. Our hopes for camping on Skye again this year had to be put aside, but we still enjoyed some really good hillwalking on better days. I can't be too picky, we visited a few cracking places... The balance of the two weeks:
Munros: 5 (one repeat)
Grahams: 2
Low level walks: 3
Ruined castles visited: 2
Ticks removed: 7
Money spent on petrol: too much but who cares...
Pictures taken: over 2000
Happy moments: countless
All right, all right, it wasn't perfect weather-wise, but still we had a great time! Now all that's left is writing reports... 8 of them if I'm not mistaken... I'll do my best to post it all quickly
The first walk on my list will take us to the wonderful world of rollin' rollin' mountains of the Cairngorms. Saturday the 15th was sunny and relatively warm but windy as hell. Initially we had our eyes on Beinn Mheadhoin via Cairngorm walk, but with the gusts up to 50mph over the summits we chickened
Then I thought, why not Bynack More, an easier route with no steep sections. Kevin liked the idea instantly. So what that we had both done this Munro before? It's one of these places worth coming back to...I remember my first visit to Bynack, in May 2009. It was my 5th Munro and the first one in the Cairngorms. I loved the whole experience, even though the path was quite boggy back then and the wind was blowing like crazy
. I even wanted to scramble over to the top of the Barns of Bynack, but gave up as the gusts were too strong... I dug up photos from that day and will use them in this TR as a "compare what's changed" Last year, also in September, we walked up Ryovan Pass and past Bynack More to climb the neighbouring Corbett, Creag Mhor. The path was then being upgraded and the workers were about half way up the slope. Since then, the work on the path progressed to the very final climb up to the summit of the Munro. I'm glad to see this route upgraded - bye bye bog feast!
Bynack More walk is very popular and relatively easy so we expected it to be busy, especially on a sunny Saturday. The day before we celebrated my husband's birthday (a round number but maybe I shouldn't give it away) with some Glen Moray whisky... I don't like whisky that much and rarely even try it, but this was good, expensive stuff and as a result we overslept a bit
When we arrived in Glenmore eventually (it was about 11 am), we could forget about parking by the lodge, even laybys by Reindeer Centre were filled with cars. We managed to squeeze in somehow, got ready quickly and rushed up the glen!Our route, the traditional way of climbing BM:
The first stage of this walk is a superb stroll through the forest, we were protected from the wind and the day looked fantastic!
It's a wide track all the way to Lochan Uaine:
The magical spot - I absolutely love this little loch!
Not much water in it compare to last year but still a charming spot:
We only took a short break by the loch and quickly picked up the pace. As soon as we emerged from the glen and turned SE towards the site of Bynack stable and the footbridge. Views opened up now and even the wind wasn't too cold.
Looking back to Meall a Bhuachaille:
As I expected, the stables site was busy with camping trekkers. We crossed the bridge and followed the excellent path up the slope:
It didn't really feel like mountain climbing at all, more like an afternoon stroll
The last moments of summer... Did we have any summer at all this year?...
The path is just as good all the way up and in a short time we saw our target hill, here it is, welcome to Bynack More:
Apart from the new path, it hasn't changed since 2009...
...and I haven't, either (hopefully!), maybe dropped a few pounds and gained a few wrinkles, but it's still me, Panther
Looking further south and east, the massive bulk of Ben Avon:
The final climb is steep and the work on the path is not exactly finished yet, but the going is easy on the existing one. There are superb views to admire, especially NW towards Strathnethy:
From 2009:
The approach path from above, 2009:
...and now:
The Braemar pass path seen here from above, crossing the boggy area of Uisge Dubh Poll a'Choin:
On the slopes of Bynack, just aside the path, there are some interesting rocks to explore. Generally, the whole mountain is dotted with strange shaped, eroded rocky formations. During our first visit, we took some more time to have a look around:
This time, we headed straight for the summit - the path is obvious:
Lovely views back:
From 2009, a group of rocks resembling a tortoise:
Beinn Mheadhoin from the slopes of Bynack More:
The summit ridge and more rocks to explore:
In 2009:
We reached the top quite quickly and it was very windy here... We met quite a few fellow walkers seeking shelter between the rocks. The gusts were now much colder, felt more like winter.
Kevin on the summit:
Unlike other groups of walkers we didn't stop on the top for long. The icing on the cake for this route is not the summit, it's the Barns of Bynack! The first group of rocks The Little Barns, can be easily spotted just below the summit area:
A picture from 2009, showing the Little Barns from slightly different angle:
My summit photo:
In May 2009, the tops of the Cairngorms were still covered with snow:
No snow this time, but still just as nice, seeing Beinn Mheadhoin in the afternoon sunshine:
Leaving other parties behind, we descended to the Little Barns, found a relatively sheltered spot and enjoyed our cuppa & cake break. Then it was time to explore the Barns!
I grabbed the camera and clicked photo after photo, from different angles. If you use your imaginations, these rocks can easily be interpreted as some familiar shapes...
Have they changed that much? Don't think so!
May 2009, Kevin posing with the Little Barns:
Even the wind was just as bad!
Kevin walked around the barns, tucked in his waterproofs:
I was a bit more adventurous, climbing one of the rocks and tryinfg to strike a sensible pose... The gusts were so strong I could easily "lay down" on the wind
Kevin did the same trick the previous time:
We walked around the Barns and had a good look at all these strange shapes. I'll leave you to some photos now, just a mind-game, like the famous Rorschach test - what can you see? What does it remind you of?
Enjoy the game!
I think, by accident, we must have arrived on Easter Island?
Do I have one very perverted mind or is this picture a bit...hmmm... too naughty to comment on???
One can say, a big happy family!
To the east, the Corbett Creag Mhor. Looks very insignificant but it's another excellent walk, could be added to Bynack More on a longer day. The rocks on the summit of this one aren't as naughty as on Bynack but an interesting spot nevertheless. Highly recommended:
And so are The Big Barns, situated a short distance down the slope, below the Little ones. More bulky and substantial, but one can interpret their shapes as well.
Haven't changed at all...
I was eager to do some more exploration (not necessarily with naughty results
)
This formation looks like a group of hugging people:
An older photo of the same group:
In the world of deep shadows:
Another Easter Island giant (2009):
And one more:
Do we really have to go home??? No, please! Not yet...
Instead of returning to the summit of Bynack More, we simply cut down the slopes in a straight line, to pick the Braemar pass down below us. There is no path at this point, but walking is easy enough on grass and heather. Sometimes one can even meet a little surprise...
Ptarmigan:
Once on the path, it was simply a matter of walking below the bulk of Bynack More, with a bit of ascent to the spot where the two paths join together.
Looking back to the pass:
We returned to the car after about 7 hours, which is a good time if you bear in mind all the time we spent by the Barns. And it was only the beginning of our holiday adventures! "Staycations" as they call them, but I much prefer exploring Scottish hills and moorlands than lying on the beach somewhere in tropics, getting baked alive and giving myself melanoma
Kevin always had a similar attitude. In our case, stay-cations are more like walk-ations or lurk-ations. Or maybe meow-cations. Whichever one sounds best.There's more to come of course. My next story will involve an interesting old ruin, a treat for all castle-fans
