So for me, another trip into the Cairngorms to pick off a couple more hills. Third week in a row in this neck of the woods. Today it would be Beinn Mheadhoin and weather, time and legs permitting, Ben Macdui. Then it would be a decent down of the Sron Riach into glen Luibeg and the long walk home from Derry Lodge.
Arrived at the Linn of Dee car park just ahead of 7 a.m. and had intended to take a quick nap on account of having to get up when most Glaswegians would be heading home from a night on the raz
Thankfully though another walker arrived in the car park and started to ready themselves for their day and so I thought I should show some willing. Got chatting for a short while to this chap, who I would latter discover to be Ian from the Pigeon, Chris, Ian and Jake the dug fame 
I set off toward Derry Lodge at a little after 7 a.m. on what was looking to be a grand day weather wise. I think I’ve described this walk in before............it’s long
But not as long as it feels on the way back - Heading out from Linn of Dee
- View toward Derry Cairngorm on the Linn of Dee approach
I was setting a reasonable pace for myself and was at the Lodge in no time at all
It was a tad windy even at this low level so I thought I should put my jacket on so as not to get too cold. Heading off over the wee bridge and the path into Glen Derry I soon realised this might have been a mistake as I ended up out of the wind and at the same time the sun was warming up nicely. Couldn’t be bothered to stop though, so just decided to sweat a few pounds off - Heading into Glen Derry
The walk into Glen Derry is nice, easy walking on a good path. I enjoyed the first section through the Scots Pine, but then I think they are magnificent looking trees
I know......weirdo - Distant View of Beinn Mheadhoin
Eventually arrived at a footbridge across the Coire Etchachan burn, where the path divided and I headed off to the left. Again nice, easy walking, with a view opening up to my first target of the day Beinn Mheadhoin
I was able to keep a pretty good pace going all the way to the next path divide where my route again was on the left fork and the walk into Coire Etchachan and the steep climb up to Loch Etchachan.I know such opinions can be very subjective and cause many a heated debate (a bit like the merits or otherwise of goal line technology
), but the walk into Glen Derry while nice, lacked in mountain splendour for me. I’m certainly not slagging it, as given a choice of that or Sauchiehall Street I know where I’d rather be I think it was more a case of the view not really developing much once out of the trees and into open ground.Things did change though as the path headed up into Coire Etchachan
This was more like it Another footbridge (without handrail 
) and the path wound it up into the Glen, gaining height gradually. Then the final climb up to Loch Etchachan came into view - Path up to Loch Etchachan from Coire Etchachan
- Etchachan shelter
- View down into Coire Etchachan
I took a bit of time out at the Etchachan shelter to take a quick look around. I think this is the first (and currently only) bothy I have ever stepped into to date
Had a read through some of the comments in the note book, but it was pretty wet so I chose not to leave a message of my own. I have got to say though........that is one hell of a position, with the backdrop of the cliffs of Creagan a Choire Etchachan in one direction and the view back down Coire Etchachan toward Glen Derry in the other Stunning on a good day, like the day I was having. But I’d probably rather not be there in foul weather 
After my short rest stop it was onwards and onwards up the steepish path to the Loch. Another “wow” moment for as I arrived at the lochside
Great views to Carn Etchachan ahead of me, as well as toward the Macdui in another direction - Loch Etchachan
The wind, which had been blowing on the way up to the Loch was most certainly blowing now and there was a fair bit of buffeting as I made my way up the side of Beinn Mheadhoin. The initial path is not only a bit steep, but was also very soft and loose, so I had a few moments of slipping and sliding about a bit. Head down though and I was soon arriving at a levelling before hitting the main summit plateau and the view toward the summit tors.
- Path to Macdui looking back as I ascended Beinn Mheadhoin
- The Cairn Gorm from Mheadhoin
- Beinn Mheadhoin summit plateau
It was a quick walk across the plateau and I was there. Munro number one for the day. And all to myself
- The summit tor of Beinn Mheadhoin
The only thing left to do was to get myself up onto the tor and claim the summit proper. Before I could do that a young couple had arrived from somewhere and bounded to the top. My approach was a tad more cautious – wizened old age and arthritic limbs
meant I took my time. You see I’m not that confident in the scrambling department. Sometimes it’s a doddle, while on others I’m not happy. Actually, despite my initial caution this was easy enough and I was happy to be standing there taking in the views from the true summit.- Toward Macdui from Mheadhoin
- Toward the Cairn Gorm from Mheadhoin
Stopped for a quick chat with the young couple, who were sheltering from the wind just off the top and taking in some food. I then left them to the rest of their day and executed a probably less than graceful bum shuffle off the tor and back onto more familiar surroundings
Now for Macdui. Early sunshine in that general direction had been replaced by cloud and the wind definitely seemed to be strengthening. Attaining Macdui was still in the balance at this point, as I was fully expecting the wind to really get up as I gained height in that direction.
