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Most walkers climb Carn a'Mhaim in combination with Ben MacDui and Derry Cairngorm, in a grand circuit from Linn of Dee. But as we had linked BM and DC with Beinn a'Mheadhoin earlier this year, Carn a'Mhaim was left as an outlier to climb on its own.
I had nothing against a shorter day, especially with weather uncertain and the time needed to get to Linn of Dee from Beauly - 2.5hrs in the car each way
Of course, this route is so well known and so popular, for the circuit or for a single-top walk, that detailed description of each step taken seems a bit pointless... Let's concentrate on views then. I knew that this Munro was a good viewpoint and certainly it deserves the reputation it has - looking down to Lairg Ghru and across to Devil's Point is simply mind-boggling!
Having NOT enjoyed the drive from Inverness (I got terribly motion-sick
) I felt so relieved to jump out of the car when we eventually reached the car park... I noticed that the car parked next to ours had Walkhighlands logo on the back window - so who else was in Linn of Dee last Saturday, he?
The parking area was packed full...
Our route:
We started through the forest and soon joined the main track in Glen Lui. The day looked semi-good, it was warm but a few showers lingered...
Soon we saw our target - from the distance it looked terribly steep
Lui Water below, water from heavens above... We walked through drizzle...
All the way up to Derry Lodge I thought that we kept a good, fast pace, so I was surprised to be overtaken by another pair of walkers, who didn't really look like they were pushing too fast
Am I losing my fitness???
The glen felt very much autumnal - summer's over for good...
Having crossed the footbridge past the lodge, we turned left and continued along the river:
Looking back east. The track/path is cycleable almost to the bottom of the Munro...
As soon as we got closer, I started studying the slopes. The rocky frame of Coire na Poite looked daunting to say the least, but logically, there should be an easier way to tackle this hill...
Beinn Bhrotain. Another M' yet to climb:
The closer we got, the easier, the more friendly it seemed...
The path leads through some nice woodland...
... and to the ford. There is a bridge a few hundred metres up the river, but we opted for boulder crossing
The above mentioned bridge, in the background - Ben MacDui with cloud cover...
...but luckily, our hill was clag-free and I kept all digits crossed it would stay that way!
A good path leads all the way to the summit area and as we gained height, the first good panorama was back to Glen Lui:
Derry Cairngorm to the right of us proudly presented its rocky top:
I was happy that the cloud was slowly moving away and we had a good chance to not only have a clear summit, but also see the famous view to Lairgh Ghru and Devil's Point
At the moment, I was keen on moving up
After about 300m of steep ascent, gradient eased a bit and we stopped for a few minutes, just to record the views... It was my first Cairngorm Munro climbed from this side (what I've done so far, I did from Speyside) so I was glad to see the Cairngorms from a different perspective.
Glen Lui and Lochnagar on the horizon...
Further south-east, cloud was still hanging low...
We followed the main path, skirting around the lower top and hopping over boulders, until I stopped abruptly when the View to the Devil appeared...
On the path just below the summit:
Devil's Point... I've been planning to climb this one for ages, never got around to doing it, but seeing it in its full cruel beauty, I felt like it was teasing me
Five more minutes and we emerged on the summit. There were other people about and no wonder - the day wasn't as bad as forecast predicted (again, 40-60 mph winds had been forecast and it wasn't THAT bad
). I run towards the top to pose for my cairn picture on my Munro No. 114...
We dropped our rucksacks and enjoyed a high level picnic
I was overwhelmed by the panos. Especially looking west, I felt like I was gazing down from a plane... WOW! Shame that the cloud lingered just above the tops, it made all photos a wee bit grim, but on the other hand, would you expect the devil to smile?
DP with Cairn Toul and Sgor an Lochan Uaine to the right:
Ben MacDui, Derry Cairngorm (to the right) and further back, in the middle, Beinn a'Mheadhoin:
Breariach (summit in cloud) and the "arete" between Carn a'Mhaim and Ben MacDui. One summer day, I hope we will come back to complete the circuit, just for the joy of it
Looking east towards Whitemounth mountains:
Beinn a'Mheadhoin - zoomed:
One more of these... just couldn't take my eyes of the devil!
All the other walkers have long left, but we were still reluctant to leave this magical viewpoint. Eventually, the perspective of hot dinner made me gather up
it was time to move on, cloud was slowly descending over the tops of the Cairngorms... One last glimpse to the devil... Perhaps moody, but not as black as he's painted!
Before we left, Kevin stroke a pose with the cairn - his Munro No. 151:
On the descent, we enjoyed the lovely view down to the glen again:
The return walk was a pleasure though we lost the good light and Kevin gave up taking photos. We were overtaken by a few groups on bikes, but kept the pace going and eventually arrived back in the car after 6hrs15min, a large chunk of which was spent admiring the devil
Summing up: despite the distance to walk, one of the easiest Munros in the Cairngorms (if climbed on its own) and a real treat it would be in winter conditions. The final ascent is steep-ish but on a good path. I will surely return to Linn of Dee to tackle Beinn a'Bhuird and a few other tops still on my list, but for now, I'm glad to have ticked off another M hill. Meow!
