Cairngorm, Clag & a good deed

[Fife Flyer]

This is day 2 of the Nethy Bridge weekend and my original plans were just a tiny wee bit adventurous, even on a good day I won't divulge what they were, but they are loitering somewhere
So after much head scratching & discussing the options, bearing in mind the forecast was not very good - in fact it was pretty awful, strong winds, low cloud with the possibility of thunderstorms
Plan B was hatched and on paper seemed sort of possible, providing we started earliesh So after a Friday evening of merriment, a bit of alcohol & lots of chat, we decided on a 7am rise, which we hoped would give us a head start on the weather which was scheduled to get worse after lunch time
The party of brave men & women consisted of Chris (jepsonscotland), Andy (flump), Karen (kmai1961), Evie (sunnyspeyside) & me. We were loaded up with as much gear as we could fit in our rucksacks, I even remembered my gloves which were needed I won't bore you with what gear Chris carried, but he has enough lightweight stuff to equip a small army
We decided to travel to the car park at Cairngorm in 2 cars, as it would have been a very tight squeeze to fit into one, so the ladies volunteered to drive - thank you ladies
Forgot to mention, plan B consisted of heading up towards the summit of Cairngorm, then descending about 100m before the summit towards Loch Avon, then climbing up Beinn Mheadhoin then head north round the other side of Loch Avon & up to the summit of Cairngorm. Having spoken to our esteemed colleagues who have experienced the Loch Avon area, you really do need views to appreciate it's magnificent beauty - this was going to be a very LARGE problem

A photo of some random folk outside Nethy Bridge bunk house

Happy smiling faces, note the background sunshine

Still smiling but not for much longer

We set off uphill following a very large well trodden path, in good spirits - but it didn't look particularly nice up ahead. Bearing in mind the car park at Cairngorm is 2083ft or whatever that is in new money, after climbing 300ft or so we entered the cloud, which contained drizzle & was accompanied by a very strong wind
I am sure all the keen photographers will appreciate that in the above described conditions photo's are a waste of time
Visibility was down to about 30ft, so we trudged uphill in a military line making sure we stuck together

Off we set into the grottiness

No more photo's were taken, so you will have to use your imagination/memory to visualise how bad the weather was
After less than an hour we reached the point where we were to start descending, conditions if anything were getting worse, so after a group huddle we had a couple of options:
1. Continue as per the plan, which would involve descending down to Loch Avon, climbing up the other side, descending some more & then ascending again.
2. Turn round with our tails between our legs and think up numerous excuses as to why we were woosies
3. Continue to the summit of Cairngorm which was about 300ft further up & at least for some get a blue balloon.

The decision was very easy & option 3 was the selected. We continued on the path & soon reached the summit of Cairngorm, the cairn/weather station offered a wee bit of protection from the weather but it wasn't worth lingering as we were all damp & pretty miserable.
On the summit we decided to visit the cafe where the funicular railway arrives, that being the next target we set off on the descent. The path down from the summit was so obvious even I couldn't lose it, there were fence posts on both sides joined by blue rope
Not having been to the Cairngorms for 20years or so, the railway was a new invention, as were the rules laid down by staff at the cafe
Walkers enter the cafe via the backdoor & have to ring the bell, you then have to leave your rucksack etc in a special area & are then allowed to enter the cafe. If however you are a lazy bones & travel on the funicular, you enter by the main entrance but are not allowed to leave the cafe area - apparently this prevents halfwits wandering all over the hillside dressed in all sorts of inappropriate attire
I felt I had earned a deluxe hot chocolate & it really was pretty damned good, could have drunk 2 of them

The view out of the window from the cafe area

So after warming up, relaxing and mulling over the weather etc, it was time to venture back outside & start the descent down to the car.

The view down, once almost out of the clag

Enjoying the descent

Just managed a photo before it entered the tunnel

The weather was slightly improving, the view back uphill to the cafe & a gentleman we met wearing jeans!!

