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Each time I've planned to walk Braeriach, something's got in the way - usually weather. The last time, I'd emerged from the Rothiemurchus woods to gale force winds. At first I'd battled on, but was soon wrapping myself round a tree, before all the trees disappeared, so that I didn't get picked up and dashed down into the Lairig Ghru.
But today, ah today -
a hot Friday in June, that is - the stars at last aligned.
On this particular day, I was on my own. I'd just had a few days up in Sutherland, so had packed up and set off early to get to Whitewell for around 6am, because I like mornings
.
001 Setting off from Whitewell This one was looking just peachy. Warblers, deer and finch were up and about, the summer woodland scents were fresh and gorgeous, and Braeriach itself was beckoning.
002 Braeriach teasing through the trees 
003 Lochan Deo east morning mist 
007 Bashful hind hind 
008 Woods full of song and scents This time as I rose above the Allt, it was a heck of a lot calmer...
011 Above the Allt Druidh 
013 Poor burnt tree in morning light 
All in all, enjoying the solitude, it was a beautiful day for what - odd as it seems to say - was my first proper walk into the Lairig Ghru.
014 Trees thinning SG appearing 
015 Calling mistle thrush flies off 
016 Approaching the green bitAs I approached the Chalamain Gap crossing, the first people of the day appeared. First up was a guy running towards me, presumably from a tent somewhere, but I was too surprised to ask him - and he seemed to be in a hurry as runners do.
019 I meet a chap running north Next were young folk camped at the crossing. The lass and I greeted one another, and I asked how her night had been. She waxed lyrical about the sunset, and I crossed behind her tent on to the old ascent path, rather than carrying on where I'd have walked straight into a bunch of trunks-clad young lads enjoying their morning ablute.
020 Tent and lass in Lairig Ghru 
021 Looking down at boys tents and Chalamain path Then it was onwards and upwards for the steep ascent to the lower end of the Sròn na Lairig ridge. That slowed me down!
025 Over Lairig Ghru to Chalamain route 
026 Back towards Aviemore 
028 Lurchers Crag 
029 Lochan Odhar and Eilrig Cairn to S
030 Sgoran Dubh Mor over the heather
031 Easy if steep before boulders On the wobbly boulder field, just below the Sròn na Lairig summit , I was caught up with by a guy planning to walk Cairn Toul and Sgòr an Lochan Uaine after Braeriach. After a quick chat, on he bounded, and on I slowly ascended.
032 I have company 
036 View of Braeriach to Sgorr Gaoith 
037 Top of Lairig Ghru - March Burn in distance 
038 Lurchers Crag less menacing than 028 
039 Company off to Braeriach - Cairn Toul - Sgor an Lochain Uaine He did say there were a couple of other folk behind him, but in fact they didn't show until the Brareriach summit, so I had the rest of the ascent to myself.
040 Loch Mhic Ghille-chaoil on glacial terrace in Gleann Eanaich 
042 Cairn Gorm dome with ski to Ptarmigan path 
043 Moss campion This was the closest I'd been to big ol' Ben Macdui. It looked huge and also close enough to touch.
044 Ben Macdui from Sron 1184 skirting path And other views I'd seen from further away, or enjoyed exploring vicariously in a load of WH reports of course.
045 E to Beinn Mheadhoin - Ben Avon beyond I think And at the bealach, after what seemed like a punishment to my tired little less-fit-than-they-should-be legs, here were the views I'd really been looking forward to
047 At last - Carn a Mhaim - Dee - Devils wee Willy - Cairn Toul 
048 Sron na Lairig bealach 
049 Devils Point - Beinn Bhrotain - Cairn Toul - Lochan Uaine - Angels Peak 
050 Garb Coire Mor below Sgor an Lochan Uaine 
052 Carn a Mhaim - Dee - Devils Point - Cairn Toul higher than 047 
054 Braeriach summit 
057 Last cornice melting At the summit I brunched quickly and then went for a wander to see what I could see.
059 Ben Macdui and SE towards Braemar 
061 Distant Ben Nevis 
065 Lochnagar from top of the Dee 
066 Ben Macdui guarding the Dee Part of me wanted to walk on to the Wells of Dee, but after a slurp from the cool, fresh waters higher up, I decided I was sated really, and wanted to start my long walk back, baking sun and all.
068 SE to Beinn a Ghlo past Carn na Criche 
069 Zoom to Beinn a Ghlo Heading over to above Braeriach's north corries, the grey uppers gave way to another world of grass and sand. No one else was coming this way it seemed, so once again I potentially had miles of hill and glen to myself. I was in my heaven.
071 Loch Mhic Ghille-chaoil in Gleann Eanaich on descent 
073 Burn flowing into Loch Choire an Lochain 
074 Easy stroll round Choire an Lochain 
075 Sgoran Dubh Mor ahead Well, I was in my heaven until the angle started to steepen again. From that point, it was a kind of sunny torture, seeing the glen floor below not getting closer, head happy to be up on the flank of the hill, knees desperate to be down there.
077 Knees starting to grumble 
079 Loch Coire and Lochain 
080 Finding the stalkers path Up in my happy head, I was really enjoying the view over to Sgorr Gaoith and the memories it brought of being up there looking over here. I was also really looking forward to the walk along Glen Eanaich - though when it came to it, I admit, a bike would have been lovely!
083 Loch Eanaich and Loch an t-Seilich - willow And then, thanks again to WH, because I probably would have bashed my way through the steep heather if it weren't for remembering the encouragement to contour further north first. Good advice, because you still heather-bash, but yeah, not nearly as much.
084 On the level before the heather bash 
085 The heather bash 
086 Loch Mhic Ghille-chaoil in its impressive terraces 
091 At last - over a mile from zigzags The walk back along the glen was remarkable on this hot, hot June day for the burn crossings. It was so dry the levels were too low to need stepping-stones. The burn, meanwhile, was remarkable for its complete absence of any bird life at all. Even the summer visitors seemed to want shade and had no intention of hanging around out here so far from any trees.
095 Easy crossings today 
096 Impressive moraines in the glaciated glen By the time I was heading back towards the Rothiemurchus forest, I was also pretty desperate for shade. The trees were a tease. You see them, but you don't actually get trees above your head until a mile or so further on.
097 Yay - trees - shade
111 Armpit-high broom 
112 Chickweed-wintergreen or arctic starflower 
113 Southwest face of Carn Eilrig 
114 There will be shade wont there
115 Lots of quick green tiger beetles 
117 Rising - and the shade is all over there Eventually though, I was in the shade, and the cooler air couldn't have been more welcome. It had been a fantastic day's wander and climb up into the Cairngorms parts that had kept eluding me. Now I could just stroll the last few miles back, enjoy the forest and look forward to a bath and a pint.
123 Still lots of this by
125 Loch Deo west side - no mist