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Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip


Postby mrssanta » Sun Oct 23, 2016 9:29 pm

Route description: Càrn a'Mhaim from the Linn of Dee

Munros included on this walk: Càrn a' Mhàim

Date walked: 19/10/2016

Distance: 17.5 km

Ascent: 700m

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Coldwetandhungry has passed her driving test (!!!) so is fit to be left alone while Mum and Dad go off to visit grandparents in Aboyne in the week before half term and manage to fit in a wee jaunt into the 'Gorms with the tent. We watched the weather forecast carefully and were promised a ridge of high pressure coming in on Wednesday afternoon and staying until Friday, displacing the wet and windy weather that seemed to have arrived the previous week.
Plan A B C D and a few others were considered ranging from the sublime to the ridiculous but the perfect plan eventually came together so on Wednesday morning we set off with our bikes, one with a new pannier rack and the other with a nice set of new panniers, parked up at LInn of Dee and cycled in to Derry Lodge. Now the last time I cycled was two years ago up to Fannich Lodge and I found it really hard work. Having the heavier stuff in panniers was a big help but still I think a little practice might not go amiss before the next time!
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Setting off with a lovely rainbow over Carn a'Mhaim.

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Carn a'Mhaim straight ahead and Derry Cairngorm with the sun on it

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nearly there now.

We found a nice spot by the Derry Burn within sight of the bridge over the burn and set up our tent, dumping all the stuff we would not need for the day, and having a bite of lunch and a brew. Then we set off again on the bikes up Glen Lui - the first bit across the flat bog was difficult for non-MTB-ers but then there was a nice stretch which took us through the trees at a good speed. We dumped the bikes at the last tree and continued on foot which I found much more comfortable.
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Looking back towards the last trees where we left the bikes

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Looking up at the cliffs of Carn a'Mhaim, approaching the ford of Luibeg Burn

Reaching the Lui Burn we decided it was not fordable today and continued upstream to the bridge which crosses over at a lovely gorge. We filled our water bottles here and continued up the steep hill, cutting off the corner rather than going downstream again to meet the path.
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Nope. I'm not fording that today

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another view of the ford. The pinewoods smell lovely

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burn again. The burn divides then joins up again past the ford

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Looking downstream from the bridge

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Luibeg Bridge

There is a pretty clear path all the way up to the summit of Carn a'Mhaim where we looked forward to seeing the famous views across to Devil's Point and the Cairn Toul-Braeriach ridge.
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Looking back down Glen Lui

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Weather still quite dark

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a burst of sunshine through the cloud onto the side of Derry Cairngorm. The cloud really was that wierd shade of blue

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another view of the same sunshine!

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Beinn a'Ghlo in the distance, the peak in the middle is Carn Fiaclach at the end of Beinn Bhrotain.

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Carn Fiaclach and Carn Cloich-Mhuillin (I think) with the sun on it.

Unfortunately the top was just above the cloud base so we got only a couple of glimpses of things through the cloud. It was very cold, and we had lukewarm almost tea and coffee as the gas stove was not up to it, the gas being almost empty.
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Lairig Ghru (yes really!)

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Rudolph on the summit with Sron Riach behind

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and me on the summit. You can see the almost views are tantalising!

Setting off back down we had plenty of time to get back to the tent before sunset.
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Sun down Glen Lui

Once we were sure we were clear of the big cliffs we went straight downhill "off piste" towards the bridge.
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Steeply downhill

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amazing orange grass

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back at the bridge

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dead tree

The cycle back was great. This time we followed the track by the edge of the Luibeg Burn and this was much better going.
We cooked up our tea and ate it in the growing darkness. We did not go straight to bed as we found an inch long tear in Rudolph's sleeping mat :( . We have no idea how it got there but fortunately we had the repair kit that came with the mat so an hour was spent making a proper mend in the mat which managed to delay bedtime till about 9pm! Tomorrow we will head for Beinn a'Chaorainn and Beinn Bhreac with the famous Boggy Bog. Here's a link to that report http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=67646
Last edited by mrssanta on Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Alteknacker » Mon Oct 24, 2016 12:20 am

You seem to be deliberately choosing the least spectacular of the hills thereabouts...!!! There must be some method in this, right...???

I hope your experience in the bogs of Beinn Bhreac is better than mine. Not a place I would recommend to anyone.

