free to be able to rate and comment on reports (as well as access 1:25000 mapping).
Day 5 of our Cairngorm trip and the fourth in succession from Linn of Dee started with the best weather of the week - the car park at Linn of Dee was pretty full of fair weather (or maybe just more sensible) walkers.
At least the cycle out was slightly different as we followed the road to the white bridge. After crossing the Dee we turned immediately right and followed a rough track NW as far as the Allt Larnaidh where we headed west along a feint boggy path to the south of Carn Fiaclach Beag (I think it may have been preferable to climb this and get away from the boggy terrain).
After trudging through the bog for some time we headed up to the bealach between Carn Fiaclach and Carn Cloich-mhuillin. We then climbed this minor peak and descended to the broad, boggy plateau beyond (as we did so we looked back and saw a feint path skirting north past the summit and therefore avoiding a little ascent and descent).
It was a steady climb to the summit of Beinn Bhrotain where we stopped for lunch and our first real summit views of the week (I made a 360 video clip, but I haven't worked out how to link it to the trip report).
After lunch we set off NW for Monadh Mor, which we could see for a change. Initially we descended through boulders to a narrow bealach and then up a short, steep climb to Leac Ghorm, from where there doesn't appear to be much ascending left to the summit of the munro. We plodded to the summit, which was pretty nondescript. The views were pretty much the same as from Beinn Bhrotain, so we just took our summit photo and set off on the return journey.
We retraced our steps, apart from Carn Cloich-mhuillin, where we took the path over the north shoulder. Once back over the white bridge there was an opportunity to give it large on the bikes back to Linn of Dee and we were back in Braemar in time for a walk round the village shops in pleasant sunshine.
