#8: [22-Aug-20]

#7: [27-May-14]

#6: [26-Aug-06]

#3: [22-Sep-04]

#2: [02-Mar-02]

#5: [15-Nov-04] (incomplete)

#1: [02-Nov-01] (incomplete)

07-Sep-2005 -- After setting off from Inverness it took about an hour to drive down the A9 and turn off at Kingussie past Ruthven Barracks and to the end of the private road which runs through Glen Tromie. As previous visitors have done I parked in the pine forest through which runs the road to Drumguish. The GPS said 8.02km when I got out of the car - the furthest I have ever parked from a confluence on land.

The map shows a track through the heather which departs from the Glen road and seemed to be the least steep option and also took in the summit of Croidh-la at 640m. It appeared to be then almost flat to the spot. The track was very indistinct but quite easy to follow through the heather and was for the most part dry; only when I struck out across country for the last 3km was the ground boggy.

I passed between Clach-Mheall and Meallach Bheall in rounghly a straight line to the spot, and found it quite easily. Pic 1 shows the view to the south taken from about 50m away. What I was not expecting in the slightest was that it was also a geocache (www.geocaching.com) and so I did not have anything to leave in the box although I did sign the box. It seems that I was the first visitor to the site in over 2 months - it's so remote I'm not surprised. Pics 3-6 complete the cardinal point views. I didn't tarry long as I was conscious of the still long drive to Glasgow and the threatened break in the weather and so made my way the quick way down the hill to the road. It was very steep and would have been a morale-sapping route up. I missed the chance of hitching a lift back along the road by about 2 minutes as in the 5 mile hike back I didn't see another car.

Some things to bear in mind if you attempt these three remote Scottish confluences are that I didn't see a single person all day when attempting them, and that I did them in almost perfect weather which is rare in the Highlands. If you try then plan what you would do in an emergency and go well prepared.