a descent across a slope strewn with boulders leads to a wide col and the ascent of Beinn Bhrotain to its 1157m summit at NN9541 9228, where there is a cylindrical trig pillar set within a wind shelter and another wind shelter nearby.
Trig Pillar Beinn Bhrotain
Leaving Beinn Bhrotain for Monadh Mòr, the northwest slope of Beinn Bhrotain leading to the col at 975m is covered with large boulders. It is easy enough to negotiate the boulders as the slope is not too steep and the boulders are fairly stable, but care is needed. Nearer the col, faint paths emerged and there was a distinct path from the col climbing the slopes of Monadh Mòr. The summit cairn of Monadh Mòr, 1113m, at NN9386 9421, is almost 2kms from the col at 975m.

Monadh Mòr from Beinn Bhrotain’s north west slopes
The heavy rain that had fallen during the previous 24 hours made a return via Glen Geusachan a less than appealing prospect than returning over Beinn Bhrotain.
Then, after ascending Ben Bhrotain’s bouldery NW slope, although easier than descending it, the option of ascending the stony ground to return over Càrn Cloich-mhuillin’s summit was not very attractive either. Returning by going over to the Northeast spur of Càrn Cloich-mhuillin was more inviting and looked like it would save some time - it didn't.

Càrn Cloich-mhuillin from Beinn Bhrotain
The ascent was fine, the descent after crossing the spur was steeper and rougher than expected and care and time was needed to descend without mishap. A path that contoured around under Carn Fiaclach was followed for a while, but then left to instead descend easy slopes to the path used that morning. The bike was reached around six and a half hours after it had been left. One of the nicest parts of using a bike to approach the hills is the cycle out. It’s payback for the effort of cycling and pushing the bike in. The cycle in had taken approximately 67 minutes and the cycle out approximately 48 minutes.
View towards Ben Macdui from Càrn Cloich-mhuillin across the eastern slopes of Beinn Bhrotain