Walkhighlands

Having left our car at the Sugar Bowl car park in Glen More Forest just east of Loch Morlich, we found a very nice camping spot where we tied up our hammocks. We had decided to carry individual hammocks and also a three man tent between us. The aim here was to cover nearly all possible camping terrains. With a delicious pasta dinner in our tummy's and a long day to follow we climbed into our hammocks and said good night.

Day 1 - Glen More Forrest to Derry Lodge- It was not to our surprise that we woke to a slight frosting on the ground as the night had been a cold one. Never the less we ate our pre made sachets of porridge and fruit, packed up camp and began our first day of walking.



With our sights set on reaching the top of Ben Macdui before lunch the pace was set and the layers were coming off. Stopping only to admire our beautiful surroundings (and check our bearings) we hit the snow line within an hour. The wind picked up and so went back on the layers of clothing.



It's not often that us Cambridge folk get to put snow on our boots, so as the path leveled out for a while we enjoyed the soft crunch under our steps. Closing in on our target we could see Ben Macdui in the distance. The clouds were clearing and we could see for miles. It wasn't long before we reached the last steep incline to the top, where we were joined by three local walkers, who kindly offered us a 'quick wee snifter' and then parted ways.



Heading east we found the path down towards Loch Etchachan where we stopped just after 13:00 for our lunch. Catching a chill we decided to get back on the path and continue our descent. We passed the very nice Hutchinson Memorial Hut as we followed the Coire Etchachan Burn through the valley. I wasn't too long before we found Derry Lodge and began our search for a campsite. Favoring the hammocks we turned west along the path toward a small forrest and found our home for the night. A relatively long day but very rewarding.





Day 2 - Derry Lodge to Loch Eanaich- The night was kind to us and we had no rain to contend with nor the cold from the previous day. The clouds had sat over us and kept us warm. Breakfast thrown down our necks we set off again. We must have enjoyed our nights sleep as we began walking at a moderately late 10:00am but with relatively flat ground ahead we soon gathered pace and covered the distance to the foot of a very daunting path up toward The Devil's Point.



We arrived at the Corrour bothy, took on some well needed snacks, used the much appreciated facilities and then set out to climb what was to be a challenging accent. The pace was slow but the steps kept coming as we plodded on up higher and higher. Looking back down we could understand why our thighs and knees were screaming at us to stop, but we kept on marching.





After a tough hour or so we reached the plateau between The Devil's Point and Coire An T-Saighdeir. Leaving the 18Kg bags behind we felt like we were floating up the last 250 meters of accent to The Devil's Point. A few pictures and a slight rest bite we began the descent back to the bags for a well earned lunch.

The wind was low on the plateau and we enjoyed the sun rays for a short while, drying off our sweat sodden feet. With an unclear route ahead we set off away from the path and traversed around Coire An T-Saighdeir and Carn An T-Sabhail. We were unsure of the direction of attack but soon realised it would be better to be higher. So with no pathway clear to us and the snow in patches we climbed higher toward the silhouettes on the ridge. Back on the path we climbed up to Sgor An Lochain Uaine (The Angel's Peak) and gained our bearings.







We knew we wanted to be at the north side of Loch Eanaich by the end of the day, but with a gap on the map and with no pathways, we once again traversed west to the nearest path which took us on an interesting and at times uneasy descent down to the Loch. Having had a slippery escape on a small snow patch on the side of the cliff and a rather large boulder fall 50 meters in front of us we decided it was time to get down as quickly (but always safely) sooner rather than later. It didn't take us long to get down, we found a lovely spot on the north side of the Loch.



With no sign of a tree for a fair few miles we dug the tent sections out of our bags and set up camp. The wind was howling through the valley which makes staying in a tent all that more cozy, so once our much deserved dinner was 'inhaled' we got our heads down.

Day 3 - Loch Eanaich to Glen More Forrest - Looking at the map we knew we had a 'flat' day ahead and with the sun out we were full of beans. Away went the tent and on went the boots. We were following a well established track which followed the burn almost all the way to Glen More Forrest.





As we entered the south side of Glen More we took in the beauty of our surroundings. For the first time in a a day or so we were passed regularly by 'other people'. I think the sun had brought out the cyclists, runners, walkers, dog walkers and picnic eaters so it was an enjoyable last few miles back to the car. Marching up the road we could see the car park in sight.

Getting back to the car was a relief on our bodies but brought an end to what was such a great short adventure. We'll be back soon Cairngorms!!