Carn Mairg group
1 NN666482 Cross the valley road to take a track through a deer fence gate and uphill into plantations. A green track continues up to the right of the main stream (Invervar Burn) with plantations on the other side of the stream. Where the plantations on the left finish, cross the stream and head directly uphill, west then north-west, to the summit of Carn Gorm. This may be 216m lower than the better-known Cairn Gorm (in the Cairngorms!) but its top is quite a bit pointier.
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Continue 100m to the decayed trig point. The ridgeline ahead has plenty of humps and notches. Follow it down east of north, to a well-defined col. The sharp rise ahead is An Sgorr, a worthwhile Munro Top – the summer path contours past it on the left, or from its top descend north to the col beyond. A wide, stony slope leads to the second Munro summit, Meall Garbh. This ‘rough hump’ is a different Meall Garbh from the outlier of Ben Lawers on the previous route!
3 NN647516 Traces of old fencing guide over the following section. After 400m, where the fence bends left, a descent south is a short cut out of the walk. Otherwise follow the fence north-east, briefly downhill then along 1km of wide, roughly level ridge. Climb east then turn south-east to Meall a’ Bharr (1004m). The ridge and old fence continue east, then south-east, to the big cairn on Carn Mairg.
4 NN684512 From here a summer path descends steeply south-east, but under snow it’s easier to descend gentler slopes north-east for about 5 mins (40m height loss), keeping to the left of rocky outcrops. As the slope gets less steep, turn right (east) for gentle slopes down to a wide, flat col. As soon as the ground starts to rise towards Meall Liath, turn down right, due south. Cross a wide and boggy col to the gentle slope beyond. Slant up leftwards (south-east) to the 981m main summit of Meall na Aighean.
5 NN694496 Head west for 300m, then south-west for the same distance, to the hill’s south-west top, which has great views up and down Glen Lyon. Head down north, after 400m bending left (west) on a clearer path down a well-defined ridge. Descend this for 2km, to a levelling at 530m altitude.
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An eroded path continues down ahead, but it’s better to turn left, on an old path now used
by quad bikes. It zigzags down the south flank, towards Glen Lyon. At a cairn, the quad bikes turn left (for Balintyre) but keep ahead on the much fainter old path. It slants down the ridge flank towards Invervar. There’s one more zigzag before it joins the track of the upward walk.