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Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5


Postby dektasker » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:09 pm

Munros included on this walk: Broad Cairn, Cairn Bannoch, Càrn a' Choire Bhòidheach, Càrn an t-Sagairt Mòr, Lochnagar

Date walked: 02/09/2012

Time taken: 9 hours

Distance: 29 km

Ascent: 1228m

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We must be mad. Gerry and I have been walking since April this year. I wanted to keep fit and Gerry is getting fit after a health scare. It is funny how you drift apart and lose contact but end up doing similar things. Gerry and I had not seen each other for a few years but had come back into contact with each other following a family tragedy.

Anyway we got talking and very surprisingly found out we had both started hill walking. That felt a wee bit spooky as we both agreed that was one activity we could not see each other doing in the past. Eventually we thought let’s do a good one together and that’s when Lochnager first came up.

Loch_Nan_Eun.jpg
Loch Nan Eun


We left Dundee at the really ridiculous time of 5 o’clock in the morning. Planned to take the road up from Blairgowrie to Braemar but we got talking, catching up really and went via Alyth. Must admit the sun rise coming up over the wind farm at Drumderg was bonny. A quick u turn and we were heading up the A93 in the right direction.

DSC_0143.jpg
Gerry at Broad Cairn with loch muick behind


I have put links to all my photos in the description of the walk.

The whole set is here at this link.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/67862513@N03/sets/72157631411083882/

Once at the Spittal of Glenmuick car park we got out and started to put on our gear. Never seen so many midges and they were hungry. Never been bitten by a midge either till then. Lots of holiday makers up at the nearby campsite were wearing head gear with nets (cannot figure out why they where all camouflage green?). Looked like a set for Dr Who and some scary looking aliens.

The path from the car park is very good. You follow the path till you come to a Y section, we kept left and that took us to the Lochnagar summit.
Image
Lochnagar_path by dektasker, on Flickr

The weather had been very good with no low cloud. I was looking forward to the views from the cairn at Lochnagar. The walk to Lochnagar is bit of a steep. The wind was almost blowing us off our feet and a couple behind us decided to turn back climb. This is probably the hardest part of the walk. It was wild as we climbed this part of the hill. You lose the path; we did get lucky as soon as the boulders had stopped we came across the path again straight away. The corrie with the loch is pretty special and it just wetted the appetite for more.
Corrie.jpg
Lochnagar Corrie
more photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/67862513@N03/7945189764/

The wind died down and we thought yahoo.
However our luck ran out, the cloud came down and the views where limited. This happened quickly as the pictures of the central buttress and Raeburn’s gully shows.
Image
Central_Buttress_and_Loch_Nagar by dektasker, on Flickr

Image
Raeburns_Gully by dektasker, on Flickr


This picture of Gerry at eagles ridge was taken just as the cloud started to come in.
Image
Standing_above_eagles_ridge_lochnagar by dektasker, on Flickr

The plate at the summit gives details of what you can see on a clear day. We saw very little but glimpses we did get still made this worthwhile and on a good day must be pretty spectacular.
Image
Lochnagar Compass by dektasker, on Flickr

The walk from Lochnagar to Carn a’ Choire Bhoidheach is the hardest to navigate. 10 minutes off the summit of Lochnagar the cloud lifted. The picture of Loch Nan Eun was taken just as the cloud was lifting.
Image
Loch_Nan_Eun by dektasker, on Flickr

Made you look back at the Lochnagar summit and wonder about the views that you have just walked away from. From here you need to go off the natural route and take a wee detour to Carn a'Choire Bhoidheach and the views again are pretty good. Back to the path and on towards Carn an-t Sagairt Mor . You cross a pretty stream . Soon after the stream you come across the wreckage of the Canberra that crashed in 1952. Spooky that the photographs I took here just did not turn out!! We did come across a small frog on the way to the summit.

Image
Some_wild_life by dektasker, on Flickr
There are 2 summits here but the best part is the view towards Dubd loch as you walk to Cairn Bannoch. Again this is impressive and we both got lucky with the weather with no low clouds.

Image
Dubh_Loch by dektasker, on Flickr

On the way Gerry pointed out a very friendly hare. It is the first time that I have got so close to a hare and it never ran away. As you can see from the photos’ it decided to pose and make the most of the photo opportunity.


