Walkhighlands

The other weekend RTMcB and I popped our wild camping cherries in the Cairngorms! While I could go on about this trip in a lengthy report I've decided that the pictures pretty much say it all. So all I can say is - beautiful views, painfully over packed 65 ltr rucksacks, wet feet, joy, laughs, cold, snuggles in sleeping bags, waking-up in paradise, walking in paradise and bumping into Mr. ScottishLeaf can co.
Can't wait to do it again!

Forgot to add a pic of the lovely rainbow we were treated to before the heavens opened

Great photos and it looks like a good day out...lol rather cold as well
Great that the two of you enjoyed wild camping...carrying a heavy pack is probably the only downside to it.

Hi SMR, looks like you had pretty good weather considering what we have had this year. By now you will know what you NEED in your rucksack and what you can do without. Good to see you have a trowel (bit heavy looking though). Nothing quite like waking up and looking out of the tent in the morning, something to cherish. Hope it's the first of MANY wild camping expeditions in this beautiful country of ours, why go anywhere else!

That route looks good and well done on your first wild camp Haven't done that many wild camps but have had two up in these hills and like you, really enjoyed them.....I see you also suffer from the size/weight problem re the rucksack as I do - cheers

Mountainlove wrote:Great photos and it looks like a good day out...lol rather cold as well
Great that the two of you enjoyed wild camping...carrying a heavy pack is probably the only downside to it.

Cheers ML. Loved it and still trying to convince RTMcB that this year has another wild camp in it yet before the hills don their thick white coats!

The Rodmiester wrote:Hi SMR, looks like you had pretty good weather considering what we have had this year. By now you will know what you NEED in your rucksack and what you can do without. Good to see you have a trowel (bit heavy looking though). Nothing quite like waking up and looking out of the tent in the morning, something to cherish. Hope it's the first of MANY wild camping expeditions in this beautiful country of ours, why go anywhere else!

We were very lucky with the weather - although there was a huge down pour on our approach to Corrour bothy which my leaky and since replaced hi-tecs couldn't handle. You're right about the rucksacks - we certainly know where we can reduce the weight in the future! I'm more than up for more of the same, waking up being cradled by a handful of Munros was a delight

rockhopper wrote:That route looks good and well done on your first wild camp Haven't done that many wild camps but have had two up in these hills and like you, really enjoyed them.....I see you also suffer from the size/weight problem re the rucksack as I do - cheers

Thanks hopper of rocks The route was scaled back too! This time last year I remember longing for the Western ridges and while I'm just about ready to burst to start ticking them off it is impossible not to get lost in the magic of the Cairngorms!

Glad we're not the only ones to have suffered a rucksack 'size/weight problem'. Got to ride the learning curve

Great effort with hefty packs SMR, did you intentionally wait until it got a little cooler before doing this or was it just one of those "we're going to do a wild camp this year" things that almost slipped away. Either way, beautiful photos of a lovely weekend

ChrisW wrote:Great effort with hefty packs SMR, did you intentionally wait until it got a little cooler before doing this or was it just one of those "we're going to do a wild camp this year" things that almost slipped away. Either way, beautiful photos of a lovely weekend

The latter! We'd been flirting on and off with the idea of wild camping for ages but for various reasons hadn't plucked up the courage or sorted out the necessary. I'd always been the one mentioning it but RTMcB was the one who finally made real plans and put down the funds for a hill tent

The weather certainly helped create those photos! It was only our second hike with the new compact camera, a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V, (just had to stop hiking with SLRs in tow due to the weight etc.). Seems to have proved itself in the hills so far.

What a wonderful way to spend a few days! I absolutely love the frosty shots...keen to give wild camping a go but a bit scared. Nice one

Hi SMRussell....It was nice to meet you for the brief seconds it was Scottishleaf that said it was you ,We meet a few walkers who were camping the same night as you and they all said it was mental weather.

shelbyandamonkey wrote:What a wonderful way to spend a few days! I absolutely love the frosty shots...keen to give wild camping a go but a bit scared. Nice one

Cheers Shelbyandamoney. It was a great weekend all told. You should give it ago, it is very rewarding maybe find someone with some wild camping experience to go with on your first outing to calm the nerves? It is definitely 4 season sleeping bag time though!

quoman wrote:Hi SMRussell....It was nice to meet you for the brief seconds it was Scottishleaf that said it was you ,We meet a few walkers who were camping the same night as you and they all said it was mental weather.

Quoman! Shame we didn't get a chance for a proper introduction - I'll get you next time! The night was windy with showy showers but not bad - but then we were in quite a sheltered spot, cradled by Cairn Toul and the Angels Peak so perhaps we didn't take as much of a bashing. Oh, we also went to sleep around 8pm - not so wild, wild campers! In our defence we were shattered. Being tucked up in our sleeping bags was the only place to be!

The Rodmiester wrote:Hi SMR, looks like you had pretty good weather considering what we have had this year. By now you will know what you NEED in your rucksack and what you can do without. Good to see you have a trowel (bit heavy looking though). Nothing quite like waking up and looking out of the tent in the morning, something to cherish. Hope it's the first of MANY wild camping expeditions in this beautiful country of ours, why go anywhere else!

Well perhaps 2 x 0.5 kg gas cannisters and a backup solid fuel stove with extra solid fuel was a bit too much

However, a sturdy trowel was a must. Really hard to dig through solid frosty ground first thing in the morning!

Looking forward to the train trip up to Corrour and setting out to the mountains to the east, some time early next year!

Nice one . Looked like a great trip. I'm currently steeling myself for some colder weather camping - makes me a little nervous as I struggle to fit all my summer overnight gear into a bag...

Nice trowel - been doing some high level gardening?

SMRussell wrote:... still trying to convince RTMcB that this year has another wild camp in it yet before the hills don their thick white coats!

RTMcB wrote:Looking forward to the train trip up to Corrour and setting out to the mountains to the east, some time early next year!

Hmmm would seem my convincing isn't working....

RTMcB wrote:Well perhaps 2 x 0.5 kg gas cannisters and a backup solid fuel stove with extra solid fuel was a bit too much

Aye and perhaps your insistence on taking a tupperware of Weetabix and one of powered milk tipped us over the edge It's okay, I forgive you.

malky_c wrote:Nice one . Looked like a great trip. I'm currently steeling myself for some colder weather camping - makes me a little nervous as I struggle to fit all my summer overnight gear into a bag...

Nice trowel - been doing some high level gardening?

Was great. As long as you've got a decent 4 season sleeping bag and thermals you'll be fine. Like I say, I'm more than up for another cold camp, especially off the back of what this one taught us.

As for gardening... just giving some deep soil a bit of fertiliser

Corrour has some excellent wild camping spots, but chose carefully lots of very wet areas, and try to go April May before the MIDGES get really hungry. Great location and with a licenced restraurant at the station and also YHostel as back up, just in case.