Walkhighlands

Or "it's a long way to walk to look at some mist...!"


This isn't our actual GPX file, it's a rough guide drawn on the map!

So, 3 days off in September and a good weather forecast, we fancied a slice of cheesecake but wondered about stalking issues, phoned Tom Watson the head stalker on the Attadale Estate and he couldn't have been more helpful, no stalking this weekend but starts in earnest on Monday, which way were we going and general blether, a big thanks to this Estate for their walker friendly polices and helpful friendly attitudes and the well maintained Bendronaig Lodge Bothy!
Anyway I digress
Friday 18.9.15
So Friday a beautiful day, arrived at the walkers car park about 13.30, and set off for the long and hilly but very scenic 8 mile walk into Bendronaig lodge bothy, past the house and gardens and along the track
Cheesecake and lurg mor 001 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The Attadale walkers carpark

Cheesecake and lurg mor 008 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The rucksack on wee legs

Cheesecake and lurg mor 014 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Starting the ascent, views back to loch Carron

We had thought of taking the bikes but glad we didn't really there would have been a LOT of pushing, the track rises to over 1100 ft after 5 miles before a long descent to the bothy at approx 650 ft.
Cheesecake and lurg mor 040 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The steep hairpins past loch na Cailllich

Cheesecake and lurg mor 047 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
First view of cheesecake and Lurg Mhor and the bothy, about 3 miles to go to the bothy from here, mainly downhill

The track is in good condition though but we pottered along in the sunshine, taking in the views and arrived after 3hrs at the Palatial bothy.
Cheesecake and lurg mor 053 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The bothy

Cheesecake and lurg mor 056 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The fire in the wee room next to the loo draws well

Cheesecake and lurg mor 057 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The fire in this room (the room with the door) is awful and very smokey apparently, we didn't try it out.

No one else about but signs of habitation in one of the wee rooms
Had a cuppa and a read of the numerous bothy books, had to share a story from one of the books here
Cheesecake and lurg mor 060 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The story from one of the bothy books, made me laugh a lot!!

The bothy has 3 rooms, the fire in the wee room next to the loo works a treat, apparently the fire in the room with the door is really smokey. There is a good wee stream outside for water and a bucket to flush the loo, works best if poured directly down the pan, the flush isn't all that.
We were joined by Kevin and Rupert the gorgeous dog and Ally and his mom, so there we were. Wine and dram and bombay bad boy pot noodle and eccles cakes and Pink Floyd playing and lots of chat, tales of mountain days and bothy nights, lovely people, funny and friendly and we chewed the fat and went out to see the moon rising and the stars, not a cloud in the sky and dossed down about midnight and slept very well, no wee mice about.

Saturday 19.9.15
"It'll clear"
Up at 7, porridge and coffee, cloud down to 1500ft, It'll clear.....and away at 8, along the track and over the shuggley bridge and turned right along the track towards loch Calavie until we reached the wee stream at Coire na Sorna where we headed up steep grass and into the mist on the way to Sail Riabhach, easy but steep grassy slopes with the odd tantalising glimpse of a view, no path but not boggy
Cheesecake and lurg mor 071 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
08.00 saturday morning, heading out from the bothy, not so nice weather....IT'LL CLEAR......

Cheesecake and lurg mor 073 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Cloud down to 1500ft

Cheesecake and lurg mor 074 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The shuggley bridge

Cheesecake and lurg mor 080 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Heading up towards Sail riabhach

At Sail Riabhach we picked up the ridge and followed it gently then steeply to the fabled summit of cheesecake...what a view (of mist).

Cheesecake and lurg mor 083 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
The final ridge to the summit of cheesecake

Cheesecake and lurg mor 084 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
On the summit, What a view

Back down, picked up the well worn, in parts, path to the bealach at 2400ft, still thinking it'll clear, It didn't really and headed up to Lurg Mhor, momentary clearings of the mist kept us on our toes but it was just teasing us really,
Cheesecake and lurg mor 088 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
On the ridge to Lurg Mhor

Cheesecake and lurg mor 090 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Glimpses of a view

Then it started to rain. We had lunch on the summit, out of the wind and thought about doing the scramble out to Meall Mor, mmmmm lovely slidey, slippy greasy slabs above a big drop in the drizzle....No thanks so we headed back down to the bealach and went down by the Alt Coire Calavie, easy enough on grassy slopes to the track on the shore of lovely clear Loch Calavie.

Cheesecake and lurg mor 099 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Heading down the wee ridge in the Alt Coire Calavie

Cheesecake and lurg mor 103 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Lovely lonely Loch Calavie and Beinn Dronaig the corbett behind it

Another couple of miles and we were back at the bothy, time for a cuppa and a bit of cake and dry socks, oh the luxury and then pack up and head off for the 8 mile walk out

Cheesecake and lurg mor 115 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Tea and cake and a wee sit down before the walk out


The clouds did clear a bit but the tops stayed in all day but it was dry and a nice steady walk out saw us back at the car for 7pm and home by 9.30.
So we did
Car park to bothy 8 miles 3 hrs., 1700 ft ascent
Bothy to hills to bothy 9.5 miles, 7 hrs., 3737 ft ascent
Bothy to car park 8 miles,3 hrs., 1100ft ascent
A magic couple of days, a wee minibreak and I enjoyed it all very much, a bit achey this morning though, not up for the creag bheag hill race!!!
BUT we treated ourselves this evening (Sunday) and went out for supper at the Cairngorm Hotel in Aviemore and guess what we had for dessert.......
Image458 by julie.spittle, on Flickr
Scrummy cheesecake

Isn't it just great to be alive when someone puts toothpaste in your eyes if you happen to fall asleep first. Thank heavens I wasn't in the bothy that night, says grumpy old woman. Grandson once gave me an account of Scout camp when the elder scouts struggled to stay awake so that they could pass on to the younger ones what had been inflicted on them in years past.

That was SOME walk. We cycled it.

Good descriptive report with photos to match. I now have to persuade my walking buddy we could manage a few hours sleep in a bothy!

Wow, that’s some walk , good effort. The bothy looks great!

Lovely report, makes me want to be there! Will ponder this option against the wild camping. Smashing photos even if the weather wasn't all you hoped for.

Thank you for this report. Hope to use the usefull informations and your descriptions soon...
Nice pics and good effort