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This posting covers Day 4 and Day 5 of my five day walk including the Lairig Ghru and a misty day on Meall a’Bhuachaille.
Day 2 and Day 3 taking in Beinn Mheadoin, Glen Derry, Glen Luibeg, Glen Dee and The Devil’s Point can be found here. The route for these two days was...
Day 4 – The Lairig GhruDay 4 started with mist in the glen, but that soon burnt off when the sun cleared Carn a’Mhaim.
After breakfast and packing my gear I left Corrour Bothy behind, sat in its wonderful location below Coire Odhar and The Devil’s Point.
Today the Lairig Ghru was clear of cloud.
And it was a steady walk up in to the upper reaches of Glen Dee and into the Lairig Ghru.
Braeriach was just starting to get a small amount of cloud on the summit
And, looking south, heavier clouds were starting to threaten from the west but didn’t close in until later afternoon.
The year before I had walked this path and lower cloud meant all the tops were hidden, but this year the view into An Gharb Coire showed Sgor an Lochain Uaine, Carn na Criche and Braeriach in all their glory.
From this angle Cairn Toul takes on a cone like view, different from the “barn” top when seen from other aspects.
The year before I had been in mist and walking across snow fields, but this year the Lairig Ghru was clear and I was able to get good photos of the Pools of Dee, first looking northwards...
And then south to back where I had come from...
Descending from the Lairig Ghru I followed the Allt Druidh path...
to Coylumbridge where I spent the night at the Rothiemurchus campsite.
Day 5 - Meall a’Bhuachaille and mistDay 5 was a day of low cloud and mist with the cloud base at 400m-500m. Setting off from Glenmore I followed the Allt na Feith Duidhe track past the Reindeer Centre and Glenmore Lodge through the trees. A clearing part way along hinted at the potential wildlife that might be seen, but nothing was there this morning.
Further along I came to the still and clear An Lochan Uaine nestling between the slopes of the glen.
At the head of the Pass of Ryovan at the Ryovan bothy I then followed the well maintained path up Meall a’Bhuachaille as it rose into the mist.
Oh for the clear days of earlier in the week…
After that the mist meant that there was nothing of any interest to see photograph-wise. A brief stop at the summit cairn, along with a feeling of surprise at the number of other walkers I was meeting – this one day surpassed the total I had met in the previous four days, but then I guess, this is an easily accessible top with a well-marked trail from the Glenmore Visitor centre.
As I dropped down to the bealach between Meall a’Bhuachaille and Creagan Gorm following the path back to Glenmore, Loch Morlich started to come into view through the mist.
The rest of the day was a steady walk around Loch Morlich and through the Glenmore forest...
to arrive back in Aviemore in time for something to eat before my train home. The rain, always threatening, started lightly at about 3pm and got heavier as the afternoon wore on.
This was the end of my five day walk around the Northern Cairngorms, exploring some new places, revisiting some old friends and as ever leaving me with the feeling that I had only scratched the surface and there is a still a lot more to do in future years.
The full route for the 5 days was...
and the route profile...
If you have read this far, I hope you've enjoyed the write up and the photos. For me it was another excellent five days, including the thunderstorms and rain, in mountains that I love to visit.