Views improving - looking down to Lochan Dubh Chadha

The descent was very straight forward until about 600ft from the car park, in the distance we could see a person sitting on the path, I commented that it could be a teenager throwing a strop - however it transpired that the person was still sitting when we approached. The person was a female who we found out was from the Czech Republic, she was obviously in pain but her English was very limited (under statement). We managed to ascertain that she had a broken right ankle which was kind of wrapped in a carrier bag
She had been part of a group but we couldn't work out how many were in the group or why no one had stayed with her
We knew we had plenty of time & were in no rush, so Chris, Andy & Karen stayed with the lady, while Evie & myself headed down to make sure the alarm had been raised, especially as if the rest of her party didn't speak English there would be a huge problem.
About half way down we came across a large male wearing shorts & a t shirt which had a mountain rescue logo on it, he asked us if we had come across a female on our descent in trouble so we updated him on what we had done
When we arrived at the car park 4 mountain rescue chaps were about to leave with a stretcher, so we advised them as to the casualties rough position Good deed done, Evie & I had some time to kill whilst waiting for the rest of the team to join us, so rucksacks dumped in the car a well earned cup of tea was next on the menu

Mountain Rescue team ascending

We had just finished our cuppa's and who should appear at our table, perfect timing, so we discussed the recent events & decided to head back to the hostel for lunch - as we hadn't really eaten anything

What could have been a very damp squib turned out to be an interesting and satisfying day, it is always good when human beings can help each other
Many thanks to my fellow walkers for their company, great spirit & humour
Anyone who has never attended a Walk Highlands Meet should read all the reports submitted and if nothing else you will be convinced they are great fun in great company This was my second meet & I will be watching & waiting with baited breath for Tina Bonar aka Barrie & Colleen to produce the same magic
The quiz on the Saturday night is now becoming even more important to WIN, I won't spoil the fun & explain why
I am sure Mr Biggles will no doubt one day tell the story about the room allocation, trying his best to keep males & females apart

Good luck Barrie & Colleen, you certainly have your hands full now - don't forget the next meet is more important than your wedding

[AnnieMacD]

Well done on your good deed! I can't believe that her chums left her alone

I too like to get the views but sometimes we just have to get some clag experience too. Maybe, just maybe I would be able to follow that path with the blue ropes on each side.

[tina bonar]

A good deed indeed from the Man of Speed!

Good luck Barrie & Colleen, you certainly have your hands full now - don't forget the next meet is more important than your wedding

Point noted, a lively debate ensued....

[The Rodmiester]

Hi Martin, great shame about the weather, it was horrible down here at the Beach Clean as well, if that helps any. Glad you guys got something done and well done on your good deed , just shows what a caring bunch the WH are, Brilliant stuff.

[kmai1961]

Oh, here, I'll remind you of Plan A:

Start/park at the Ski Centre then

Ben Macdui, Carn a' Mhaim - cross the Lairig Ghru - then The Devils Point, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine & Braeriach

Not quite the actual end result of 7.2km. At least we managed to "start/park at the Ski Centre."

Another great day nonetheless. Thanks for the laughs and the company.

[kmai1961]

The only pic I took all day:

[Fife Flyer]

Oh, here, I'll remind you of Plan A:

Start/park at the Ski Centre then

Ben Macdui, Carn a' Mhaim - cross the Lairig Ghru - then The Devils Point, Cairn Toul, Sgor an Lochain Uaine & Braeriach

Not quite the actual end result of 7.2km. At least we managed to "start/park at the Ski Centre."
Another great day nonetheless. Thanks for the laughs and the company.

Might have guessed someone would have too much time on their hands to hunt for my "ambitious" suggestion

[jepsonscotland]

Another great report Martin.
A good day considering the weather.
The Czech lady really impressed me. I hope I'm that brave if I ever break my ankle.
Why her friends left her alone is beyond me.
Karen was absolutely right, we couldn't just leave her, as she requested. I'm sure she'll remember the help from strangers every time she tells the story of her first Scottish holiday!
Looking forward to the next meet. ...........
Cheers
Chris