Heading off Mheadhoin I was approached by three shady looking characters and their dug
Turned out it was Pigeon, Chris and Ian with Jake the dug, out enjoying their own Cairngorm Cracker So, not shady characters at all 
Stopped for a brief chat with them before we headed off in our different directions. It’s always good to meet fellow Walkhighlanders out on the hills and put faces to some of the names. I’ve been an avid follower of Pigeon and Co and the homemade soups for a while now, so it was a pleasure to have that chat, however brief. The walk down off Mheadhoin wasn’t that bad – the soft gravelly path was probably a blessing on the way down. I was soon back at Loch Etchachan and contemplating the next part of the journey. The wind here was probably at its strongest and I was having serious doubts about continuing to Macdui. In the end I decided to take the path as if I was going to do the hill and then decide as I went whether continuing to the summit was sensible. If I wasn’t happy then I would simply drop down off the Sron Riach, which was my intended descent route anyway.
As it happened the wind eventually died down – well enough to remove any lingering doubt from my mind. So it was decided. Time to Mcdo Macdui
The path was, as it had been all day so far, excellent. I was enjoying great views back toward Mheadhoin, the Cairn Gorm and across the saddle ridge to Creagan a’Choire Etchachan and Derry Cairngorm
- Beinn Mheadhoin looking back on the path to Macdui
Just below the final, short, push up on the Sron Riach I arrived at what I assume was Narrow Gully where a man, madder than me seemingly, was heading down what appeared to me to be a sheer drop
- Derry Cairngorm from Narrow Gully (note the chap just disappearing near the bottom of the picture)
- View across toward Creagan a'Coire Etchachan
Once on the featureless saddle between Sron Riach and Macdui I lost the path, but even as the clag rolled in and out it was an easy hike up passed the ruined shelter and onto the summit plateau, where there were plenty of shelters as well as the summit trig point to let me know I had arrived.
And I had it all to myself
Trigger a bit of frustration at this point. Clag rolled in
Clag rolled out Then back in And then out again And repeat Quite a few times actually But it never seemed to clear long enough to allow me time to get my camera ready to take the pictures 
I decided to hang about and eventually managed to get something on film (or should that be SD card ), by which time two chaps had arrived on the summit behind me. Stopped for another brief chat before heading off back toward the Sron Riach and the descent down to Glen Luibeg and the long walk home.- Braeriach from Macdui summit
- The Devil from Macdui
- Carn Toul from Macdui
At this point I still had a bit of a spring in my step. So far I had maintained a pretty god pace and was making good time overall, despite my legs feeling it slightly
(quite a lot ). For the initial drop down I stayed away from the path and instead stuck to the edge of the ridge, with some nice views both up and down - View down the Sron Riach
- And back, toward the cliffs
This section of the day involved a bit of clambering over rocks, which started to take its toll on my legs, which were showing signs of cramping up a bit. So from a good pace being set up to this point things slowed quite a bit – ok, quite a lot
- Lochnagar area?
- Tors on the Sron Riach ridge
Despite the slowing of the pace it was still a good walk down the ridge. A great route off Macdui
Even a damp foot gained crossing the Allt Carn a Mhaim couldn’t dampen my spirits Finally I made it back to the main path back to Derry Lodge, the sight of which couldn’t come soon enough by this point. Only another 4 miles or so to go 
A case of head down and head for home.- And finally, looking back at the cliffs on the Sron Riach ridge
Yet another great day in the hills
I just wish MWIS could give me some hope that the west was going to deliver some good weather soon, as I'm keen to get a bit of variety. Otherwise it’ll be back to the Cairngorms to do Braeriach via the Chalamain Gap, taking in the Angel, Cairn Toul and the Devil and then back via the Lairig Ghru Hang on......what’s that? Oh.......the legs say “no”
But I say “aye”