Image
Cairn_Bannoch_Hare by dektasker, on Flickr

The walk towards broad cairn is easy with a great path. Once up on the summit the views of Loch Muick are breath taking and you realise what a great walk the wonderful wilderness of the white mounth is.
Image
Broad_Cairn_Loch_Muick by dektasker, on Flickr

More photos of the loch and the walk here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/67862513@N03/sets/72157631411083882/

Some people have started at the head of luck muick and done this walk in reverse. It is along walk no matter what way you do it. I think starting at lochnagar is best. The walk from broad cairn back to the car park is very lengthy and i prefer going down the way as we did as opposed to the long, long climb up doing this walk in reverse. The views of the corrie chash craig mossen are brilliant.
Image
Burns_from_Corrie_Chash_Craig_Moseen by dektasker, on Flickr

Near the end of the walk the black water stream with the little bridge over is nice and it brings a nice end to a wonderful walk.
Image
Black Burn by dektasker, on Flickr
Last edited by dektasker on Tue Sep 18, 2012 7:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby funkyandy » Thu Sep 06, 2012 9:37 pm

Nice report there dek,looks like it was a bit of the topsy turvy scottish weather that came and cast a shadow on what could have been cracking pics if the clouds had lifted a bit.
Looks like one that i would like to do at some point in the near future hopefully lol,legs and body permitting ha ha ,still a cracking wee report look forwrd to our next expedition .
Keep up the good reports mate
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby rockhopper » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:15 pm

nope..don't think you're mad :wink: best way to avoid early starts is just to head up the night before :lol: but seriously, despite the wind, looks you had a great day with some very nice views. Hope I'm not speaking out of turn but wondered if you'd thought about just including the [img] link to flickr by grabbing the BBcode via share so that your photos appear in the report rather than having to open up flickr ? - cheers :)
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby ChrisW » Fri Sep 07, 2012 10:51 pm

Great report Detasker, this was my last hike in Scotland before I moved to Canada, the clag sneaked in on me too :roll:
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby steven65 » Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:47 am

Dek posted................... "Some people have started at the head of luck muick and done this walk in reverse. It is along walk no matter what way you do it. I think starting at lochnagar is best. "
Well he wasn`t wrong with this opinion , i too did this round last Sat / Sun with a clockwise route from the car park at Glen Muick - stayying over in the fabulous (much to be recommended) Bothy at Glas-allt-Shiel.
It`s a big walk & with a 3 hour drive each way ( for me ) a Bothy made a much more sensible idea for a night away.
I`d recommend a wee overinghter here , as it`s a nice change from the usual drive n miles n munch n walk n munch miles n drive . A very civilised option indeed !
As Rockhopper said "..don't think you're mad best way to avoid early starts is just to head up the night before "......any way Dek - Gerry looks very familiar ......... i think we met / chatted as i ascended from Carn an t- Sagairt Mor towards Carn a`choire bhoidheach........ i was accompanied by my trusty hound Oskar - i`m sure it was you guys we met ?
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby dektasker » Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:11 pm

rockhopper wrote:nope..don't think you're mad :wink: best way to avoid early starts is just to head up the night before :lol: but seriously, despite the wind, looks you had a great day with some very nice views. Hope I'm not speaking out of turn but wondered if you'd thought about just including the [img] link to flickr by grabbing the BBcode via share so that your photos appear in the report rather than having to open up flickr ? - cheers :)

Hi Rockhopper. Thanks for the tip. I take it this is something you do at the walkhighland end and not flickr? Can you walk me through how to do this? Agree going backwards and frowards all the time is a bit of a pain.
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby dektasker » Sat Sep 08, 2012 1:17 pm

steven65 wrote:Dek posted................... "Some people have started at the head of luck muick and done this walk in reverse. It is along walk no matter what way you do it. I think starting at lochnagar is best. "
Well he wasn`t wrong with this opinion , i too did this round last Sat / Sun with a clockwise route from the car park at Glen Muick - stayying over in the fabulous (much to be recommended) Bothy at Glas-allt-Shiel.
It`s a big walk & with a 3 hour drive each way ( for me ) a Bothy made a much more sensible idea for a night away.
I`d recommend a wee overinghter here , as it`s a nice change from the usual drive n miles n munch n walk n munch miles n drive . A very civilised option indeed !
As Rockhopper said "..don't think you're mad best way to avoid early starts is just to head up the night before "......any way Dek - Gerry looks very familiar ......... i think we met / chatted as i ascended from Carn an t- Sagairt Mor towards Carn a`choire bhoidheach........ i was accompanied by my trusty hound Oskar - i`m sure it was you guys we met ?

Hi steven65 it was and that is a great looking dog you had with you (standard schnauzer). You where right about the hares, we saw quite a few after we left you. Never seen any deer must be to do with the stalking Glad you had a good walk. Might bump into you and your dog on the hills again.
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Re: Wild Windy Wilderness Wonderful White Mounth 5

Postby boabwhite » Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:27 pm

Well done Derek and Gerry, great report. Guess the early starts were impressed upon you from someone we both admire. 9 hours is a long-long day, but worth it to bag 5.

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