Walkhighlands

Does anyone have any tips on getting from Cairngorm Lodge to Sugar Bowl car park?

I have parked at Sugar Bowl car park overnight before and was safe enough but with the car break-ins last week and with me having a hire car with 1500 excess, l am a bit reluctant.

It seems that my choices would be: hitching, ordering a taxi or just walking it. It appears the buses are not running at this time.

I was trying to avoid the uphill walk, adding to a long day planned for Braeriach Cairn Toul transverse plus Lairig Ghru.

Thanks in advance for any creative ideas or just confirmation that l just need to get my head down and march it out

You could park at the lower ski car park - not too much further to walk (though you will feel it on the way back, no doubt!).

You could maybe cut a bit of the distance off and have a more pleasant walk by cutting through the forest? Paths look pretty twisty though, and no chance of a lift.

There’s a path which may or may not be marked on the map which goes up from loch morlich to the ski centre via the sugar bowl. Used it a few times

prog99 wrote:There’s a path which may or may not be marked on the map which goes up from loch morlich to the ski centre via the sugar bowl. Used it a few times

The section of this path from the Top carpark to the footbridge is sign posted as closed due to a land slip. Not sure where along the path the landslip is or how passable.

There is another path that runs from a layby on the top road which we used to go down last week. I have marked it in red on the map. We cut down the steep heather when we were level with the footbridge but from the map it looks like if you follow it just a bit further you meet up with the main path and no nasty heather bashing required.

Isn't the land slip between the sugar bowl and the ski centre? I'm sure I ignored it last time.

prog99 wrote:Isn't the land slip between the sugar bowl and the ski centre? I'm sure I ignored it last time.

Yes it is, been closed for at least a couple of years, so probably is the one you managed to get past.

Hello,...alternative for Brairiach and Cairntoul with return in the Lairig....from the bridge over the Morlich outflow use a bike to get to the Rothiemurchus Lodge on an easy vehicle track....leave bike at the Lodge. The folks there seem to be friendly. Use the wee link path to reach the Lairig then the Sron na Lairige path to reach Brairiach. Car left somewhere in the Valley.

Another alternative though this would miss out the Lairig Ghru is you could cycle the length of Glen Eanaich from Coylumbridge on a reasonable good track,beware there is one bit where you should take the higher path as the lower one is over grown and boggy, and take rough path up Coire Dhondail to Braeriach.

What's that path like now, does anyone know? Historically it's been interesting.

Hello... For glen Einich and biking in to take the Coire Dhondail path...see report of September 2019. Have always taken the old path into the glen on the bike.... The upper track came about on account of erosion making it, the lower track, no go for the vehicles... Estate and at one time the water supply folks.

Thanks for all the fantastic replies. They certainly give me a hatful of options.

I love the constructive suggestions from this great site