Beinn a Chaorainn & Beinn Bhreac
Posted: Mon Feb 23, 2009 7:31 pmLast Thursday frustration was building - I hadn't been to the Highlands for 3 weeks!) so I checked the forecast for Friday - bad in the West so I decided to leave that to the masochists (wisely I think - see Doogz post!) and headed for Braemar. Friday I started from Linn of Dee car park at 8.30 and headed up Glen Lui.
I had vaguely thought of doing Carn a Mhaim and Derry Cairngorm but as it was clear and dry in the glen I decided to continue up Glen Derry and try Beinn a Chaoruinn - if the going was bad on the tops I could then return straight down the glen, otherwise I could continue over Beinn Bhreac. The path up the east side of Glen Derry is excellent (I didn't realise it had been a land rover track till I read the walkhighlands report).
Further up the glen was getting more desolate and the weather was looking gloomier - had I made a mistake? Near the top of the glen you can see into Corrie Etchachan with its gloomy crag. I could just make out the Hutchinson hut where I once spent a really miserable February night - it's not 5 star! (But it's better than being outside)
At the top of the glen I turned east up Beinn a Chaoruinn, now in light but steady rain. Luckily the going was easy and there was not as much soft snow as I had feared. I made several attempts at a summit photo, but gave up when my hands froze and the camera was running with water. Here's the best....
As I was already soaked I decided I might as well push on to Beinn Bhreac. Fortunately the boggy bits were covered with fairly hard snow, so it was an easy crossing, enlivened by a view to the West over Corie Etchachan (see photo - the crag at left back is Coire Sputan Dearg, the centre crag is Creagan a Corie Etchachan, and at back right you can see Shelter Stone crag...I think).
Now it was down to the glen and the long walk out. It was Friday night and I passed lots of people heading up to the bothy near Derry Lodge - it must have been full. I was glad to be going back to civilisation.
- Glen Lui with Carn a Mhaim ahead
I had vaguely thought of doing Carn a Mhaim and Derry Cairngorm but as it was clear and dry in the glen I decided to continue up Glen Derry and try Beinn a Chaoruinn - if the going was bad on the tops I could then return straight down the glen, otherwise I could continue over Beinn Bhreac. The path up the east side of Glen Derry is excellent (I didn't realise it had been a land rover track till I read the walkhighlands report).
- Old scots pines in Glen Derry
Further up the glen was getting more desolate and the weather was looking gloomier - had I made a mistake? Near the top of the glen you can see into Corrie Etchachan with its gloomy crag. I could just make out the Hutchinson hut where I once spent a really miserable February night - it's not 5 star! (But it's better than being outside)
- Corrie Etchachan looking ominous
At the top of the glen I turned east up Beinn a Chaoruinn, now in light but steady rain. Luckily the going was easy and there was not as much soft snow as I had feared. I made several attempts at a summit photo, but gave up when my hands froze and the camera was running with water. Here's the best....
- Too miserable to stop for a cup of tea
As I was already soaked I decided I might as well push on to Beinn Bhreac. Fortunately the boggy bits were covered with fairly hard snow, so it was an easy crossing, enlivened by a view to the West over Corie Etchachan (see photo - the crag at left back is Coire Sputan Dearg, the centre crag is Creagan a Corie Etchachan, and at back right you can see Shelter Stone crag...I think).
- the cloud clears to reveal three major crags
Now it was down to the glen and the long walk out. It was Friday night and I passed lots of people heading up to the bothy near Derry Lodge - it must have been full. I was glad to be going back to civilisation.