On the positive side, no midges at this time of year :D
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby onsen » Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:42 am

Moody & atmospheric pics, glimpses through breaks in the clouds...thumbs up.
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Caberfeidh » Mon Oct 24, 2016 9:47 am

Alteknacker wrote:You seem to be deliberately choosing the least spectacular of the hills thereabouts...!!! There must be some method in this, right...???


I like Cairn a'Mhaim, you get great views of the hills all around. Nice to see my old stamping ground in the Cairngorms again. That ford has always been a bit of a struggle - face the flooding waters of the ford or the steep, floundering mud -wallow after the bridge; which is worse? But the views and atmosphere from being high up amongst the Cairngorms make up for it all...

Lairigh Ghru #1r.jpg
Cairn a'Mhaim on left from Lairig Ghru
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby malky_c » Mon Oct 24, 2016 1:51 pm

Hopefully your next day was a bit better, but at least there was the occasional bit of sun on this side of the Cairngorms! Must've been the worst day of the week. I walked in to Corrour bothy from the north, and the weather round there was a great improvement on what it was on the Glenmore / Aviemore side :)

The best view of Carn a' Mhaim I got on Wednesday:
Image
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Sgurr » Mon Oct 24, 2016 3:22 pm

Found biking a great improvement after a lorry bashed into our back, and among other things wrecked my mtb. With some of the insurance, I got one with more springs, and it made cycling down hill- tracks a different experience. It doesn't have to be ruinously expensive.
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Caberfeidh » Mon Oct 24, 2016 5:19 pm

I'd rather walk than travel by mountain bike; I went into the Cairngorms on a mountain bike some years ago; afterwards I felt like I'd had my backside kicked all the way.
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby mrssanta » Tue Oct 25, 2016 6:47 pm

Alteknacker wrote:You seem to be deliberately choosing the least spectacular of the hills thereabouts...!!! There must be some method in this, right...???

oh yes, bagging the hills we have not done yet! and this time we could not be bothered carrying all our stuff so fancied a base camp.
http://www.walkhighlands.co.uk/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=67646 is the report of the boggy bealach. that was a lovely day actually!
onsen wrote:Moody & atmospheric pics, glimpses through breaks in the clouds...thumbs up.

thank you. it was quite dark overall and the photos don't really capture the bigness of the Cairngorms
Caberfeidh wrote:I like Cairn a'Mhaim, you get great views of the hills all around. Nice to see my old stamping ground in the Cairngorms again.

I liked it too. Actually although a long walk in it is not a particularly difficult hill but the views are tremendous. your photo is fab!
malky_c wrote: I walked in to Corrour bothy from the north,

unfortunately we never got a view of the bothy or would have waved at you I'm sure!
Sgurr wrote:I got one with more springs,

that sounds like a plan.
Caberfeidh wrote:I'd rather walk than travel by mountain bike; I went into the Cairngorms on a mountain bike some years ago; afterwards I felt like I'd had my backside kicked all the way.

I agree but it does speed things up a bit. I find it makes my backside ache, but I think that would improve if I cycled more. But I'm not sure if I want to!
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Caberfeidh » Wed Oct 26, 2016 12:41 pm

mrssanta wrote:Caberfeidh wrote:
I'd rather walk than travel by mountain bike; I went into the Cairngorms on a mountain bike some years ago; afterwards I felt like I'd had my backside kicked all the way.

I agree but it does speed things up a bit. I find it makes my backside ache, but I think that would improve if I cycled more. But I'm not sure if I want to!


Probably there is some kind of "Bum Event Horizon" where the benefits of more cycling outway the drawbacks and the body becomes used to it, muscles find unguessed powers of regeneration and one's butt ceases to ache. I just don't fancy the purgatory of finding out where my own personal Bum Event Horizon is... :shock:
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby Huff_n_Puff » Wed Oct 26, 2016 3:59 pm

Amazing photo of the blue clouds. Whilst I see the point of speed with a bike I'm afraid I'd rather walk any day - if only for safety :lol: :lol: Lovely spot to camp.
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Re: Carn a'Mhaim to start a camping trip

Postby mrssanta » Wed Oct 26, 2016 8:23 pm

Yes indeed this was me having my breakfast the next morning.
PA201174.jpg
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